Abhatoo - Centre Nationale de Documentation

The purpose of this research was to investigate the intricate connections among land use change, land surface temperature, and the distribution of partridges (Alectoris barbara), employing a comprehensive analysis of various environmental factors. Indeed, a variety of geospatial techniques have been used to analyze the spatio-temporal trends in temperature as a function of different classes of vegetation cover, and the geographic distribution of eco- logical niches for this species in Meknes province was modeled using Maxent 3.2 (Maximum Entropy) software. The study spanned a 22 year timeframe, from 2000 to 2021, during which alterations in each land use category were identified through the utilization of various sensors, incorporating Landsat 7 ETM+ and Landsat 8 OLI/ TIRS in the analysis. The results induced a significant change in the land surface temperature (LST) with a range of 15.85–36.20°C, 12.76–38.24°C and 25.73–47.79°C for the years 2000, 2010 and 2020, respectively. However, this change was negatively correlated with the normalized difference vegetation index (NDVI). This decline in vegetation, in turn, manifests as a significant factor contributing to the diminution of partridge distribution. By empirically establishing these connections, the research not only underscores the impact of temperature-induced vegetation changes on partridge habitat but also enhances comprehension of the intricate ecological dynamics governing species distribution in the context of evolving land use patterns.