Define the homogeneous zones of natural ecosystems and identify the possibilities and problems for development.
Published in Chapter:
Assessing the Existing Vegetation Around Abandoned Mining Areas With Potentially Toxic Heavy Metals: The Case of Extremadura Region
José Manuel Naranjo Gómez (Agricultural School, University of Extremadura, Spain), José Cabezas Fernández (University of Extremadura, Spain), Rui Alexandre Castanho (Faculty of Applied Sciences, WSB University, Poland), and Carlos José Pinto Gomes (Independent Researcher, Portugal)
Copyright: © 2021
|Pages: 18
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-7391-4.ch002
Abstract
In abandoned mining areas, heavy metals may exist. Those heavy metals can cause physical consequences and death. Through the use of geographic information systems (GIS), the environmental diagnosis of vegetation potentially affected by the presence of very toxic heavy metals in abandoned mining areas in Extremadura was conducted. Initially, graphic and alphanumeric information was obtained from numerous sources, and the geospatial database generated was analyzed, allowing the location of abandoned mines. Subsequently, the mines were classified according to the degree of toxicity of the heavy metals that had been exploited. Then, taking into account the mines whose heavy metals were considered very toxic, a geospatial analysis was performed using concentric buffers at 1, 5, 10, 20, 40, and 60 kilometres. The results obtained made it possible to obtain thematic cartography representative of the areas potentially affected. The proportion of vegetation potentially affected, has been classified according to the existing vegetation series and climatic belts.