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Land evaluation and conservation of semiarid agrosystems in Zaragoza (ne Spain) using an expert evaluation system and GIS
Author(s) -
Machin J.,
Navas A.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
land degradation and development
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.403
H-Index - 81
eISSN - 1099-145X
pISSN - 1085-3278
DOI - 10.1002/ldr.3400060402
Subject(s) - environmental science , geographic information system , land management , land use , soil conservation , limiting , erosion , environmental resource management , environmental protection , hydrology (agriculture) , water resource management , geography , remote sensing , ecology , agriculture , geology , mechanical engineering , archaeology , geotechnical engineering , engineering , biology , paleontology
In the area around Zaragoza, agrosystems are very fragile. Water is the main limiting factor for cultivation. Annual rainfall does not exceed 350mm, and the occurrence of convective storms with short and intense periods of very heavy rainfall greatly increases the danger of water erosion. Also, the mostly squeletic soils in this sparsely vegetated area are prone to erosion. In this semiarid environment, soil essentially constitutes a non‐renewable resource, and therefore conservation of these agrosystems is an important issue and a serious environmental concern. Effective land management and soil conservation strategies require a variety of information and maps. In this paper, an expert land evaluation system (MicroLEIS) along with a geographic information system (IDRISI) are used to develop a computerized spatial database in order to suggest suitable land management strategies for environment conservation.