Ecological land zonation using integrated geopedologic and vegetation information: Case study of the Cabo de Gata-Níjar natural park, Almerí, Spain

Abstract

The aim of the present study is to determine zonation units geared towards balancing conservation and development in the Cabo de Gata-Níjar Natural Park, an arid environment located in south-eastern Spain. Ecosystems were identified selecting the attributes that exert the strongest influence on ecosystem dynamics at three different spatial scales. A multi-categorial geoform-soil classification system was used as base for the definition of the ecosystems hierarchy, including ecosection (1:100,000), ecoserie (1:50,000), and ecotope (1:25,000). Vegetation was used for the identification of ecosystems at ecotope level. The hierarchic structure of the geoform-soil database allowed maintaining the thematic and spatial coherence in which lower levels of the hierarchy inherit the attributes of higher levels. Geoform-soil and vegetation attributes provided the data needed to assess the conservation value and the vulnerability of the ecosystems to land use, crucial for the definition of zonation units.