Spatiotemporal analysis of vegetation cover changes in selected areas of Basrah Governorate using geospatial techniques

Vegetation cover in the Basrah Governorate was monitored from 2014 to 2024 using Remote Sensing (RS) and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) technologies. The work used satellite imagery from the Operational Land Imager (OLI) for 2014 and 2024. The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) and the Bare Soil Index (BSI) were developed to create digital maps showing variations in vegetation cover, density and area, as well as changes in the area of bare soil. The findings showed that the third and fourth vegetation density classes were absent or limited in the study area. The soil also showed an increase in the percentage of salts, especially in barren lands, which led to higher (BSI) index values. Moderate vegetation cover (NDVI class 0.20–0.49) was recorded in both years, with the largest area observed in 2024 (152.63 km²). A slight improvement in the area of moderately dense and dense vegetation was recorded in 2024 compared with in that 2014. The study generally showed that the majority of the study area was barren and had little vegetation cover, and 2024 recorded the highest area of barren land, reaching 1013.39 km2, with a percentage of 71.17%. In 2014, changes in green space were associated with vegetation loss; however, this link was weaker in 2024 because of lower rainfall and higher temperatures. This analysis shows the importance of soil features and remote sensing for monitoring and conserving soil and land resources.

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