Environmental Sustainability Analysis of Land Use/Land Cover Change Using the WEI Index: Application to the Municipalities around the Doñana Area in Spain

Abstract

This paper presents a novel definition of the Weighted Environmental Index (WEI) specifically adapted to integrate with the official land use and land cover (LULC) cartographic historical database employed in Andalusia. This adapted WEI framework was applied to investigate land use changes within municipalities surrounding the Doñana area (South of Spain). The analysis focused on the period 1991–2016, with a detailed examination of land use modifications in thirteen individual municipalities. The results demonstrate the WEI’s adaptability in incorporating information from diverse databases. Furthermore, they highlight the importance of integrating the analysis of WEI evolution over time. This combined approach facilitates a deeper understanding of the socio-economic and environmental drivers influencing land use changes in municipalities around the Doñana area. The findings reveal a sustained decrease in WEI values over the analyzed period. This decline is attributed to the expansion of irrigated cropland at the expense of rain-fed agriculture. Additionally, a significant increase in greenhouse surface area was observed. This intensification of agriculture has contributed to aquifer overexploitation, with potential environmental consequences for the Doñana area.