Land use planning in drylands: participatory processes in diagnosing the physical-biological subsystem

RUBIO, CLARA; SALES, ROMINA; ABRAHAM, ELENA; RUBIO, FERNANDA; DIAZ, FABIAN; CECILIA RUBIO

Applied Spatial Analysis and Policy

SPRINGER

Año: 2020

1874-4621

Land Use Planning (LUP) is a central tool of public policy for promoting Sustainable LandManagement (SLM) in social-ecological systems of drylands, considering the strong dependence betweenlocal communities and their natural resources. This work highlights the collective process carried out forachieving the Diagnosis of the physical-biological subsystem and for formulating conservation and SLMstrategies in La Paz department, Argentina, within the framework of the LUP Municipal Plan (LUPMP).To do so, a methodology that combines participatory techniques, like collective mapping, with use ofgeographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing. The collective construction of knowledge,through interaction among the scientific, governmental and local communities, allowed to define andvalidate eight Territorial Integration Units, priority sites for conservation of the natural and culturalheritage, SLM practices and LUP programs. The resulting Diagnosis constitutes a key information inputfor making decisions aimed at sustainability, replicable in other drylands.