Diseño, desarrollo y validación de un modelo general de cualificación multifuncional de las cubiertas forestales españolas y su aplicación en la provincia de Cádiz (Andalucía, España)

Abstract

In this Thesis I present a vegetation assessment model, MIVEG (Integrated Model of Indicators for Vegetation Qualification), which uses 22 indicator ecological and production traits for qualifying forestry vegetation types, including potential productivity of stems (i.e. wood, firewood, charcoal), bark (cork), nectar, pollen, fruits, resin and essences; response to fire, either through seed germination or sprouting, and contribution to the risk of fire propagation; successional behaviour; structural parameters and hydrologic function based on soil cover, total biomass, active rate, ability for interception of horizontal rainfall, retention of vertical rainfall, control of surface runoff, water holding capacity, transpiration rate, endemicity level and legal protection status, and aesthetic contribution to the landscape resulting from speciose canopies, flowering or fruiting. All of these functions are speciesspecific and MIVEG translate them into the vegetation level through a specific set of botanic and structural parameters, allowing qualification of vegetation types. Significant plant species, their indicator trait values and their degree of presence in a community type are used as model inputs. The proposed model qualifies the plant community on the basis of the 22 indicator traits for the species for which they are known. As main data source for model definition I have used the Forestry Map of Spain on scale 1:200,000, which provides treatment of vegetated non-tree categories, and is highly enriched in botanical data, including the index of vegetation maturity proposed by Ruiz de la Torre, which was used as the basis for model evaluation. MIVEG is expressed in the form of a relational database which automatically generates qualification indicator values for the vegetation type of each ecologically homogeneous area, or tesela, as defined in the Map. MIVEG outputs can be implemented in a GIS allowing multi-functional qualification of forestry vegetation types of a given territory. The main aim of the proposed model is to serve as a decision support tool in forestry planning and management. MIVEG evaluates independently the vegetation functions and properties of production, fire response, successional behaviour, role in preventing soil erosion, Tesis doctoral Monteagudo Sánchez de Movellán, F. J., 2015 Abstract v singularity resulting from endemicity and protection status, and landscape value. The proposed model could also contribute to improve standing methods of analysis of vegetation for impact evaluation, definition of climatic indices, soil erosion models, measuring carrying capacity for game hunting, etc. The model was applied to the province of Cádiz, south Spain, and full outputs and resulting maps representing the proposed qualification of its forestry vegetation types are offered.