Dinàmica Socieconòmica i Canvi en els Usos del Sòl. Anàlisi de Causes i Conseqüències en Medis Rurals Mediterranis

The research developed in this report attempts to study the process of recent (1956-1996) socioenvironmental change processes in the context of Mediterranean rural areas, taking as example a transect composed by opur diferent environments (mountains, foothills, plain, and the coastal zone) in the area of the Alt Empordà (province of Girona, Spain). This general objective will be undertaken through the tasks of three different research teams. The first team will map and quantify land use changes in the area using Aerial Photos, Remote Sensing Images, and Geographical Information Systems. It will also pay attention to the biophysical driving forces of change. The second team will focus on the socioeconomic driving forces, most relevant among them agriculture, through the use agricultural data at both the community and the farm levels. The third team will study the consequences of land use changes in the dynamics of soils, ant chommunities, and vegetation. The expected end result of this coordinated research will be the production of tipologies of socioenvironmental change in this area which, in turn, could be used as a reference material for the formulation of agrarian and environmental policies as well as for generating alternative modes of developement based on traditional practices such as those reccomended by the European Union for the rural areas.