Abstract

TRUCIOS CACIANO, Ramón et al. Analysis of land use change in two working scales. Terra Latinoam [online]. 2013, vol.31, n.4, pp.339-346. ISSN 2395-8030.

Areas with natural vegetation are part of the mega-biodiversity for which Mexico is considered one most biologically diverse countries in the world. This diversity is threatened; national studies have revealed loss of plant cover as a process of change in land use for development of activities that are of greater social satisfaction. The aim of this study was to determine the state of the vegetation in the San Cristobal de las Casas watershed, Chiapas, in response to change in land use to mainly agricultural activities. This was done through an analysis of land use change at two working scales using the geographic information system as an analytical tool. At the 1:250 000 scale for 1976 to 2002, the loss of plant cover is evident since increases larger than 5000 ha of rain fed agriculture were quantified; these increases were related to a decrease in forest areas and grasslands. On the same scale, urban areas increased more than 10 times in the same period, from 149 to 1903 ha. At 1:10 000 in 1996 to 2010, natural vegetation areas decreased by 493 ha, while agricultural and urban areas increased by 3926 and 1791, respectively.

Keywords : geographic information system; monoscopic interpretation; quantification of areas.