Los mosaicos del paisajeinteracción entre sociedad y naturaleza

Laburpena

Society-nature interactions, including land occupation, vary in space and time, configuring a dynamic system whose spatial materialization is the landscape system. These exchanges of matter, energy and information, based on the needs of society, modify the spatial heterogeneity of the territory, based on the functioning of ecosystems, creating homogeneous zones and boundaries between them, according to the services used and the ecological characteristics of the territory. This spatial pattern, which reflects the ecological functioning of the territory perceived by society and exploited by it, is the landscape studied from the ecological point of view. It is organized in mosaics of patches and boundaries, which respond to the use of services by society. Landscape can be studied by identifying the mosaics it is composed of. Patches respond to the different resources and services exploited by society and their spatial pattern, identified by boundaries, reflects the ecological functioning related to that exploitation, which can either favor or hinder such exploitation. The spatial pattern and the typology of mosaics of patches and boundaries contain information on the problems, advantages, difficulties and opportunities that the exploitation of the territory by society may present. An original method for the identification of landscape mosaics based on the identification of sets of patches with a similar pattern of boundaries is shown. Some advantages and disadvantages of its application in different cases are discussed.