Study of the dynamics of vegetation cover by satellite images: Case of El Kala National Park (Algeria)

In recent years, wetlands in Algeria have experienced a significant deterioration in the natural quality of the landscapes that compose them. This is the case of the El Kala National Park in the far northeast of Algeria. The state of degradation of the open plant of this park is urgently to look at the state of the art in the face of multiple threats that affect these spaces. The exploitation of the Landsat satellite images, coupled with GIS and supplemented by field surveys and climate and documentary data, made it possible to analyze the vegetation cover and its evolution between 1987 and 2016. The results of our study show that the vegetation cover during the period (1987‒2016) lost 7.49% (6038 ha) of its natural vegetation. Also this work allowed us to set up a cartographic base which can constitute a precious tool of management of this protected area. This method is simple and adaptable to other protected areas of Algeria.