Keywords
settlement, watershed management, land use change, rio verde, mexico
Start Date
1-7-2012 12:00 AM
Abstract
Human settlements require natural resources to cover their needs for shelter, food, water, etc., which creates environmental impacts. This is particularly true for new rural settlements which obtain these resources from their nearby surroundings. Current analysis of land-use change has taken inhabited settlements as subject of study where population dynamics or socio-economic changes can be assessed. In the present study we analyse extent and patterns of land-use change found around four different types of settlements (permanent, intermittent, new and abandoned) in a coastal river basin in Mexico. The methodological steps of our investigation include analyses of a) multi-temporal land-use change, b) human population/settlements dynamics, c) correlation analysis for land-use change and four types of settlements and assessment of changes. The environmental conditions of these areas seem to be heavily impaired by overexploitation of natural resources. Preliminary results show differential loss of natural vegetation areas depending on settlement type and land cover. These impacts can also induce changes in hydrological flows and water related impacts in the lower basin. The results of our analysis show that there is an urgent need for preventive measures in view of potential new future settlements for example caused by domestic or international migration.
Impacts of Human Settlements on a Coastal Landscape: The Case of Rio Verde Basin, Mexico
Human settlements require natural resources to cover their needs for shelter, food, water, etc., which creates environmental impacts. This is particularly true for new rural settlements which obtain these resources from their nearby surroundings. Current analysis of land-use change has taken inhabited settlements as subject of study where population dynamics or socio-economic changes can be assessed. In the present study we analyse extent and patterns of land-use change found around four different types of settlements (permanent, intermittent, new and abandoned) in a coastal river basin in Mexico. The methodological steps of our investigation include analyses of a) multi-temporal land-use change, b) human population/settlements dynamics, c) correlation analysis for land-use change and four types of settlements and assessment of changes. The environmental conditions of these areas seem to be heavily impaired by overexploitation of natural resources. Preliminary results show differential loss of natural vegetation areas depending on settlement type and land cover. These impacts can also induce changes in hydrological flows and water related impacts in the lower basin. The results of our analysis show that there is an urgent need for preventive measures in view of potential new future settlements for example caused by domestic or international migration.
