Author(s):
Bulcão, L. 
; Ribeiro, L. ; Arsénio, P. ; Abreu, M.M.
Date: 2004
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.5/5404
Origin: Repositório da UTL
Subject(s): environmental management; biophysics; resources; landscape; Portugal
Description
The evolution of the concept of landscape to incorporate components like cultural and
socio-economic factors, in addition to the natural and aesthetic features, influenced the perception
of landscape as a resource. On the other hand, the relationships between territorial features as well
as the understanding of their temporal dynamics determine the significance of these features for
the quality of a landscape and, consequently, for its conservation. This implies that all components
– natural and physical, but also cultural and visual – upon which landscape quality is assessed,
ought to be considered and studied globally. Natural resources and cultural heritage, however, are
usually considered independently when developing protected areas management plans. Here, we
present a methodology developed for the Monte da Guia management plan, which allows the
interrelated analysis of landscape factors such as geology, geomorphology, pedology, flora and
vegetation cover as well as the cultural and visual characters. Using the concepts of biophysical
sensitivity and visual quality, we evaluated the relevance of these various factors for the
determination of the state of equilibrium/degradation of a landscape, and hence for its
conservation value. This methodology may contribute to the development of improved zoning maps
and management guidelines determining land use and management strategies for the
conservation of individual resources that, together, determine landscape quality.
