Assessment of environmental sensitivity to desertification, soil quality and sustainability in an area of the North Nile Delta, Egypt.

Abstract

THERE IS a growing concern about interconnected environmental issues such as environmental changing, degradation, anddesertification. Therefore, the integration of assessment studies of environmental sensitivity, soil quality and sustainability is very important in planning and decision making in degraded and vulnerable areas to degradation, especially when associated to spatial distribution of such issues. Therefore, this study aims to: assess the environmental sensitivity (ES) to desertification, as well as soil quality (SQ) and sustainability (SS) in an area of North Nile Delta as a vital and fertile area that subjected to many challenges; as well, to utilize the GIS tools and capabilities to interpolate ES, SQ, and SS. MEDALUS scheme is used to assess ES. In this scheme four factors (i.e. soil(S), climate (C), vegetation (V), and management (M)) are considered. On the other hand, nine soil properties were considered to evaluate the SQ andSS. The results of this study revealed that all study area is classified as critical or fragile environmentally sensitive areas (ESAs). The most critical part is the southern of the study area. As well, the results demonstrated lowering in SQ and extending in unsustainable parts especially in the degraded, and barren parts in the north and most of the west area. It is also observed that although all southern part in the study area is sensitive to degradation, there was a part is considered as high quality and sustainable. Such assessment studies provide a framefor systematic and subjectiveevaluating of the potential subjecting of these areasto significant environmental impacts which should considered in the strategic planning in this area.