landscape ecological indicators - application to the ... · [email protected] landscape...

*Universidade dos Açores/ CIGPT**Instituto Superior Técnico/CESUR

Cadete, J.*, J. Xavier*, I. Ramos**, H. Calado*, J. Porteiro* & A. Medeiros* [email protected]

LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS - APPLICATION TO THE MONITORING SYSTEM OF SETE CIDADES SPECIAL LAND

USE PLAN

“MONITORING SUSTAINABILITY IN THE ALGARVE REGION – TOWARDS

INTEGRATION OF LANDSCAPE AND BIODIVERSITY INDICATORS”

April 4, 2005 - Auditorium CCDR-Algarve

Contents:1- Regional Framing of the Sete Cidades Water Catchment

2- Evolution of the Landscape

2.1- Relevance of the landscape

2.2- Deterioration of the water quality

3- Special Land Use Plan

4- Landscape Monitoring System and Indicators

LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS - APPLICATION TO THE MONITORING SYSTEM OF SETE CIDADES SPECIAL LAND USE PLAN

Location : Portugal, Azores Archipelago, São Miguel island

1- Regional Framing of the Sete Cidades Water Catchment


Azores Archipelago

It belongs to the municipality of Ponta Delgada, at the west side of the island

Geomorphology: volcanic cavity with a circular form (17,8 km of perimeter)

Area -19km2



4 Lakes: Blue Lake, Green Lake, Santiago Lake and Rasa Lake. Thelacustrine area occupies 24% of the watercatchment

The Blue Lake is the biggest water reserve of the archipelago

It is certainly the landscape by which the Azores region is mostknown

2- Evolution of the Landscape

2.1- Relevance of the Landscape


19XX

2004

Construction of the present landscape

Main land usesForest, Pasture land

Construction of the bridge:Creates the separation

between the Blue and the Green Lakes

Forestation: •Increases the contrast in the landscape •Intensifies the color of the Green Lake

The intensification of the cattle breeding activity since the second half of the 20th century led to the existence of more pasture land

1950

1960

1950

LANDSCAPE ECOLOGICAL INDICATORS - APPLICATION TO THE MONITORINGSYSTEM OF SETE CIDADES SPECIAL LAND USE PLAN

Main characteristics of the landscape:

Blue and Green Lakes

Existence of a population settlement, with about 800 inhabitants

Significant presence of cattle which is the basis for the main economic activity (milk production)


Lake ForestUrban area

Pastureland

The segmented character of the pasture land, inserted in a forest matrix of Criptomeria Japonica

The Sete Cidades watercatchment is, therefore, a touristical attraction within the archipelago, contributing strongly for the dynamic of this economic activity

Intensification of the cattle breeding activity

Inputs of fertilizers Increase in the number of heads of cattle

Eutrophication of the lakes

2.2- Deterioration of the water quality


The diminution of the transparency, the alteration of the water coloration, and the rapid growth of algae are some of the most visible aspects of the eutrophication process


3- Special Land Use Plan (POBHLSC)

The increasing deterioration in the water quality demanded the necessity for the elaboration of a Special Land Use Plan for this area

Plano de Ordenamento da Bacia Hidrográfica da Lagoa das SeteCidades

(POBHLSC)


Specific goals of the POBHLSC:

To make the lake viable as a strategic water reserve

Conceive a sustainable management model to fight the eutrophication process

Valorise the lakes while resources, developing the recreative uses and activities

Diversify the local economic basis, promoting new activities and the participation of the local agents/actors


The adopted scenario

comprises:

The scenario was evaluated according to several indicators of impact. The water and air quality, biodiversity, noise, natural and built landscape, soil, population, and economic activities were some of the parameters analysed.

Preventive measures 50%

Curative measures 25%

Social and economic compensations

63% of improvement in water quality


POBHLSCMain proposals

Significant changes to the land uses in the surroundings of the housing area, namely to biological agriculture, orchards, gardens, forest

Reduce intensification on the corn culture

Diminution of the significance of the “intensive-pastureland” land use

Forestation

Creation of technical structures where it will be given advises to the

local farmers

Incentives for changing the main economic activity (e.g. tourism)

Partial control of the sewage of the Sete Cidades ditch through the divergence of the waters for the discharge tunnel

Environmental monitoring

Plantation of vegetation corridors

Proposals that lead to impacts in the landscape


4- Landscape Monitoring System and Indicators

Goal: Assess and determine the landscape dynamics on the watercatchment, supporting its integrated management

Nevertheless, the awareness that the future implementation of the POBHLSC will lead to impacts on the landscape influenced the waythis monitoring system was developed

Importance of assessing the

execution and the efficacy of the plan

Importance ofmonitoring the

landscape


it is composed by 2 sub-systems:


LANDSCAPE MONITORING SYSTEMFOR SETE CIDADES WATERCATCHMENT

(SMP SETE CIDADES)

LANDSCAPE MONITORING MONITORING THE POBHLSC

- Landscape Management Units Map

- Data:Biophisical characterizationMorphometrical characterizationLand uses

- Landscape indicators- Images of 2004 and simulations of

future landscapes

- POBHLSCFuture land Use Map; Constraints MapRegulationsPrograms/Projects/ActionsGeorreferencing information to thecadastreReport and Monitoring indicators

- Municipal Master Plan (PDM)Future land Use Map; Constraints MapRegulations

- POPPSC- Regulations


Main menu of the SMP Sete Cidades:

Data-base, with possibility of being permanently up-to-dated, that allows the user to visualize, to make inquiries and searches in all the graphic and written pieces of the system


A variety of biophysical data is available for each landscape management unit:-Soil type

-Biotopes

-Soil carrying capacity

-Slopes

-Altitude

-etc.



The users have access to land use information for the landscape management unit previously selected


The users have the possibility of consulting the information concerning the landscape indicators

The administrator of the system can add new indicators or more data to the existing ones

LandscapeLandscape MonitoringMonitoring IndicatorsIndicators

The methodology followed for defining the landscape monitoring indicators was structured in three main phases:

systematisation of the landscape indicators which are usually applied to other landscape monitoring systems

discussion about which of that indicators would be adequate to apply to Sete Cidades case-study facing its specificities

Filtration of the indicators that are operational, giving the available data and resources

Adoption of the OCDE (2001) model for organising the landscape indicators


Indicators of landscape structure:

Indicators of landscape value:


Código Indicador IE.1 Land use IE.2 Rate of Land use transformation IE.3 Patch Density IE.4 Edge Density IE.5 Shannon-Weaver Index IE.6 Core Area Density IE.7 Cultural Features IE.8 Lakes transparency

Código Indicador IV.1 The public valuation of the landscape IV.2 Public cost of maintaining or enhancing the landscape

Indicators of landscape management:


Código Indicador IG.1 Strategic objectives of the POBHLSC that have been achieved

(%) IG.2 Specific objectives of the POBHLSC that have been achieved

(%) IG.3 Public-private partnership actions that fit the objectives of the

POBHLSC (%) IG.4 Projects in which the previewed goals are achieved (%) IG.5 Achieved previewed actions in the plan, per item (%) IG.6 Actions/projects of POBHLSC whose costs of execution have

been exceeded, per item and amount (%) IG.7 Annual execution of the financing plan (%) IG.8 Actions/projects of the POBHLSC whose financing agenda was

not fulfilled


Each indicator presents a methodology sheet and a window specifically for the purpose of indicating its evaluation along the time

the monitoring system also allows the visualization of the images taken in 2004, for every landscape management unit previously defined, and the simulations done that clearly demonstrate the changes in the landscape after the implementation of all the plan´s proposals

2004 2015

Example:


landscape ecological indicators - application to the ... · [email protected] landscape...

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