Natural heritage mapping of the las batuecas-sierra de Francia and Quilamas nature parks (SW Salamanca, Spain)

Abstract

Natural heritage mapping is a significant tool for the conservation of protected natural areas because it allows the manager to rationally plan for the human use of these areas. This approach incorporates the characteristics of different assets (geological, ecological, biological, scenic and cultural), the categories to which the assets belong (areas, places and things), and the scientific, educational and cultural enhancement of the area’s resources. We introduce the notion of binomial spatial biodiversity-geodiversity. This mapping effort is justified by the different requirements of environmental management (e.g., environmental impact assessment, environmental assessment, and urban planning). For these purposes, it is essential that thematic mapping identify the natural resources that constitute the natural heritage and that may be affected by anthropogenic activity.