Spatial-Temporal Analysis of Vegetation and Land Cover Changes in Central Darfur Using Remote Sensing Data (1980-2020)

The main research field of the present study is to use remote sensing for the detection of natural resources changes for the past 20 years due to climate change variability in most vulnerable areas in Zallingei, Central Darfur State (western Sudan). The natural resources covered some classes (vegetation, herbaceous, forest cover, bare lands and water bodies). Meteorological data covered 30 years (1980 - 2020) for temperature and rainfall as well as satellite imageries’ for the years, 1981, 2000 and 2020. The geospatial data were downloaded and an analysis using QGIS 3.22.1 and ERDAS 2014 software. The results showed that for the last four decades, the average temperature increased from 30.4 to 30.9°C, while the average rainfall decreased from 460 to 730 mm. The mean NDVI decreased from 0.28 to 0.20. Changes in natural resources in the 3 areas under study and for the years; 1980, 2000 and 2020 revealed that, For Abatta area, percentage changes in water bodies ranged between 4 - 7 and 6% for the corresponding years. Bare soil showed increases as: 25, 44, and 64%. For vegetation cover the range of decreases were; 34, 19 and 18%, herbaceous decreases were: 17, 16, 13%, while forests decreases were 24 to 16 and 15%. For Orukum area, Bare soil percentage changes were: 23 - 12 and 25% for the corresponding years, while water bodies changes ranged as: 20, 30, 16%. For vegetation cover changes were 18, 10, which increased to 38%, while herbaceous decreases ranged as: 32, 14 and 6%, the forest percentage changes ranged between 7, 17 and 6%. For Teraj area, percentage changes in water bodies decreased from 16 to 7% with small changes in bare soils changes (20, 17, and 20%). Vegetation cover percentage increases were: 19, 26 and 32%, while herbaceous changes varied as: 26, 40, and 18% with forest showing changes as: 20, 10, and 23%. There was a high negative (r = - 0.51) correlation between vegetation cover and forest, as well as with average temperature (r = -0.64) but high positive correlations between vegetation cover and herbaceous cover (r = 0.51). Bare soil showed high negative correlations with vegetation cover (r = - 0.54) and average temperature (r = - 0.83). Forests were highly positively correlated with vegetation cover (r = 0.51), but highly negatively correlated average temperature (r = - 0.98) and annual rainfall (r = - 0.82). Herbaceous vegetation was highly (r = 0.83) positively correlated with vegetation cover. Average temperature negatively correlated with annual rainfall (r = - 0.77).