Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
The region of Madrid, due to its geographical location (centre of the Iberian Peninsula), and
physiographic variability, -from the Cordillera Central to the river Tagus depression-, has a
variety of lithological, mesoclimatic, edaphic and geomorphological traits, which have
resulted in a great diversity of ecosystems, land use types and landscapes, some of them of
great natural value. For example, It is noteworthy the contrast between areas of the
Guadarrama Range (belonging to the Central Mountain Ranges), where summits and slopes
covered by pine and oak forests, dehesas and grasslands of high nature value, are well-
preserved, compared to other areas intensely humanized, that have a very deteriorated
landscape, such as the metropolitan area of Madrid. In the recent history of this region there
is a clear abandonment of traditional agricultural activities that had provide the
maintenance of semi-natural systems with a high degree of functionality, which has resulted
in a clear instability [26]. Thus, at present, there is a heavily modified landscape, more
homogeneous and probably more polluted, that has lost much of the typical positive
externalities of the traditional landscape (natural services, basic ecological processes,
biodiversity, aesthetic tourist-recreational values, etc).
For this reason, much of the territory of Madrid Region is protected by European
Community legislation, as well as national and regional laws, which aim to consolidate the
protection and conservation of natural diversity, and at the same time, seek to promote
(uphold, improve) sustainable development.
Since 1985, the autonomous government of Madrid has declared seven protected areas,
which represent 14% of its surface, so it is the sixth region in Spain in terms of protected
territory. In parallel, along decades, there has been a very important socio-economic
development in the region, a great population growth and a deep process of change in the
use and exploitation of the area's resources. This study was conducted in a Protected
Natural Ares stated at 1985.
The aims of this study were, firstly, to analyse the main changes in land use occurred inside
the Protected Natural Area (PNA) over a period of 35 years, in order to determine the
principal territorial dynamics occurred, and the consequences of these processes of change
on the landscape configuration and on the evolutions of territorial structure in this PNA.
Secondly, in a smaller geographical context, GIS tools are combined with key ecological
parameters such as richness of uses, diversity (by Shannon) [27], evenness, connectivity and
fragmentation, to analyze the structure and organization of the territory.
2. Study area
We conducted our study in the PNA (Cuenca Alta del río Manzanares), located quite close
to Madrid city (approximately 50 km NW, Figures 1 and 2). This PNA is characterised by a
mid-mountain Mediterranean landscape, with altitudes ranging from 660 m to 2,200 m. The
summits with slopes of gneiss and granite are covered by oak ( Quercus pyrenaica ) and pine
reforestation ( Pinus sylvestris ). On these slopes is located one of the most important granite
landscapes of Europe, “La Pedriza", protected since 1930. A rocky piedmont covered by
“dehesas” of Quercus ilex subsp. ballota links to the sedimentary river Tagus basin, where
alternate cereal crops with oak forests. The Spanish Committee of UNESCO's MAB
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