GIS environmental information analysis of the Darro River basin as the key for the management and hydrological forest restoration

Paz Fernandez; Expectación Delgado; Mónica Lopez-Alonso; José Manuel Poyatos

doi:10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.190

GIS environmental information analysis of the Darro River basin as the key for the management and hydrological forest restoration

Sci Total Environ. 2018 Feb 1:613-614:1154-1164. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.190. Epub 2017 Sep 23.

Authors

Paz Fernandez¹, Expectación Delgado², Mónica Lopez-Alonso³, José Manuel Poyatos²

Affiliations

¹ Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, ETS ICCP Campus de Fuentenueva, s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain. Electronic address: pazferol@ugr.es.
² Department of Civil Engineering, University of Granada, ETS ICCP Campus de Fuentenueva, s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain.
³ Department of Construction Engineering and Engineering Projects, University of Granada, ETS ICCP Campus de Fuentenueva, s/n, E-18071 Granada, Spain.

PMID: 28954376
DOI: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.09.190

Abstract

This article presents analyses of soil and environmental information for the Darro River basin (Granada-Spain) preliminary to its hydrological and forestry restoration. These analyses were carried out using a geographical information system (GIS) and employing a new procedure that adapts hydrological forest-restoration methods. The complete analysis encompasses morphological conditions, soil and climate characteristics as well as vegetation and land use. The study investigates soil erosion in the basin by using Universal Soil Loss Equation (USLE) and by mapping erosion fragility units. The results are presented in a set of maps and their analysis, providing the starting point for river basin management and the hydrological and forestry-restoration project that was approved at the end of 2015. The presence of soft substrates (e.g. gravel and sand) indicates that the area is susceptible to erosion, particularly the areas that are dominated by human activity and have little soil protection. Finally, land use and vegetation cover were identified as key factors in the soil erosion in the basin. According to the results, river authorities have included several measures in the restoration project aimed at reducing the erosion and helping to recover the environmental value of this river basin and to include it in recreation possibilities for the community of Granada. The presented analytical approach, designed by the authors, would be useful as a tool for environmental restoration in other small Mediterranean river basins.

Keywords: Basin restoration; Environmental analysis; Free software; GIS; Soil erosion evaluation; USLE.