Modelling of Soil Erosion Susceptibility Using the Multi-Influencing Factor Method in the Amizmiz Basin, Morocco

Saloua Agli (Department of Geology, Geosciences Geotourism Natural Hazards, and Remote Sensing Laboratory Faculty of Scienc-es Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech, Morocco)
Algouti Ahmed (Department of Geology, Geosciences Geotourism Natural Hazards, and Remote Sensing Laboratory Faculty of Scienc-es Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech)
Algouti Abdellah (Department of Geology, Geosciences Geotourism Natural Hazards, and Remote Sensing Laboratory Faculty of Scienc-es Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University)
Farah Abdelouahed (Department of Geology, Geosciences Geotourism Natural Hazards, and Remote Sensing Laboratory Faculty of Scienc-es Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech. GEOANLYSIS, engineering consulting office of Geological, geophysical, and environmental serv)
Moujane Said (Department of Geology, Geosciences Geotourism Natural Hazards, and Remote Sensing Laboratory Faculty of Scienc-es Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech)
Abdelfattah Aboulfaraj (Department of Geology, Geosciences Geotourism Natural Hazards, and Remote Sensing Laboratory Faculty of Sciences Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech)
El ghouat Akram (Department of Geology, Geosciences Geotourism Natural Hazards, and Remote Sensing Laboratory Faculty of Scienc-es Semlalia, Cadi Ayyad University, Marrakech. Interuniversity Institute for Earth System Research (IISTA), University of Granada, Granada )

Forum Geografi
Vol. 38 No. 3 (2024): December 2024

In the Western High Atlas of Morocco, soil loss caused by hydraulic erosion is a serious environmental issue that has led to the destruction of arable land and the feeding of surface water with large solid loads, resulting in major flood damage and the silting of dams. This study aims to identify areas vulnerable to hydraulic erosion in the Amizmiz watershed in the Western High Atlas to facilitate effective management of natural resources. The methodology adopted in this study is based on the multi-influencing factor (MIF) method coupled with remote sensing and geographic information system (GIS) data. The resulting erodibility map shows that areas with low to very low erosion potential represent 13% and 6% of the watershed, respectively, occupying the downstream and eastern parts of the basin, whereas 62% of the basin is classified as medium-risk. The remaining 19% of the watershed comprises high-risk areas, which are generally located in the axial and western zones. The validation value (AUC) obtained from the ROC curve is 0.78, confirming the sufficient predictive capacity of the MIF model for identifying areas vulnerable to hydraulic erosion in the Amimiz watershed.