Eco-environmental vulnerability and sustainable management strategies: The case of the Sauce Grande river basin (Argentina)

Abstract

The assessment of the eco-environmental vulnerability allows to identify land cover patterns and to establish risk areas. This research aims to assess the eco-environmental vulnerability of the Sauce Grande river basin (Argentina) from the delimitation of the land cover obtained from two matrices: one resulting from a spatial simulation model (optimal scenario), and another, derived from fieldwork (in situ scenario). The methodology included the analyses of climatic, geomorphologic, topographic, hydric and edaphic data in order to design a modeling land cover map. The in situ land cover map was the result of the obtention of spectral signatures and the digital processing of Landsat images. As a result, we identified five areas with different levels of eco-environmental vulnerability. The most common level was low (27.7 %), following by high (22.5 %). These analyses permitted to design sustainable management strategies orientated to reduce negative environmental impacts and motivate the permanence of local and regional economic activities.