ASSESSMENT OF VULNERABILITY TO DESERTIFICATION USING THE MULTI-CRITERIA ANALYSIS BY THE WEIGHTED SUM

Despite the fact that desertification affects 41% of the world's land, there are just a few thorough ways for assessing it. This research was carried out to determine the sensitivity to desertification induced mostly by anthropogenic acts in an arid climate. It presents a global method for assessing vulnerability to desertification on a spot-by-spot basis. The first stage in this strategy is to identify and delimit bio-geographical zones in Morocco that are climatically, edaphically, and floristically homogeneous. The land uses of these homogeneous areas are then mapped into seven primary classifications, after which each area's vulnerability to desertification is analysed using a multi-criteria analysis using the weighted sum approach. Temperature, precipitation, terrain, soil type, forest and matorral cover, farmland, stocking rate, and population density are among the biophysical and anthropogenic elements considered in this study. Even though the forests have declined, the data show that forest and matorral cover has increased in recent years. The weighted total method, on the other hand, produced better results by identifying the degree of vulnerability in each homogeneous area. As a result, the Agricultural Plains of Gharb are the most vulnerable. This method can be developed and then used to assess vulnerability in other desertification-affected countries or regions around the world.

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