Environmental quality assessment in the coast of Concepción, Chile: application and comparative analysis for territorial planning.

This contribution is one of the results of the ELANEM Euro-Latin American project, INCO Programme, European Commission, and presents a procedure for sustainability assessment in coastal areas, based on a series of indicators and indices that reflect environmental quality. Indicators of pressure, state and response were obtained for the functions of naturalness, source of resources, sink, and human support services. Numerical indices are used to assess specific dimensions as well as integrated environmental quality. Special indicators were developed for geological hazard and risk processes. The validation of hazard geological processes was done using historical occurrence for floods and overflows; a mathematical model for tsunami and 3D models for landslides. Results obtained from thirty-two maps of environmental quality and of geological hazards are presented and discussed.