Geography Reference
In-Depth Information
4.3.2. Fuencarral: Road infrastructures and urban pressure vs. agricultural abandonment
In the Fuencarral area (Figure 10) still stand the Richness R (u) at both dates (13). The values
had certain variations in the H´(u) (1975: 2.05; 2009: 2.97) and E (u) (1975: 0.55; 2009: 0.80).
These values showed an increase of landscape heterogeneity. It was also decisive the
transformation of an agricultural environment with productive small and medium land
parcels in 1975 (Figure 11) in an area characterized for high density of road infrastructures
and the abandonment of traditional land uses in 2009 (Figure 12). Furthermore, percentage
occupied for wastelands with fruit trees of
Ficus carica, Amygdalus communis
and
Vitis vitifera
and
Triticum/Hordeum
spp. is significant (1975: >50%; 2009: 10%). In 2009 traditional
Mediterranean mosaic of land uses disappeared (fruit trees, dry farming crops,
wastelands and scrublands) and was replaced by dry farming crops or wastelands with
low-productivity. Shrub lands and wastelands had increased their surface area in 2009
especially in wastelands with
Retama sphaerocarpa
(20%) and shrub lands (5%). In many
cases is difficult to distinguish between dry farming crops and wastelands on
ortophotography. However wasteland's surface took a progressive reduced and
transformed in non productive areas. In 2009 riparian forest area increased while in 1975
was fragmented (Table 7).
We analyzed that total patches number has been decreased between 1975 and 2009. Due to
agricultural abandonment a homogeneous landscape was generated. Particularly this type
of landscape maintains a great diversity of land uses, wastelands and habitats well
preserved that have and interesting role such as ecological and territorial connectors [61]. In
this area the connectivity at edges has decreased due to increase of road infrastructure and
urban development.
Figure 10.
Countryside with fruit trees and crops in Fuencarral
