IOCAG: Geography, Environment and Geographic Information Technologies

Affiliated Research areas

• Veterinary and applied animal sciences
• Physical geography, geomorphology
• Products and Processes Engineering

Scientific Areas

• Not available

Keywords

• Heritage in terraces
• Coasts of volcanic islands
• Landscape and planning
• Natural hazards
• Arid coastal dunes

Summary

- Cultural landscapes in island systems rates against global change: Terraced agricultural landscapes reflect human adaptation to adverse environments (rugged topography, extreme climatic features, scarcity of agricultural soils and water). They have survived past climatic changes and their conservation is therefore part of global change adaptation strategies. The research includes: the study of the processes of change that the terraced areas have undergone (agricultural abandonment, scrubland and artificialisation); the analysis of the hydrogeomorphological consequences of their abandonment (typology and magnitude of erosion processes), and the development of methodological proposals for their valuation, conservation and recovery.
- Adaptation of coastal ecosystems in oceanic islands to climate change: According to the IPCC's Sixth Assessment Report (AR6), island territories, due to their geographical and natural characteristics, are among the most vulnerable to the effects of climate change (CC), with serious consequences such as sea level rise which, among other areas, would directly affect coastal ecosystems. In this sense, next research aims are proposed: i) promote the protection and conservation of coastal ecosystems to strengthen them for the adaptation to CC; ii) analyse environmental impacts of natural and anthropogenic origin at a multi-scale (space-time); iii) propose environmental management and restoration measures based on nature to mitigate
- Landscape dynamics, territorial planning and inclusive heritage: The impact of land use on recent changes in the landscape is analysed. The studies focus on island systems, considering the environmental consequences of processes (desertification, artificialisation, etc.) derived from territorial changes (agricultural abandonment, coastalisation, etc.), both in coastal areas and in the interior of the islands. Planning procedures are studied (systems of indicators, carrying capacity, etc.) that allow sustainability criteria to be incorporated into territorial management, and research is carried out into tools for the inclusive dissemination of the value of the natural and cultural heritage of island territories.
- Natural risks: This research line aims to analyse natural hazards in the Canary Islands from a spatio-temporal perspective. The studies focus on climate-related risks, with particular emphasis on adverse meteorological events that lead to flooding processes in urban areas. Research is also conducted on the assessment and improvement of emergency and disaster management systems at the local level, with special attention to public perception of these systems and the effectiveness of early warning tools. In addition, comparative European approaches to risk management are incorporated, and the integration of geographic information technologies (GIT) into decision-making processes in emergency contexts is explored. Further work is carried out in the field of applied climatology, including the characterization of climatic variables and their spatio-temporal variability.
- Arid coastal wind sedimentary systems: procesos naturales e interacciones humanas: This line of research is carried out within the Physical Geography and Environment Group (IOCAG-ULPGC), in collaboration with national and international researchers. Its objectives are: i) the study of natural processes in arid coastal aeolian sedimentary systems, especially the characterisation, dynamics and spatio-temporal evolution of landforms and vegetation; ii) the study of human interactions with natural processes, both those related to traditional activities and tourism development, and those derived from climate change; and iii) the proposal of management measures for the conservation of these systems from the perspective of sustainable development.
- Coasts of the volcanic islands: procesos naturales e interacciones humanas: This line of research is developed within the Physical Geography and Environment Group (IOCAG-ULPGC), in collaboration with national and foreign researchers. Its objectives are: i) the study of natural processes on the coasts of volcanic hotspot islands, as well as human interactions that modify these processes; and ii) the proposal of management measures for the conservation of natural values from the perspective of sustainable development, in the current context of climate change.