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RUSLE-GIS water erosion mapping in Bouhmama (Northeastern Algeria)

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Parent Category: 2026

Category: Content №3 2026

Created on 26 June 2026

Last Updated on 26 June 2026

Published on 30 November -0001

Written by S. Hassad, O. Meghithi, S. Boughaba, A. Benzaoui

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Authors:

S. Hassad*, orcid.org/0009-0000-8611-9261, Higher National School of Forests Khenchela, Khenchela, Algeria; Higher National School of Forests Khenchela, Laboratory of Algerian Forests and Climate Change, Khenchela, Algeria, e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

O. Meghithi, orcid.org/0009-0005-1895-9820, Higher National School of Forests Khenchela, Khenchela, Algeria; Higher National School of Forests Khenchela, Laboratory of Algerian Forests and Climate Change, Khenchela, Algeria

S. Boughaba, orcid.org/0000-0003-3675-6881, Higher National School of Forests Khenchela, Khenchela, Algeria; Higher National School of Forests Khenchela, Laboratory of Algerian Forests and Climate Change, Khenchela, Algeria

A. Benzaoui, orcid.org/0009-0000-3621-7306, Higher National School of Forests Khenchela, Khenchela, Algeria

* Corresponding author e-mail: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

повний текст / full article

Naukovyi Visnyk Natsionalnoho Hirnychoho Universytetu. 2026, (3): 125 - 132

https://doi.org/10.33271/nvngu/2026-3/125

Abstract:

Purpose. To evaluate the spatial sensitivity of the Bouhmama watershed, located in the Aurès Mountains of northeastern Algeria, to water erosion through the combined use of the Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE), geographic information systems (GIS), and a qualitative multi-criteria analysis.

Methodology. Rainfall erosivity, soil erodibility, slope length and steepness, vegetation cover, and support-practice factors were derived from rainfall records, soil and lithological information, a digital elevation model, Landsat 8/9 imagery, and land-use data. In parallel, NDVI, lithology, slope, soil moisture, soil classes, and land use/land cover were standardized, weighted, and overlaid in a GIS environment to generate a qualitative sensitivity map.

Findings. The RUSLE-based map indicates that low and moderate sensitivity classes dominate the watershed, accounting for 52.0 and 24.2 % of the area, respectively, whereas high and very high sensitivity classes cover 14.7 and 8.3 %. The qualitative approach produced a comparable spatial pattern, with 43.27 % low, 28.56 % moderate, 17.31 % high, and 10.86 % very high sensitivity. The most erosion-prone zones are located along the northwestern, northeastern, eastern, and outer southeastern mountainous margins, where steep slopes, weakly cohesive materials, sparse vegetation cover, and concentrated runoff interact.

Originality. The study integrates an empirical erosion model with an expert-based GIS multi-criteria framework in order to improve the interpretation of erosion sensitivity in a semi-arid mountainous watershed and to capture local environmental specificities that are not fully represented by the quantitative model alone.

Practical value. The resulting maps provide a spatial basis for prioritizing soil and water conservation measures, erosion control planning, and sustainable land management in Bouhmama and comparable semi-arid watersheds.

Keywords: semi-arid watershed, rainfall erosivity, land degradation, northeastern Algeria

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