Abstract:
A viable solution to the sustainability of the earth system requires careful consideration of land use/land cover change (LULCC) and its effects on the environment. One of the main issues now plaguing Algeria's Low-Saharan oasis is urban sprawl. Any effort aimed at the oasis city's sustainable development must continue to track and comprehend its spatial progression. For efficient management and spatial planning, local governments lack current and pertinent instruments. Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing offer ways around these challenges. This paper's primary goal is to draw attention to the process of urban expansion and the changes it causes to land cover and land use in specific areas. In this study, four Landsat images taken in 1995, 2005, 2015 and 2024 are used to map and quantify Biskra City, Algeria's spatiotemporal sprawl using a change detection technique. Following classification, a comparison of land use and land cover maps has shown a notable increase in the built-up regions outside of the municipality, conurbating with the Chetma agglomeration, in contrast to a steady drop in the palm grove. Its surface has continued to be fragmented and converted by unchecked urbanization, which has resulted in the loss of the city's unique oasis identity while underscoring the significance of El-Hadjeb's agricultural areas and their effects on the quality of the soil. This study also demonstrates the value of geographic information systems and change detection techniques for tracking urbanization trends and evaluating their effects on oasis ecosystems.
