NinotJosep-M., Carreras Jordi,
Dep. Biologia Vegetal, Univ. Barcelona
Basedon the habitats standardised in the Corine Biotopes Manual, we have mapped thelandscape of Andorra at the 1:25,000 scale. In the methodological aspect, standout the use of colour and infrared orthoimages, the rather precise definitionof the habitat units, and the handling of all the cartographic information bymeans of the GIS ArcInfo. The raw result is a detailed map of the area dividedinto some 3,000 polygons, and identified by 103 legend units from which someinclude a sole main habitat whereas others contains two or more habitats.
Diversity,naturalness, endemicity, rarity, etc., of each habitat have been evaluated apriori, and then combined with site features (topographic parameters fromcartography) to yield a global evaluation for each legend unit. This enabled usto produce a map showing a few levels of natural interest in the landscape ofAndorra, and to draw the attention to main tendencies of change, when comparedwith previous data from the same area, or with similar Pyrenean valleys.Whereas most extensive units (woodland, etc.) show raising extension andnaturalness, some rare habitats (fens, riparian forests) appear fragmented ordegraded, and seminatural units depending on traditional land use (meadows, drypastures) are doomed to vanish.