Anàlisi de canvi de paisatge al Parc Natural de les capçaleres del Ter i el Freser

Abstract

Changes in land cover are considered one of the most important forces of the global change process. These shifts are the result of a complex interaction of the socioeconomic, cultural and biophysical factors that act on different scales of space and time. For this reason, little is known about the extent of these modifications. Within land cover changes, deforestation is one of the worst-case phenomena globally, but in the North hemisphere the projections are opposed. This dynamic in the Catalan Pyrenees has been marked by the rural exodus that occurred during the second half of the twentieth century and which meant a significant reduction in the population and the decline in the primary sector. These socio-economic events have resulted in relevant landscape changes, causing homogenization of the territory and the loss of biophysical diversity in the environment. It is for this reason, among others, that it is necessary to analyse these changes in depth, in order to know more about their origin and their consequences. This way, solid management proposals can be developed that help mitigate its effects. This document analyses the changes in the cover of the soil of the Natural Park of the Capcaleres del Ter and Freser during the second half of the 20th century. These dynamics have been compared with the demographic evolution of the area and the changes in the economic system. The methodology used has been the Geographic Information Systems, which have allowed the elaboration of cover maps, and a bibliographic search to interpret the causes and the consequences. The results show an obvious shift in land cover, marked by the progress of the dense forest, with the consequent loss of other roofs which in the past granted a mosaic landscape in the Park. So it has been observed that this change has coincided with a transition from the economic model and from demography and, therefore, these dynamics can be considered intimately related. Finally, a series of potentially manageable areas, both conservation and restoration, have been presented, to try to recover the lost spaces in this period