Landscape geoecology and environmental systems management in the municipality of Cienfuegos, Cuba

Abstract

There are several methodologies for approaching environmental studies, although they have a general character and are determined at the country level, or territorial units (provinces, municipalities). In this sense, the characteristics of environmental systems are excessively generalized and assume environmental sustainability as one more criterion, giving preferential attention to the availability of natural resources. Landscape geoecology is an integrative discipline based on the study of landscapes (geosystem) as a natural anthropological formation and integrates and articulates concepts and methodologies of the biotic structure and the rest of the landscape geo-structures. Considering the vulnerability and deterioration of environmental systems in the municipality of Cienfuegos, the objective of this work is to demonstrate the validity of environmental systems management based on the theoretical and methodological foundation of landscape geoecology, in the environmental planning process that contributes to the planning of the territory. The methodological procedure has the following phases: Inventory (delimitation of environmental units), analysis, diagnosis and proposal of the plan. The results were the environmental zoning and the functional zoning of each environmental unit. Both zonings are implemented in a plan that constitutes a work tool where environmental sustainability is incorporated into the development process.