Land use changes and effects of rainfall on vegetation cover in two Mediterranean basins (Málaga, Spain)

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.