Dinámica del uso de la tierra en la cuenca del río Castán, Trujillo - Venezuela 1996-2001

Abstract

The development of a territory depends on how its own natural resources are being used. This makes it necessary to know the forms of land production and trends in the area of utilization. In the following work, an analysis was conducted of the land usage and its variations between 1996 through 2001 in the Castan River basin. Remote sensing information was used to create thematic maps with satellite images of 1996 through 2001 land use data. The dynamic of changes was analyzed and explained for a specifi c fi eld plot. A stochastic process was conducted using a fi rst order Markov chain with the Idrisi 32 software. This process allowed creating a transition matrix from a count matrix which was generated from cross tabulation of land use maps. The transition matrix generates an array of conditional probabilities that give information on trends of the usage changes. Results indicate lack of territorial ordination plans which could regulate intervention processes through an interinstitutional coordination that could reverse change trends in forest coverage. That trend shows a predisposition to change towards shrub-land, grassland or crop fi elds if the ways of intervention remain the same as the analyzed period. This scenario generates direct and negative effects on soil and water resources.