ANÁLISIS DIMENSIONAL DE LA COBERTURA VEGETAL-USO DE SUELO EN LA CUENCA DEL RÍO MAGDALENA

Abstract

Although Mexico City has one of the highest population densities worldwide, 58% of its territory has been catalogued as “conservation soil”. The present study carried out a spatial dimensional analysis – of both land use and vegetation cover type – of the area known as the “Magdalena Contreras” watershed. The analysis resulted in the identi cation of 20 different classes with a prevailing presence (40%) of Abies religiosa upon 34% of closed forest and 6% in of open forest type. The second most extended vegetation cover (20%) is that of Pinus hartwegii distributed as well in both open (10.8%) and closed (9.68%) forests. The third most extensive forest type (1 .6%) is that conformed by the so-called ecotonal forest encompassing both A. religiosa and P. hartwegii, 12.95% of which is located in a closed forest and 0.66% in an open forest. At last, the closed forest conformed by P. hartwegii and A. religiosa represents a 6.45%, the mixed forest a 4.8% and the Quercus forest a 2%. By crossing geographic information generated a environmental matrix, which allowed for an environmental analysis of the key components needed, to know the area and location of each of the vegetation cover as a function of temperature, precipitation, elevation, edafology and aspect.