Evaluación de la percepción de las poblaciones locales de los cambios de usos del suelo en paisajes culturales agrosilvopastorales en dos zonas de diferente desarrollo

Abstract

In recent decades cultural landscapes have been affected by rapid changes that have alteredtheir weak socio-ecological balance they had achieved over time mainly through their resilience.It is likely that ecological, social and economic consequences of these changes showregional differences related to development status of the population. In this paper, two culturallandscapes located in two economic and social areas with a common traditional use of resources:a mountain pasture region (Picos de Europa -Spain) and a rural area a traditional agroforestrysystems (Chaco-Argentina) were considered. We analyzed the socioeconomic profile of the local populations, their landscape perception, and land use changes through population interviews.Picos de Europa landscape changes are characterized by the lost of grasslands andmeadows and caused by the abandonment of grazing. Chaco changes were due to the lost ofsubtropical dry forests and caused by the progress of the agricultural frontier. People perceivedchanges in both systems involving degradation of native ecosystems, lost of profitable use andeconomic decline but the consequences of the changes were perceived differently. The restorationof these cultural landscapes needs of the recovering of their ecological values. This will helpto avoid rural abandonment, with a reasonable level of agricultural production and the maintenanceof flow of goods and ecosystem services they can supply.