Environmental and Stress Analysis of Wild Plant Habitat in River Nile Region of Dakahlia Governorate on Basis of Geospatial Techniques

Abstract

Spatiotemporal environmental changes lead to disturbances in wild plant habitats, particularly in regions characterized by changeable land use and cover. The present study aims to characterize wild plant habitats in the River Nile region of Dakahlia Governorate using a multidisciplinary approach, incorporating remote sensing, GIS and sampling analyses. Twenty-four stands representing the wild plant habitats in the River Nile region were geographically identified, sampled and analyzed. Water and soil samples were investigated for physical and chemical characteristics. Two calibrated multispectral Landsat images dated 1999 and 2019 were processed to produce LULC, NDSI, NDMI and NDSI to characterize wild plan habitats. The floristic composition showed the presence of 64 species belonging to 53 genera and 28 families. Ecologically, the recorded plant species in the present work can be classified into four main categories, which are separated into three communities according to the TWINSPAN classification. Results showed that the annual loss of agricultural lands (3.98 km2) is closely relevant to the annual expansion of urban areas (4.24 km2). Although the uncontrolled urban sprawl caused loss of agricultural lands, it leads to the expansion of wild plant habitats, represented mainly by the sparse class and partially by the moderately dense class as obtained from NDVI. The increase in mean values of the moisture (NDMI) from 0.034 in 1999 to 0.64 in 2019 may have arisen from the increase in total areas of wild plant habitats during the investigated period (1999–2019). This might increase the suitability of conditions for wild habitats which induces the proliferation of natural plants.

Wild Plant Habitat Characterization in the Last Two Decades in the Nile Delta Coastal Region of Egypt

“…Change detection research on native ecosystems is critical, as our metropolitan centers' native plant diversity is rapidly dwindling. Such investigations may now be carried out without the need for personal involvement by using appropriate digital image-processing techniques on multispectral images [10][11][12]. Integrating GIS and RS (Remote Sensing) have evolved into powerful tools for variables acquisition and environmental vulnerability spatial distribution studies [13,14].…”

“…Integrating GIS and RS (Remote Sensing) have evolved into powerful tools for variables acquisition and environmental vulnerability spatial distribution studies [13,14]. Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) is highly correlated with parameters associated with plant health and productivity, such as vegetation density and cover [15,16], green leaf biomass [17], leaf area index [18], chlorophyll content [19], crop condition [20], and wild plant habitat [10,11].…”

Hydrochemical Assessment of the Irrigation Water Quality of the El-Salam Canal, Egypt

“…The Egyptian water resources system is made up of numerous interconnected components and interacts with other complex and unpredictable systems such as social, economic, and environmental systems. In Egypt, River Nile flow, precipitation, and groundwater from renewable and nonrenewable aquifers are all examples of freshwater resources [5,6]. Egypt also makes use of a variety of low-quality water sources, such as agricultural drainage water and treated residential wastewater.…”

“…Egypt also makes use of a variety of low-quality water sources, such as agricultural drainage water and treated residential wastewater. In addition to the non-conventional water resources, desalination is increasingly being utilised to provide household water supply for some places along the Mediterranean and Red Sea coasts [3,5]. The most pressing issue in Egypt's water resource management is the disparity between increasing water demand and insufficient water availability [7].…”

“…Consequently, the contaminated water in the Delta poses a significant constraint on water availability and forms a serious health risk through the reuse of drainage water and pumping contaminated groundwater, in addition to polluting the Mediterranean Sea. Local governments, communities, and farmers are aware of this risk and willing to participate in a project reducing pollution in the drains in the Delta [5,10].…”