A GIS-Based Assessment of Land Use Dynamics and Climate Variability in Constantine Province, Algeria

Abstract

Understanding the interaction between land use dynamics and climate variability is essential for effective environmental monitoring and sustainable land management. This study presents a spatio-temporal geospatial assessment of land use dynamics in Constantine Province, Algeria, and examines their relationship with key climatic variables, namely annual precipitation and maximum temperature. Land use data for 1990, 2000, 2010, and 2022 were analysed using Geographic Information Systems to identify spatial patterns and temporal changes among the main land use classes. The analysis focused on detecting changes in land cover distribution, evaluating land transformation trends, and comparing these changes with climatic variations across the study area.

The results showed that cropland remained the dominant land use class throughout the study period, although it decreased slightly from 191,887.00 ha in 1990 to 188,248.00 ha in 2022. In contrast, impervious surfaces increased strongly from 3,098.10 ha to 11,095.70 ha, reflecting clear urban expansion and infrastructure development. Forest areas decreased from 19,994.30 ha to 12,978.60 ha, while shrubland, grassland, sparse vegetation, and bare areas increased, indicating a progressive transformation of the landscape toward more open land cover types and a possible reduction of dense vegetation cover. The climatic analysis revealed a general increase in maximum temperature intensity, whereas precipitation showed irregular variability, with drier conditions particularly observed in 2000 and 2022.

These findings highlight the combined influence of human activities and climatic variability on land use dynamics in Constantine Province. The study confirms the usefulness of geospatial approaches for monitoring environmental change and provides relevant information to support sustainable land management, environmental monitoring, and regional planning.