Development and Assessment of Landslide Susceptibility in the Province of Chefchaouen, North-West Morocco, using Remote Sensing and GIS: A Weighted Overlay Analysis Approach

This study maps landslide susceptibility in the Chefchaouen region of northwestern Morocco using remote sensing and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) with a weighted overlay analysis approach.Key environmental factors considered include slope, aspect, elevation, vegetation cover, and soil characteristics.The results show a Kappa coefficient of 0.72, indicating substantial agreement between observed and expected accuracies.The user's and producer's accuracy for low susceptibility areas is 75%, for medium susceptibility areas is 85%, and for high susceptibility areas is 80%.These findings indicate a good match between the model's predictions and actual field conditions.Validation of the Landslide Susceptibility Zoning (LSZ) map revealed that most high-risk areas are located on steep slopes in the northern and western regions of Chefchaouen.Nine major landslide-prone zones were identified, providing crucial information for stakeholders to formulate effective mitigation measures.Despite several limitations, such as the temporal scope of data and the resolution of satellite imagery, this research offers significant insights into landslide risk management in the Chefchaouen region.Future perspectives include integrating long-term climate change scenarios and improving methodology to better capture local geological complexity.This study emphasizes the importance of sustainable land and vegetation management practices to reduce landslide risks.