Land use and land cover changes in Zêzere watershed (Portugal) — Water quality implications

Meneses, Bruno M.; Reis, Rui; Vale, Maria José; Saraiva, Raquel

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2015.04.092

Cited by 115 publications

(62 citation statements)

References 25 publications

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“…The latter is marked essentially by the urban growth, that characterizes the complex urban system of the Iberian Peninsula [86,87]. These new land cover types exert great pressures on the territory's ecosystems and they can cause problems in their sustainability, in particular in the consequent degradation of more fertile soils and other natural resources (e.g., drinking water) [36,57].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Driving Forces and Implications Associated with the Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Portugal

et al. 2017

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Abstract:Understanding the processes of land use and land cover changes (LUCC) and the associated driving forces is important for achieving sustainable development. This paper presents the LUCC in Portugal at the regional level (NUTS II) from 1995 to 2010 and discusses the main driving forces and implications associated with these LUCC. The main objectives of this work are: (a) to quantify the land use and land cover (LUC) types (level I of LUC cartography) by NUT II in Portugal for the years 1995, 2007 and 2010; (b) to assess the spatio-temporal LUCC; and (c) to identify and discuss the main driving forces of LUCC and corresponding implications based on correlations and Principal Components Analysis. The results revealed large regional and temporal LUCC and further highlighted the different and sometimes opposite time trends between neighboring regions. By associating driving forces to LUCC, different influences at the regional level were observed, namely LUCC into agriculture land derived from the construction of dams (Alentejo region), or the conversion of coniferous forest into eucalypt forest (Centre region) associated with increased gross value added (GVA) and employment in industry and forestry. Temporal differentiation was also observed, particularly in the settlements that expanded between 1995 and 2007 due to the construction of large infrastructures (e.g., highways, industrial complexes, or buildings), which is reflected on employment in industry and construction and respective GVA. However, certain LUCC have implications, particularly in energy consumption, for which different behavior between regions can be highlighted in this analysis, but also on land-use sustainability.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Understanding Driving Forces and Implications Associated with the Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Portugal

et al. 2017

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“…The change in the area of artificial surfaces in the Zêzere watershed was evaluated at different times (1990, 2000, 2006, and 2012), which identified the consequences of an increase in the quality of surface water [17,59]. Taking into account the importance of this natural resource and the interference of artificial surfaces in its quality, it is essential to know which areas are those with the greatest artificialization probability in order to avoid new construction, especially in the vicinity of water bodies.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…As a result of this research we highlight the areas with the greatest probability of artificialization (e.g., the SW of sector C), taking into account that under the same environmental conditions which created artificial surfaces in the past, these areas might be artificialized in the future, based on the concept of uniformitarianism implicit in the methodologies used [42,60,61]. Since human intervention was not included in the modeling procedures, and is one of the main agents of LUCC [17,59], some discussion here is justifiable. On the one hand, the application of these variables is impossible, as there are not enough data to demonstrate certain conditions in the past to the watershed under study (e.g., socio-economic power and conditions of the families, infrastructure, or urbanization index, search for housing, or construction of certain infrastructures).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Modeling the Probability of Surface Artificialization in Zêzere Watershed (Portugal) Using Environmental Data

Meneses

Reis

Vale

et al. 2016

Water

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Abstract:The land use and land cover (LUC) of the Zêzere watershed (Portugal) have undergone major changes in recent decades, with the increase of artificial surfaces. This trend is quantified in some studies, but the probability of the increase of this type of LUC, nor the places where the next transitions or land use/cover changes (LUCC) for artificial surfaces will have high probability of occurrence has not yet been assessed. This research presents an evaluation of these two aspects, by means of bivariate statistical models (fuzzy logic and information value) and environmental data. The artificialization probability by sectors within the same watershed is also evaluated, to further understand which areas will require greater attention, taking into account the environmental conditions favorable to the occurrence of this process and bearing in mind the conditions under which this process took place in the past. The results obtained using these models were assessed independently, through curves of success, noting that the modeling through the fuzzy gamma presents slightly better efficiency in determining the probability of artificialization surfaces in the study area. The area with the highest probability of artificialization is mostly located in the SW of this watershed, but high probabilities are also present in the upstream sector, being those areas that require further preventive measures once they have influence on the water quality and quantity in the main reservoirs of this watershed.Keywords: LUC; LUCC; artificial surfaces; fuzzy logic; information value; spatial analysis; water quality The Artificialization of Surfaces and Their AssessmentUrban growth has been evaluated in different territories around the world, considering the spatiotemporal aspect, as well as the factors that induced it [1][2][3][4][5][6]. Other studies have emerged in the context of land use and land cover changes (LUCC) to assess where the soils are being converted into artificial surfaces [7][8][9][10][11], especially when there is loss of soils essential for the development of agricultural practices, or the conversion of forest areas. These processes have multiple socio-economic and environmental impacts [12][13][14][15][16]. In this sense, the determination of driving forces (socio-economic, environmental, or other) that are the cause of LUCC is fundamental to understand the factors that induced them and for the creation of measures aimed at the sustainability of land use [15,17]. Some studies demonstrating the links between driving forces and LUCC have appeared recently, also quantifying how much each factor represents to the observed changes [13,[18][19][20][21][22].

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“…Water quality parameters (WQPs) such as pH, total ammoniacal nitrogen (TAN), 5-day biochemical oxygen demand (BOD5), fecal coliforms (FCs), total coliforms (TCs), electric conductivity in field (20°C) (EC), total nitrate (NO −3 ), and total nitrite (NO −2 ) were used as indicators. These showed that higher water quality protection can be achieved with greater forest occupation in water reservoirs 52) .…”

Section: B) Water Qualitymentioning

confidence: 97%

Review of Research Trends in Watershed-Based Land Use Analysis

Lim

Sasaki

2016

Journal of JSCE

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With increased awareness of the importance of land use change at both local and regional scales within watershed-based planning, the study of land use analysis has become the focus of several international scientific endeavors. Since land use change has become a major issue in this century due to global urbanization, the study of watershed-based land use analysis will play an important role in a sustainable future. This paper undertakes a comprehensive review of watershed-based land use analysis to clarify the research trends in this area, including basic tools, factors, methodologies, study regions, scales and areas. Land use detection methods, land use modeling and thresholds in watershed delineation were identified as the fundamental tools, while land use policies, water quality, surface runoff, flooding control, land use suitability and land allocation analysis, and landscape structure were identified as the main factors in watershed-based land use planning.

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Land use and land cover changes in Zêzere watershed (Portugal) — Water quality implications

Cited by 115 publications

References 25 publications

Understanding Driving Forces and Implications Associated with the Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Portugal

Understanding Driving Forces and Implications Associated with the Land Use and Land Cover Changes in Portugal

Modeling the Probability of Surface Artificialization in Zêzere Watershed (Portugal) Using Environmental Data

Review of Research Trends in Watershed-Based Land Use Analysis

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