Transformaciones territoriales en el periurbano hortícola de Mar del Plata (Argentina) y su incidencia en los procesos de erosión hídrica

ABSTRACT The periurban spaces of Latin American cities exhibit deep territorial transformations and emerging problems from occupation without planning. The horticultural production, that characterizes numerous peri-urban areas, tends to expand and intensify without considering the potential and limitations of the resources that support it. The present paper characterizes the horticultural transformations of the peri-urban of Mar del Plata (Argentina) city, and analyze its incidence on erosion processes. Based on previous studies, a Landsat image (2017) was classified and the Universal Soil Loss Equation was applied in three landscape units previously defined. The open field horticultural surface increased 80% between 1989 and 2017, as well as current and potential erosion that reach 68,612 tn/year and 221,219 tn/year in 2017, respectively. It is proposed to advance in the diagnosis of the problem to define territorial management strategies in accordance with the principles of sustainability.