Study of the Changes in Vegetation Cover in Ghadau Municipality - Jabal Nafusa

Abstract

This study examines the spatial and temporal changes in vegetation cover within Jadu Municipality, located in the Nafusa Mountain region of western Libya, during the period from 1996 to 2015. Landsat satellite imagery and the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were utilized to assess vegetation density and detect changes over time, using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) for spatial analysis and classification. The results reveal a substantial increase in green areas, rising from 11,250 hectares in 1996 to 302,759 hectares in 2015. This significant expansion is largely attributed to agricultural development and land-reclamation activities across the region. The study highlights the effectiveness of remote sensing and GIS techniques in monitoring environmental changes and emphasizes the importance of continuous vegetation assessment to support sustainable natural-resource management and environmental planning.