Cambio en la cobertura vegetal y uso del suelo del 2000 al 2009 en Morelos, México

Studies related to the progressive changes in vegetation cover and land-use are an important component in environmental research, since they allow the evaluation of the spatio-temporal trends of such processes as deforestation and environmental degradation, caused by human activities. In the present study, land-cover and land-use change in the State of Morelos during the period 2000-2009, are described. Fourteen types of vegetation cover and land-use, including water bodies, were identified, all though the latter were no included in the analysis. Agricultural and urban land cover increased 1 373 ha and 189 ha, respectively; whereas the land-cover that undergo the greatest transformations are the forests, with 858 ha, and tropical dry forests, with 1 841 ha. The dynamics of change are complex, its main drivers being socio-environmental factors and land tenure. LANDSAT multispectral satellite data were used, with ESRI ARCMAP 10 software, to map and analyze the land-use change between the years 2000 and 2009. The supervised classification technique was used, based on the maximum likelihood algorithm. Information on the vegetation cover and land-use, and the identification of alternatives for their optimal use, obtained through the use of remote sensing and geographic information systems, are essential for the selection, planning and execution of land management plans, as well as for the development, conservation and use of natural resources required to satisfy the growing demand for basic needs and for human welfare.