MONITORING OF LAND-COVER/LAND-USE CHANGES IN SYRIA BY INVOLVING THE COLLECT EARTH METHODOLOGY APPROACH

Abstract

Land-cover/Land-use (LC/LU) monitoring is important for the ecosystem and climate change intends. The LC/LU change sector plays and will continue to play a crucial role in international efforts for decision making and planning. Monitoring, evaluating and reporting according to international agreements in LC/LU change is still a challenging task difficult task due to government instability, war or conflict situation in some countries. What happened in Syria in recent years is an example of this situation too. In this context, different methods based on remote sensing are used to produce more sensitive and accurate data. Thus, in this study used to Collect Earth methodology, that multi-purpose land monitoring using remote sensing and Geographic information system integrated, for accurately estimating LC/LU change between 2000 and 2018 in Syria. Recently, The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) to assist countries in collecting, managing and analysing land-cover and land-use information have released Open Foris Collect Earth software. Besides, there are not enough and current studies for studies in line with the international LC/LU categories and classification principles in Syria. Overall, the article provides basic results which distribution of LC/LU classes according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), monitoring the current status and change of forest, pasture or woody vegetation, agricultural fields and wetlands, LC/LU change between 2000-2018, habitat loss-gain and revealing the effects of war on the land.