Land Use Change: Methodological Approach to Understand the Interactions Nature / Society in Coastal Areas (Alencoast). Final Report

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• Publié par: JOINT-RESEARCH-CENTRE
• Nombre de lectures: 24
• Langue: English
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 8 Mo

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Land Use Changes:
Methodological Approach to
Understand the Interactions
Ψ Nature / Society in Coastal Areas
(Alencoast)
Scientific co-ordinator:
Prof. Dr. Nelson Lourenço
Research Team:
Moria do Rosário Jorge
Carlos Russo Machado
Luís Rodrigues
Edited by:
Vanda Perdigão
Project Funded by:
European Commission,
Directorate General Joint Research Centre
Agriculture and Regional Information Systems Unit
Space Applications Institute
JOINT
RESEARCH
CENTRE
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
1999 EUR 19592 EN Land Use Changes:
Methodological Approach to
Understand the Interactions
Nature / Society in Coastal Areas
(Alencoast)
Authors:
Nelson Lourenço
(Universidade Nova de Lisboa]
Maria do Rosário Jorge
Carlo Russo Machado
Luís Rodrigues
Universidade Atlântica (Centre de Investigação)
Project Funded by:
European Commission,
Directorate General Joint Research Centre
Agriculture and Regional Information Systems Unit
Space Applications Institute
Contract number:
14579- 1998 - 12 FIED ISP PT
Technical responsible from Joint Research Centre:
Vanda Perdigão
I JOINT
RESEARCH
CENTRE
EUROPEAN COMMISSION
NOVEMBER 1999 EUR 19592 EN LEGAL NOTICE
Neither the European Commission nor any person
acting on behalf of the is responsible for the use which might
be made of the following information
A great deal of additional information on the European Union
is avaiable on the Internet.
It can be accessed through the Europa server
(http./'/europa, eu. int).
© European Communities, 2000
Reproduction is authorised provide the source is acknowledged.
Printed in Italy FORWARD
The report being presented now is the result of a study on Land Use Change: Methodological Approach to
Understand the Interactions Nature I Society in Coastal Areas. This study has been carried out within the frame­
work of a research contract funded by the Directorate General Joint Research Centre, Agriculture and Regional
Information Systems, Unit Space Applications Institute in which we specially recognise the enthusiastic support of
the technical responsible, Mrs. Vanda Perdigão.
A feature of the work conducted during the eight months has been the important collaboration of the
Centro Nacional de Informação Geográfica, particularly Mr. João Reis Machado, who made possible the use
of statistical information with a high level of spatial resolution, which was kindly authorised by the Instituto
Nacional de Estatística.
A methodological effort should be highlighted, specifically in terms of the difficulties of compatibility of the
statistical and digital data. The existence or non-existence of databases (statistical, from official bodies and
available on al support) determines the different usage of analysis instruments. With regard to the
use of GIS, it should be stressed that this study was only possible due to the existence of digitised data for
Portugal, in the Corine and Lacoast programmes. TABLE OF CONTENTS
SUMMARY 1
INTRODUCTION 3
1. A METHODOLOGY TO UNDERSTAND CHANGES IN COASTAL AREAS 5
1.1. Conceptual Framework 5
1.1.1. Problems of Terminology
1.1.2. Studies in Land use change
1.1.3. Coastal Areas as an Object of Study 6
1.1.4. Socialising the GIS 7
1.2. Methodological approach 8
2. THE INTEGRATED METHODOLOGY APPLIED TO THE CASE OF COASTAL ALENTEJO 11
2.1. Regional Framework 12
2.1.1. Data Sources4
2.1.2. The Alentejo: Physical and Socio-economic Features 1
2.1.3. The Alentejo Litoral: Physical and Socio-economic Features 28
'2.1.4. Institutional Drivers 3
2.1.5. Questions arising from the Regional Analysis: the main societal driving forces 41
2.2. Coastal Zone 4
2.2.1. Identification of the Coastal Area
2.2.2. Data Collection and Treatment3
2.2.3. Land cover in 1975 and 19858
2.2.4. The Socio-economic Dimension 54
3. LAND USE AND SOCIO-ECONOMIC DYNAMICS. PROCESSES OF CHANGE 67
3.1. The Processes of Land use Change 6
3.1.1. Dynamics in Urban Areas
3.1.2.s in Industrial Areas
3.1.3. Dynamics in Agricultural Areas 71
3.1.4.s in Forestry Areas2
3.2. Socio-Economie Pressures on Land Use6
3.2.1. Urban Pressure
3.2.2. Industrial Pressure
3.2.3. Tourist Pressure9
3.2.4. Agro-forestry Pressure
3.2.5. Global Pressure
3.3. Understanding the factors affecting change: integration of socio-economic and nature dimensions .... 7
3.3.1. Land Cover Change Related to Urban and Industrial Pressure 82
3.3.2. Land Cover Change Associated to Urban and Tourist Pressure
3.3.3. Land Cover Change Related to Agro-Forestry Pressure8
4. DISCUSSION 8
4.1. Critical Review of Data Sources9 4.2. Limits to the Methodology 90
4.3. Analysis at the Individual Level1
CONCLUSION3
BIBLIOGRAPHY7
CARTOGRAPHIC SOURCES 10
STATISTICAL SOURCES1
ANNEXES2 SUMMARY
Title
Land Use Change: Methodological Approach to Understanding Nature / Society Interactions
in Coastal Areas (Alencoast)
Research Team Organisation
Centro de Investigação da Universidade Atlântica (CIUATLA)
Antiga Fábrica da Pólvora de Barcarena
2745-615 Barcarena
Portugal
Project Funded by
European Commission
Directorate General Joint Research Centre
Agriculture and Regional Information Systems Unit
Space Applications Institute
Technical responsible from Joint Research Centre: Vanda Perdigão
Scientific Objectives
The main objective was to design an integrated methodology in order to understand land use changes
in coastal areas, and to propose a comprehensive analysis, which:
a) Examines the influence of socio-economic and biophysical driving forces on land use changes,
b) Identifies the various actors playing in the territory and allows for the understanding of how their behaviour
and strategies explain land use changes, and
c) Contributes to the development of the application of methodological tools, such as Geographic
Information Systems, for an integrated analysis with an effort to achieve compatibility of various kinds
of data.
The aim of this project was to design a methodology that allows the understanding of land use changes in coastal
areas, and this, through an analysis of the impact of human and biophysical dynamics. The cross between human
and biophysical factors, which is at the root of land use, contributes to the understanding of the complexity of
processes of change.
In fact, the analysis of the processes of change in coastal areas and their relation with external driving forces, such
as policies, was made possible only by considering regional dynamics.
The research project was based on a cross-disciplinary approach to understanding change in coastal areas,
integrating both socio-economic and biophysical dimensions. The study examines societal driving forces - political,
economic, institutional and social - that influence the development of coastal areas and modify the landscape by
changing landforms, land use and land cover.
The research project has benefited from the results of other projects carried out by the team focused on the
Alentejo region as well. The dynamics identified in this region have an impact on land use changes in the coastal
area. As such, one of the major results was the understanding of the influence of these same dynamics in those
processes of change.
The methodology is designed to analyse the problem progressively by levels - national, regional and local - and by
using different techniques according to the specific characteristics of the aspects, which are the objects of analysis.
Land-use change: methodological approach to understand the interactions Nature /Society in coastal One of the main challenges of the study was to design a methodology in order to combine information from
different sources and of different nature and scales into the system of analysis.
Description of the work carried out
An important feature of the work conducted in the project is the objective of designing an integrated methodology.
Hence, all the tasks involved a special concern for integrating the various kinds of data and levels of analysis, and
the study progressed from the most general to the most specific spatial level.
Phases a Tasks defined in the proposed technical content
1. Data settlement and compatibility
• A survey of the available policy and scientific literature on the state of the development and the
environment of - the Alentejo, in particular the Coastal Alentejo.
• Selection of statistical data on the demographic, socio-economic, institutional dimensions.
• Compatibility of statistical data and Corine/Lacoast information.
2. Exploratory analysis directed by the research questions
• Characterisation of the natural and socio-economic framework.
• Identification of the different types of land use changes for two periods.
• Intensive primary data treatment, and compatibility between Lacoast information and socio-economic data.
• In depth analysis of the interrelationships between land use changes, population, development and the
environment.
3. Discussion of