Quality Analysis for Conservation and Integral Risk Assessment of the Arribes del Duero Natural Park (Spain)

Leticia Merchán (), Antonio Miguel Martínez-Graña and Carlos E. Nieto
Additional contact information
Leticia Merchán: Department of Soil Sciences, Faculty of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Salamanca, Filiberto Villalobos Avenue 119, 37007 Salamanca, Spain
Antonio Miguel Martínez-Graña: Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Merced Square, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain
Carlos E. Nieto: Department of Geology, Faculty of Sciences, Merced Square, University of Salamanca, 37008 Salamanca, Spain

Land, 2025, vol. 14, issue 4, 1-22

Abstract: The environment is being affected by the great development of human activities, which is why, in recent years, the need to protect the environment has increased, through the carrying out of a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA). Within this assessment, environmental geology constitutes an instrument for territorial and urban planning based on the analysis of conservation and the integral analysis of risks, obtaining cartography that can be useful in territorial and regional planning strategies. The methodology carried out in this article consists of applying a multi-criteria analysis in territorial planning, combining vector and raster data. This novel, low-cost, and effective methodology assesses conservation areas and risks, using map algebra and network analysis to identify priority areas and facilitate decision-making in a precise and quantitative manner. This analysis has been carried out in the Arribes del Duero Natural Park, which stands out as a place where numerous environmental values coexist, i.e., geological, geomorphological, and edaphological, forming unique landscapes. With regard to the results obtained, the cartography of conservation quality classifies the territory into four categories according to its degree of conservation: very high, high, low, and very low quality. The integral risk cartography identifies the areas with the greatest geological risks, such as erosion and landslides, and establishes limitations for land use. Also, by integrating both cartographies, it is determined which activities are compatible with each zone, considering both conservation and risks. Finally, it can be concluded that the cartographies obtained are useful for efficient land management, protecting the environment, and allowing human development in a controlled manner.

Keywords: resilience; territorial reception capacity; integrated risk analysis; SEA; Arribes del Duero; Spain (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q15 Q2 Q24 Q28 Q5 R14 R52 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2025
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/4/885/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2073-445X/14/4/885/ (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:jlands:v:14:y:2025:i:4:p:885-:d:1636463

Access Statistics for this article

Land is currently edited by Ms. Carol Ma

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