Application of GIS for Examine the Contribution to the study and preservation of plant biodiversity in the Saharan: A Case Study

Abstract

Despite numerous studies on the physical and biotic aspects of the Ahaggar Cultural Park, decision-making on the development of the Park remained difficult due to the lack of a centralized database. The purpose of this Geomatic database will be to inform planning and management decisions by identifying sites potentially associated with an important biodiversity and protecting them as a priority.
The preservation of biodiversity, which is now one of the important criteria for sustainable land management, requires the habitat protection of certain rare species.
As part of this research, a methodology for integrating pluri-thematic and multi-source data into a Geographic Information System (GIS) is initiated. Technical and methodological choices are adopted and an integrated mapping approach to the Saharan natural environment (Ahaggar Cultural Park) assisted by remote sensing is outlined. The conceived methodological chain allows cartographic production in conformity with the requirements of a GIS compatible with the biodiversity monitoring needs. The obtained results validate the overall approach and raise technical or thematic limits to be met.
Therefore, to optimize the Geographical Information System (GIS) and ensure its success in monitoring biodiversity, technical and thematic orientations are suggested.
This methodological approach, unless revised, provides us with satisfactory and practical results to comfort GIS and to carry out at medium and large scales draping potential indicators for the monitoring of biodiversity.