Professional Documents
Culture Documents
211219
www.elsevier.nlrlocatergeomorph
Instituto de Ecologa,
de Mexico,
AP 27-3, 58089 Xangari, Michoacan,
Uniersidad Nacional Autonoma
Mexico
b
Instituto de Geografa,
de Mexico,
Mexico
Uniersidad Nacional Autonoma
Received 9 September 1999; received in revised form 11 December 2000; accepted 20 December 2000
Abstract
Land use planning and necessary supporting data are crucial to developing countries that are usually under severe
environmental and demographic strains. Approaches and methods to map the variability of natural resources are important
tools to properly guide spatial planning. In this paper, we describe a method to quickly map terrain at reconnaissance
1:250,000. and semi-detailed 1:50,000. levels. This method can be utilized as a basis for further land evaluation and land
use planning in large territories. The approach was tested in the state of Michoacan, central-western Mexico, currently
undergoing rapid deforestation and subsequent land degradation.
Results at the reconnaissance level describe the geographic distribution of major landforms and dominant land cover, and
provide a synoptic inventory of natural resources. Results at the semi-detailed level indicate how to nest individual
landforms to major units and how they can be used to run procedures for land evaluation. If combined with appropriate
socioeconomic data, governmental guidelines for land use planning can be formulated on the basis of reconnaissance and
semi-detailed terrain analysis. q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
Keywords: Geomorphological mapping; Land use planning; Remote sensing; GIS; Mexico
1. Introduction
Land use planning results from a reasonable compromise between the environmental potential measured in terms of the availability of natural resources. and the social demand measured in terms
of the requirements of goods and services by specific
human communities.. Land use planning and necessary supporting data are crucial to developing coun)
Corresponding author. Tel.: q52-43-244537; fax: q52-43244537.
E-mail address: gbocco@oikos.unam.mx G. Bocco..
0169-555Xr01r$ - see front matter q 2001 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.
PII: S 0 1 6 9 - 5 5 5 X 0 1 . 0 0 0 2 7 - 7
212
on natural resources are either incomplete or non-updated Brodnig and Mayer, 2000.. In Mexico and in
many Latin American countries, basic geographic
data topographic and thematic. exist at different
scales see, e.g. Lugo and Cordova,
1996.. Monitor
ing and analysis of natural resources at coarse scales,
however, is often lacking.
Feasible methods to map variability of natural
resources and natural hazards, and to assess land
capabilities see Christian, 1957; Mabbut and Stewart, 1963; Wright, 1972; Cooke and Doornkamp,
1974; Steiner et al., 1994; Panizza, 1996; Rivas et
al., 1997; Pasuto and Soldati, 1999. are important
tools to properly guide spatial planning and may be
very useful in developing countries.
Geomorphological mapping still holds as a valuable research tool see the case of fluvial geomorphology, for instance, in Castiglioni et al., 1999.. For
applied purposes, however, a rather pragmatic approach is recommendable, especially when surveys
encompass large areas and results must be available
quickly. In this paper, we describe a method to
quickly map terrain in relatively large territories
thousands of square kilometers. and show how it
can be used as a basis for further land evaluation and
land use planning in the event that relevant resource
data are either scarce, non-updated, or unavailable.
This is the case in many developing countries, most
located in inter-tropical regions under fragile environmental conditions.
et al., 1998; Novak and Soulakellis, 2000.. An opportunity now exists to gain fresh insights into biophysical systems through the spatial, temporal, spectral, and radiometric resolutions of remote sensing
systems and through the analytical and data integration capability of GIS Walsh et al., 1998..
ii. Developments in digital elevation modeling at
different resolutions and operational in personal
computers Daymond et al., 1995; Giles and Franklin,
1998.. This technique allows full data extraction
from topographic maps, and the automation of slope
gradient and aspect calculations and display, including the pseudo three-dimensional views.
iii. The development of automated frameworks
for land evaluation e.g. Rossiter, 1990; Food and
Agriculture Organization, 1995.. Land capability assessments were eased by automating analyses of soil
properties and the relationship between land form
and land quality.
All the above-mentioned advances were considered in this research. In addition, geomorphologic
mapping for the exercise followed a slightly different
approach. Landforms are discrete units that can readily be defined and verified at different scales by
proven techniques. Vegetation and soils tend to vary
predictably within a landform unit and are affected
by altitude and slope aspect and gradient. Relationships between landforms and soil, vegetation and
land use the latter embodied here as land cover. can
be described using different analytical techniques
such as map overlaying. in automated databases of
a GIS. In other words, landforms are acceptable
integrated classifiers of the landscape, and can be
used to divide it into discrete segments.
Another relevant issue in this approach is the use
of a hierarchic classification of landforms, from
which nested legends can be derived at different
scales Zinck, 1988.. We formulated a legend and
mapped the entire state at 1:250,000 reconnaissance
level. and zoomed in on one area at 1:50,000 to
show how nesting could be accomplished at a
semi-detailed level.. For each scale, we focused on
different geomorphic and landscape criteria. We
aimed at developing mapping schemes that could, in
the future, be used by land use planners and conservationists.
Throughout the entire analysis, we extensively
used i. interpretation of topographic maps and digital terrain models for relief; ii. interpretation of
lithologic maps for bedrock, iii. interpretation of
aerial photographs and Landsat imagery for both
landforms and land cover, iv. selective field verifi-
213
Table 1
Major landforms with prominent relief expression
Unit name
Relief amplitude
m.
Slope
steepness
Dominant
lithology
- 250
250500
5001000
10004000
388
6208
20458
) 308
volcanic
volcanic
various
various
214
Table 2
Major landforms without prominent relief expression
Unit name
Relief amplitude
m.
Slope
steepness
Dominant
lithology
Valleys
Plains
Plateaus
Piedmonts
-100
-100
-100
100500
- 38
- 38
-68
-108
alluvial
alluvial
volcanic
alluvio-colluvial
Table 3
Geomorphic regions and landforms, characterized by lithology and dominant soil and land cover
Geomorphic region
Landform
A. Plains
B. Piedmonts
D. Low hills
E. High hills
Notice that the same landform may be recognized in more than one region.
215
216
G. Bocco et al.r Geomorphology 39 (2001) 211219
Fig. 3. Semi-detailed analysis of landforms, dominant soils and land cover. See description of mapping in Table 3.
Percentage
of total area
5.3
7.5
1.0
Piedmonts
Very low hills
Low hills
High hills
8.0
17.9
15.0
16.6
Sierras
27.1
Dominant cover
crops, dry forest
crops
dry and temperate
forests
crops
crops, dry forest
dry forest, crops
dry and temperate
forests, grassshrubs
dry and temperate
forests, grassshrubs
217
218
6. Conclusions
In the 21st century, scientists will be judged on
how well they generate new knowledge, and also for
how well they help solve local and global problems.
Scientists in every nation must take action to ensure
that policy makers and the public make their decisions based on the best available information Alberts, 2000..
The approach and results discussed in this paper
are in line with the idea of geomorphologists influencing societal decision-making Gupta and Ahmad,
1999.. This also holds for other scientific communities that are concerned with the outreach of scientific
results at large Ludwig et al., 1993.. Especially in
Third World countries searching for sustainable development strategies, the gap between science and
policy can be bridged through multidisciplinary efforts.
Two possible linked paths are i. matching the
knowledge base to user needs and transforming input
to decision making into publishable research Snow,
1998.; and ii. strengthening capabilities in rural
communities for resource management through participatory research approaches Gobin et al., 2000..
Acknowledgements
We thank Lorenzo Vazquez,
Alan Woods and
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