Sistema de indicadores para evaluar la calidad ambiental y la desertificación en la Comunidad Valenciana

Abstract

The necessity of elaborating indicators is one of the priorities identified by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification. The use of indicators can simplify complex processes and provide appropriate tools for combating desertification. A set of indicators for assessing desertification and its influence on environmental quality in the Valencia Region has been applied, on a municipal scale, considering three functions: Naturalness, Source of Resources and Support of the Human Activities. Indicators have been organized according to a Pressure-State-Response (PSR) framework. The PSR framework takes into account the linkages between the pressures exerted on the environment by human activities, the changes in quality of the environmental components and the societal responses to these changes. Results show that about 60 % of the territory presents Moderate-High or High Environmental Quality, 33 % Moderate-Low or Low and 6% Very High. The province of Valencia presents the best results in terms of Environmental Quality, while Alicante is the province with less favourable results. On a local scale, 13 municipalities have Vey High Environmental Quality, 69 High, 187 Moderate-High, 204 Moderate-Low, 53 Low and 16 Very Low.