Abstract
Wetlands are ecologically and economically important habitats. In the Mediterranean region, they account for 18.5 (±3.5) million ha or 1.5% of the world’s wetlands. Algeria has 1,500 wetlands, 50 of which are Ramsar sites. One of them is the Macta wetland, a specific ecosystem on the northwestern coast of Algeria. The study aims to provide data on the spatiotemporal evolution and interaction of the Macta wetland with human activities and climate. A diachronic diagnosis for the period 1958–2023 (65 years) was carried out using maps from 1958 and data collected by remote sensing for the period 1972–2023 in a Geographical Information System (GIS). The geomatics approach is based on the use of ArcGIS 10.8 and satellite imagery from Landsat and Sentinel-2. A precise cartography, close to the reality of the terrain, shows that between 1958 and 2023, the agricultural development, the urbanisation and flooding affected 26,515 ha or about half of the total area of the wetland. In 65 years, the anthropogenic pressure is five times greater than that caused by flooding. Therefore, the adaptation of the Macta wetland is an issue that should be considered and solved by the local environmental authorities.