Environmental indicators to evaluate spatial and water planning in the coast of Granada (Spain)

This paper describes a methodology for the study of sustainable spatial planning in the Guadalfeo river basin and the entire Granada coastal area. It focuses on the degree of dependence and interaction between water as a limiting resource and several territorial factors such as land use, landscape, and socio-economic aspects. The proposed methodology is based on indicators related to factors such as driving forces, pressure, state, and response. This simple indicator system is a very useful methodology based on the continuous interaction of scales, areas and processes. This analysis provides the basis for a future description of scenarios for both the quantitative and qualitative development of land uses such as urbanization (tourism) and agriculture with special emphasis on the fact that water availability and supply is directly related to the dynamics of both activities. In order to justify the proposed methodology, an analysis of coastal intensive agriculture (greenhouses) is presented. Finally, it is our assertion that a successful assessment, prediction and planning of spatial relations (considering sustainability principles) will depend on the existence of a valid methodological approach, useful to select the appropriate indicator system for each case study. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.