Abstract:
The western Mediterranean is
an area particularly affected by the effects of
climate change, which makes it a hotspot,
and it is also an area where there is particular
competition for land use, where subtropical
crops coexist with traditional crops including
vines, olives, and almond trees, and where
there is growing demand for urban
development and tourism. It is one of the
most sensitive to the effects of climate
change because of the markedly contrasting
extreme events, including heat waves,
torrential rains and drought. In this study we
analysed changes in land use, torrential
events and the effect of rainfall on vegetation
cover and soils in two basins, the main
objective being to analyse the evolution of
land use and water erosion in recent decades.
The two basins are similar but have different
configurations and contrasting uses. One has
steep slopes and is characterized by more
typical Mediterranean crops, such as
vineyards, while the other has been subject
to clearing that has modified the steep
slopes, and where there has been a change to
more competitive crops, including
subtropical crops. The results highlight the
continuous increase of irrigated crops and
urban areas and a gradual disappearance of
rainfed crops, the occurrence between
torrential events and the correlation between
monthly rainfalls and vegetation cover.
