<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>This study aims to evaluate land use and land cover (LULC) changes and associated impacts in the landscape structure and ecosystem services (ES) value in Lousã municipality, in Central Portugal. The results show that significant changes in LULC were recorded over the study period (1974–2018). Agricultural abandonment, expansion of woodland due to the promotion of the eucalyptus (EU) monoculture (chiefly <italic>Eucalyptus globulus),</italic> the invasion of exotic species (mainly <italic>Acacia dealbata</italic>) and the increase of built-up areas are the most significant changes that have shaped the landscapes of the study area. The analysis also revealed that the mean patch size has decreased whereas the number of patches increased. The results showed that although the EU and deciduous forest (DF) increased the ES value, the overall total ES value fell around 10% between 1974 and 2018, mainly due to the decrease in the supply of agricultural goods. Studies of this kind on local rural landscapes are vital when it comes to devising appropriate land management policies for the landscape level by considering the interaction between each element for sustainable development.</p>
</abstract>

This study aims to evaluate land use and land cover (LULC) changes and associated impacts in the landscape structure and ecosystem services (ES) value in Lousã municipality, in Central Portugal. The results show that significant changes in LULC were recorded over the study period (1974–2018). Agricultural abandonment, expansion of woodland due to the promotion of the eucalyptus (EU) monoculture (chiefly Eucalyptus globulus), the invasion of exotic species (mainly Acacia dealbata) and the increase of built-up areas are the most significant changes that have shaped the landscapes of the study area. The analysis also revealed that the mean patch size has decreased whereas the number of patches increased. The results showed that although the EU and deciduous forest (DF) increased the ES value, the overall total ES value fell around 10% between 1974 and 2018, mainly due to the decrease in the supply of agricultural goods. Studies of this kind on local rural landscapes are vital when it comes to devising appropriate land management policies for the landscape level by considering the interaction between each element for sustainable development.

Impacts of Land Use Change on Landscape Structure and Ecosystem Services at Local Scale: A Case Study in Central Portugal

CEGOT – Centre of Studies of Geography and Spatial Planning

Quaestiones Geographicae

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

This study aims to evaluate land use and land cover (LULC) changes and associated impacts in the landscape structure and ecosystem services (ES) value in Lousã...

Impacts of Land Use Change on Landscape Structure and Ecosystem Services at Local Scale: A Case Study in Central Portugal

Published Online: Dec 25, 2022

Page range: 43 - 57

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2023-0004

Keywords
local land use/cover changes, metrics, fragmentation, ecosystem services, Lousã municipality, Portugal

© 2023 Adélia Nunes et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Impacts of Land Use Change on Landscape Structure and Ecosystem Services at Local Scale: A Case Study in Central Portugal

Published Online: Dec 25, 2022

Page range: 43 - 57

DOI: https://doi.org/10.14746/quageo-2023-0004

Keywordslocal land use/cover changes, metrics, fragmentation, ecosystem services, Lousã municipality, Portugal

© 2023 Adélia Nunes et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Keywords
local land use/cover changes, metrics, fragmentation, ecosystem services, Lousã municipality, Portugal