Environmental Engineering Reference
In-Depth Information
and programmes' (Convention on Biological Diversity 1992, Rio Earth Summit).
[8, 9]
also indicate that environmental quality is becoming recognised as a critical factor
that should constrain landscape planning. The environmental quality of the territory
may be defined as the 'degree of excellence or merit warranting the conservation of
the essence and structure of the environment or of any of its elements', as proposed by
[10]
. We have chosen this concept, as this author has a markedly practical focus.
However, the author proposes environmental quality assessment models focused
on landscape planning projects applied to territories which range from a small
extension (a municipal district) to an average extension (region). Nevertheless, SEA
procedures require methodologies which enable the assessment of plans affecting
large territories (on a national scale). For this reason we propose a model which
evaluates the environmental quality of large extensions of land; we have called this
model LATINO (LArge Territory Integrated eNvirOnmental model).
Methods
The proposed model is used to compare territorial units
[10]
, and it is combined
with a multi-criteria method which uses six forest structure evaluation criteria to
assess the quality of forest landscapes
[11]
. We also examine other evaluation cri-
teria based on previously existing environmental information on a national scale.
We consider that with 12 variables it is possible to assess the environmental quality
of the Spanish territory. However, this model is an open system that allows continuous
incorporation of new quality scores.
The map projections, GIS and mathematical software, scale and level of detail
used are described in
[4]
. As enormous amounts of information are analyzed, it is
impossible to use vector-type GIS operations, and we thus chose to use a GIS
raster-type model. We use GIS models based on logical operations of reclassifying
and combining the raster layers, and numerical vector operations based on the
vector module.
[12, 13]
propose that the vector module is a suitable method for
integrating multiple indicators into a single index, for practical operating reasons
in planning procedures.
Inventory of 12 Environmental Qualities
on a National Scale in Spain
Based on the available digital environmental information on a national scale, we
use five digital maps: Corine Land Cover 1990
[14]
; Spanish Landscape map
[15]
;
Soil map
[16]
; Habitats map
[17]
; and Spanish Forestry Vegetation map
[18]
.
These five maps allow us to generate, either directly or by deduction, a set of 12
raster layers (pixel: 100 m): naturalness and singularity of the 50 units in the
Corine Land Cover map; naturalness, singularity and fragmentation of the units in
