Temporal and Spatial Analysis of the Environmental State of the Valencia Plain Aquifer Area Using the Weighted Environmental Index (WEI)

Javier Rodrigo-Ilarri, Claudia P. Romero-Hernández, Sergio Salazar-Galán and María-Elena Rodrigo-Clavero ()
Additional contact information
Javier Rodrigo-Ilarri: Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Claudia P. Romero-Hernández: Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain
Sergio Salazar-Galán: Agroecosystems History Laboratory, Pablo de Olavide University, Carretera de Utrera km 1, 41013 Sevilla, Spain
María-Elena Rodrigo-Clavero: Instituto de Ingeniería del Agua y Medio Ambiente (IIAMA), Universitat Politècnica de València, Camino de Vera s/n, 46022 Valencia, Spain

Sustainability, 2025, vol. 17, issue 13, 1-26

Abstract: This article analyses the impact of urban sprawl on the Valencia Plain aquifer system from 1990 to 2018, focusing on land use and land cover (LULC) changes and their environmental implications. The study applies the Weighted Environmental Index (WEI), a composite indicator based on a functional landscape perspective, to quantify changes in the environmental value over time. The WEI combines CORINE Land Cover and World Settlement Footprint data to enhance spatial resolution and urban land detection. The results show a significant territorial transformation, with urban surfaces expanding by 70% and rainfed agricultural areas declining by over 59%. Consequently, the WEI decreased from 44.80 in 1990 to 40.68 in 2018, representing a 9.2% reduction in the environmental value. These changes threaten the sustainability of key ecosystems such as the Albufera Natural Park and indicate a reduced capacity to deliver ecosystem services, including aquifer recharging, biodiversity conservation, and climate regulation. The findings underscore the need for integrated land-use planning, the protection of peri-urban agricultural areas, and the implementation of nature-based solutions to counteract the environmental impacts of urban growth in Mediterranean metropolitan contexts.

Keywords: land use–land change; indicator; environment; Albufera Natural Park (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: Add references at CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5921/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/17/13/5921/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:17:y:2025:i:13:p:5921-:d:1688930

Access Statistics for this article

Sustainability is currently edited by Ms. Alexandra Wu

More articles in Sustainability from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().