Analysis of the evolution in the changes of land use and land cover (1956-2013). From the use of GIS and oral sources. Landscape transformation in the municipality of Vandellòs Hospitalet de l'Infant: In a rural municipality to City Energy.

Identifier:  TFM:430

Handle: https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11797/TFM430

Authors:  Saladié Mañé, Rosa Carme

Abstract:
Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant is a village located in the south of Catalonia in the province of Tarragona, Baix Camp. It is a coastal village (more than 10 km of coastline) and at the same time mountainous, being the Coll de Balaguer a crossing used throughout history, through which passed all communications from north to south and south to north of the Iberian Peninsula. So by the municipality cross the major communication tracks and infrastructure. This work aims to analyse the transformation of the landscape of the municipality from the evolution of the use and land cover of the past 50 years, using the GIS, oral sources (historical memory) and photo interpretation. Knowing where the most important socio-environmental changes have took place and in what type of cover, when and why have occurred. This analysis has been done theoretically by analysing socio-demographic, historical, physical and biotic. Graphically, with the completion of two maps of land use and land cover, one from 1956 and other from 2013 and as well as ethnographic with in-depth interviews to residents of the municipality who have experienced these changes and photointerpretation. The combination of these methodologies allows us to reach the stated objectives. The ultimate and more ambitious goal was to reach future forecast, know where the landscapes and territory of the municipality of Vandellòs Hospitalet de l'Infant goes. The main conclusion drawn from this study is that Vandellòs i l'Hospitalet de l'Infant is no longer a rural municipality and despite of being an energetic municipality has not lost his natural character, since almost 72 % of the municipality is considered PEIN.