Title

Assessing the environmental impacts of human settlements using satellite data

Document Type

Article

Publication Title

Management of Environmental Quality: An International Journal

Publication Date

2003

Volume

14

Issue

1

First Page

99

Last Page

107

Abstract

In the last 50 years, the Mediterranean Basin has experienced a doubling of its population. This demographic growth has been the cause of extensive land use changes that have undermined the ecological stability of large portions of its fragile ecosystems. The population of the Mediterranean countries is expected to grow by another 20 percent in the next 25 years, further increasing the pressure on the natural resources. In this paper, we present a methodology combining photosynthetic activity and human settlements both derived from satellite data for monitoring the effects of human settlements on the environment. We found photosynthesis decreasing as one moves from rural to urban settings in the north and increasing in the south Mediterranean countries. Regional scale assessments using this approach may help policy makers in designing appropriate measures to combat further environmental degradation.

DOI

http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14777830310460414

Rights

© 2003 MCB UP Limited

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