Identifying socio-ecological networks in rural-urban gradients: Diagnosis of a changing cultural landscape

• Published in: The Science of the total environment Vol. 612; pp. 625 - 635
• Main Authors: Arnaiz-Schmitz, C., Schmitz, M.F., Herrero-Jáuregui, C., Gutiérrez-Angonese, J., Pineda, F.D., Montes, C.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Netherlands Elsevier B.V 15.01.2018
• Subjects: Cities; Conservation of Natural Resources; cultural landscape; Ecology; Ecosystem; ecosystems; environmental management; Humans; Landscape metrics; lifestyle; Madrid region; Multivariate analysis; planning; Rural Population; Social welfare; Socio-ecological coupling; Socioeconomic Factors; Socioeconomic structure; Spain; urbanization; Social welfare; Socioeconomic structure; Multivariate analysis; Landscape metrics; Socio-ecological coupling; Madrid region
• ISSN: 0048-9697; 1879-1026; 1879-1026
• DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.08.215

Socio-ecological systems maintain reciprocal interactions between biophysical and socioeconomic structures. As a result of these interactions key essential services for society emerge. Urban expansion is a direct driver of land change and cause serious shifts in socio-ecological relationships and the associated lifestyles. The framework of rural-urban gradients has proved to be a powerful tool for ecological research about urban influences on ecosystems and on sociological issues related to social welfare. However, to date there has not been an attempt to achieve a classification of municipalities in rural-urban gradients based on socio-ecological interactions. In this paper, we developed a methodological approach that allows identifying and classifying a set of socio-ecological network configurations in the Region of Madrid, a highly dynamic cultural landscape considered one of the European hotspots in urban development. According to their socio-ecological links, the integrated model detects four groups of municipalities, ordered along a rural-urban gradient, characterized by their degree of biophysical and socioeconomic coupling and different indicators of landscape structure and social welfare. We propose the developed model as a useful tool to improve environmental management schemes and land planning from a socio-ecological perspective, especially in territories subject to intense urban transformations and loss of rurality. Graphic scheme that summarizes the social welfare pattern identified in the rural-urban gradient of Madrid Region. Curve tendencies of social welfare proxies are based on statistically significant values obtained for each socio-ecological group. Landscape pattern of each type of municipalities is indicated along the abscissa axis. [Display omitted] •We used a method that detects socio-ecological networks in rural-urban gradients.•The method links socio-ecological types with spatial patterns and social welfare.•Our model highlights the coupling between landscape and socioeconomic structures.•The results detect municipality types along a rural-urban gradient in Madrid Region.•The proposed model can improve land planning from a socio-ecological perspective.