Application of Remote Sensing Techniques and GIS in Improving Coastal Land Degradation Monitoring

• Mohammad Abed
• Land Degradation Division, GORS, Damascus, Syria.
• Email: ibrahim5@scs-net.org>
• Web site: www.coldproject.net International Conference About the Sustainable Development in the Syrian Coast

Abstract

The issue of land resources conservation is strongly felt in Syria like in most other Mediterranean Countries. The main environmental concerns of the coastal zones in Syria mostly arise from the high concentration of people and related activities (intensive agriculture, heavy industry, transportation). Degradation processes are furthermore accelerated by the natural assets of the landscape as to relief, geomorphology, geology and soil characteristics, as well as by the climatic type of the concerned zone in terms of rain intensity, drought and climate change.
The present study is part of the documentation of the results of the EU LIFE THIRD Countries regional project "Improving Coastal Land Degradation Monitoring in Lebanon and Syria". The study is focusing on two pilot areas in the Syrian coastal area in order to finalize the descriptive erosion maps for both areas based on using remote sensing techniques. The final soil erosion maps provide useful tools for the knowledge and interpretation of the erosion processes that are present in the pilot areas as well as they are a planning tool for the erosion control.