Temporal Indices of Landscape Change: A Proposal to Measure Variations in the Conservation Status of Vegetation at Fine Resolution

The goal of this study was to propose scientific and objective indices capable of measuring the changes that occur in the conservation status of the vegetation of a particular area over a period of time. To this end, phytosociologically-based vegetation cartography at a detailed scale was used, carr...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inSustainability Vol. 11; no. 21; p. 5887
Main Authors Cantoral, Alberto Luis, Alfaro, Estrella, Alonso-Redondo, Raquel, García-González, Marta Eva
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Basel MDPI AG 01.11.2019
Subjects
Cartography
Conservation
Conservation status
Decision making
Geographic information systems
Landscape preservation
Sustainability
Territory
Variation
Vegetation
Velocity
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Summary:The goal of this study was to propose scientific and objective indices capable of measuring the changes that occur in the conservation status of the vegetation of a particular area over a period of time. To this end, phytosociologically-based vegetation cartography at a detailed scale was used, carried out at two different times, and the distance from the climax stage of the territory was calculated for each time. Three temporal indices of landscape change are proposed: Conservation Status Variation Index (ConSVI), Conservation Status Variation Velocity Index (ConSVVe) and Change Ratio (ChanRat). These enable the intensity, velocity, and percentage of change to be measured, and to determine whether this change is progressive or regressive—in other words, whether it is approaching or receding from the climax. To test the proposal, it was applied to a territory in Northwest Spain. The proposed indices are universally applicable to any territory and are the first of their kind to operate at a detailed scale with a phytosociological basis. They also enable an objective measurement to be made of the landscape change that has occurred, meaning that they have immense practical utility in studies of managing and planning territorial resources.
ISSN:2071-1050
2071-1050
DOI:10.3390/su11215887