Monitoring and Mapping of Land Threats in Iraq Using Remote Sensing

Abstract

Iraq with a total land of 438,317 km2 is located between longitudes 38° 45′ and 48° 45′ E, and between 29° 5′ and 37° 15′ N. It was indicated that the crop land is losing its inherent productivity due to poor agricultural practices and over exploitation. The direct loss of agricultural land is most acute around urban centres, where established agricultural land is being lost to alternative uses, including urbanization. Four processes of land degradation are usually recognized in Iraq including salinization, erosion, sand dunes, and urbanization. Many studies have shown that salinity is one of the most serious degradation processes in the central and southern Iraq lands. More than 70% of the irrigated agriculture lands in the central and southern Iraq have been abandoned in the recent years and causing yield declined between 30 and 60% as a result, mainly, of salt accumulation by salinization process. About more than 25% of the land area of Iraq has a serious erosion problem. More than 20% of the total area, mainly in southern Iraq was seriously affected by water lodging. So, most of Iraqi agricultural lands are highly affected by one or more of the desertification processes due to poor management practices, dry climatic conditions and to the effects of socio-economic.