TY - JOUR
T1 - Land use-cover change processes in highly biodiverse areas
T2 - The case of Oaxaca, Mexico
AU - Velázquez, Alejandro
AU - Durán, Elvira
AU - Ramírez, Isabel
AU - Mas, Jean François
AU - Bocco, Gerardo
AU - Ramírez, Gustavo
AU - Palacio, José Luis
N1 - Funding Information:
The authors wish to thank a large number of indigenous communities who provided logistic support during fieldwork. Arturo Garrido, Celia López, Raúl Sánchez and Rafael Mayorga provided technical assistance throughout the entire research. Francisco Takaki and Arturo Victoria from INEGI played a fundamental role in constructing reliable databases. Financial support from COPLADE (Oaxaca's government) was provided to conduct this research.
PY - 2003/10
Y1 - 2003/10
N2 - Land use-cover changes (LUCC) such as deforestation, have resulted as global warming and a reduction of environmental services, with large negative consequences for mankind. Effects based on statistics alone have not been sufficient enough to detect, stop and eventually revert negative LUCC processes that are strongly related to biodiversity loss. It is, therefore, of prime concern to assess and depict cartographically, major LUCC processes simultaneously. Mexico harbors a large pool of biodiversity, mostly restricted to a few locations among which, The State of Oaxaca plays a major role. In this state, nevertheless, drastic negative LUCC processes are taking place. Land cover types, mapped in previous surveys, overlaid on recent Landsat imagery and 300 ground truth sites, were used to detect current LUCC. Rates of conversion of the most important LUCC processes were computed and mapped simultaneously. Oaxaca has lost over half a million hectares of forested areas during the last 20 years. The core results may contribute to the understanding of how LUCC and GIS methods can provide better and more targeted information that may help to improve conservation policies and land use planning strategies.
AB - Land use-cover changes (LUCC) such as deforestation, have resulted as global warming and a reduction of environmental services, with large negative consequences for mankind. Effects based on statistics alone have not been sufficient enough to detect, stop and eventually revert negative LUCC processes that are strongly related to biodiversity loss. It is, therefore, of prime concern to assess and depict cartographically, major LUCC processes simultaneously. Mexico harbors a large pool of biodiversity, mostly restricted to a few locations among which, The State of Oaxaca plays a major role. In this state, nevertheless, drastic negative LUCC processes are taking place. Land cover types, mapped in previous surveys, overlaid on recent Landsat imagery and 300 ground truth sites, were used to detect current LUCC. Rates of conversion of the most important LUCC processes were computed and mapped simultaneously. Oaxaca has lost over half a million hectares of forested areas during the last 20 years. The core results may contribute to the understanding of how LUCC and GIS methods can provide better and more targeted information that may help to improve conservation policies and land use planning strategies.
KW - Deforestation
KW - GIS
KW - Mexico
KW - Oaxaca
KW - Re-vegetation
KW - Vegetation mapping
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=0042285801&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/S0959-3780(03)00035-9
DO - 10.1016/S0959-3780(03)00035-9
M3 - Artículo
SN - 0959-3780
VL - 13
SP - 175
EP - 184
JO - Global Environmental Change
JF - Global Environmental Change
IS - 3
ER -