Chapters authored
Contributing to Healthy Landscapes by Sustainable Land Use Planning: A Vision for Restoring the Degraded Landscape of the Centre Region of Portugal
The ecological-based methodologies are determinant to develop complete strategies in restoring the ecosystems at a landscape scale. Those methodologies start with comprehending ecological processes by mapping fundamental structures of the territory (water, soil, biodiversity), also called green infrastructures. The adequate land use planning and its forthcoming implementation will guarantee a multifunctional landscape, better ecosystem services provision, and a possibility of developing new economies. The intervention of Landscape Architecture at the landscape scale will also provide information about the place and the type of restoration actions to be implemented. The Centre Region was the most affected by rural fires from 2017, representing 15% of the total region area (416 thousand hectares). These events reflect the high importance of rethinking the territory with more suitable land uses, considering the concepts of sustainability, resilience, and ecological integrity. This work proposes a Landscape Transformation Plan for the Centre Region of Portugal, applying the FIRELAN model. The results show that about 35% of the Centre Region should have restoration action towards a more sustainable landscape.
Part of the book: Landscape Architecture Framed from an Environmental and Ecological Perspective