Abstract

More than 80% of the West Bank is mountainous. Elevations range from around -421 m below the mean sea level near the Dead Sea in the Jordan Valley to around 1020 m above the mean sea level in the southern part of the central mountains of the West Bank near Hebron. This situation affects the rainfall and vegetation distribution, creating an environment that contributes effectively to the soil erosion process in the West Bank. This study investigates the use of the Fuzzy Analytic Hierarchy Process (FAHP) in the GIS environment to map the soil erosion vulnerability in the West Bank. Results of the study show that around 72% of the West Bank is moderately vulnerable to soil erosion, 18% is highly vulnerable, and 10% records low vulnerability values. The highly vulnerable soil erosion areas are concentrated on the western slopes and highlands of the West Bank. Geopolitically, around 65% of the moderately vulnerable to soil erosion, and around 54% of the highly vulnerable area are in Area C. Area C represents around 62% of the West Bank and is under full control of the Israeli occupation authorities. This geopolitical situation makes it difficult to conduct soil conservation and development programs for the West Bank. This study recommends that international political intervention is a must to conduct a soil conservation program in the study area.

Keywords: Soil erosion, the West Bank, Palestine, FAHP, GIS

Title

احمد رأفت غضية

Publisher

Zarqa Journal for Research and Studies in Humanities

Publisher Country

Jordan

Publication Type

Both (Printed and Online)

Volume

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Year

2024

Pages

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