Economic Costs of Wildfire Damages on Gum Arabic Productivity Losses Using Modis Satellite Images

The investigations aim to assess the economic analysis of wildfire damages costs on gum Arabic productivity losses. The data used in this study relied on modis satellite images and techniques to map and report the burned area for wildfire season 2011 – 2019 in South and West Kordofan as well as East Darfur. In addition the images converted to areas of Acacia senegal in the three states using Envi4 software. The study carried out using Benefit Cost Analysis to compute Net Present Value and to evaluate economic costs and losses of gum Arabic productivity. The investigations depicted that, there is a severe impact of wildfire in the three states, South Kordofan showed the highest burned area reached to 2000000 hectare, this followed by West Kordofan which is reached to 1300000 hectares, and East Darfur was the third rank with the minimum burned area of 1000000 hectares. The results exhibited that, East Darfur is the less gum Arabic losses which showed 10000000kg/Hectares; South Kordofan showed the highest productivity losses reached to 25000000kg/Hectare. In addition, the results of West Kordofan state also decreased to 7500000kg/Hectare. The economic analysis during the projected period showed that East Darfur economic loss ranges between -($13256039.65 and $397681.1895). Furthermore, South Kordofan showed the highest economic loss among the three states ranges between -($195389225.3- $5861676.759). In addition, the results of West Kordofan state also be impacted with the wildfire burned area which showed economic costs range between -($92343503.51- $2770305.105). The studies concluded that during the ten years of projection, the wildfires costing the producers and Sudan economic and affect the income which showed ($13256039, $195389225.3 and $92343503.51) for East Darfur, South Kordofan and West Kordofan respectively. The study recommended that forest restoration and the programs of awareness as well as spreading acacia seeds to burned area in the place where it is raised so that will increases the chances of the restoration and rehabilitation of the degraded area. Also, conservation strategies are highly needed to develop restoration and rehabilitation strategies for Acacias degraded area.