**2. Material and methods**

**1. Introduction**

16 Land Use - Assessing the Past, Envisioning the Future

mapping standards [2].

soil applications [1].

development.

levels [1].

The need for knowledge and information on the state of our planet's surface and its occupation has boosted several initiatives to study land uses and cover and their patterns and dynamics [1, 2]. Several sets of global or continental land cover data, most of them from the Earth's observation by satellite, were promoted and created, and there is a variety of different

The quantity of available products reflects the wide scope of interests. It is important to highlight the Global Land Cover (GLC2000) created for the year 2000 at a global level in Europe, the Pan-European Land Cover Monitoring (PELCOM) based in 1996 images, and the Coordination of Information on the Environment (CORINE) maps at regional and national

In Europe, many efforts to quantify a standardized way of the land cover have been done. In this regard, the CORINE Land Cover (CLC) has been created and processed by the EEA based on the guidelines for "land and ecosystems" of the System of Environmental and Economic

Since 2006, in several countries, such as Germany, Austria, the United Kingdom, Sweden, Switzerland, and others, the map is obtained from generalization techniques from national maps with greater detail than the traditional photo satellite interpretation [4]. These different methods conduct to heterogeneity in the land cover maps, which have been a discussion topic [4]; nevertheless, the different ways of producing CORINE maps have been used to analyze

The land use and land cover maps can play an important role in the balance of the socioeconomic, political, cultural, and environmental factors of a certain territory [5]. In fact, they allow analyzing significant changes in the landscape, study cycles, and trends. Several studies have been conducted in the European territories concerning land uses and their patterns and dynamics; however, in relation to the case of peripheral and insular territories/regions as is the case of the Autonomous Region of Madeira (RAM) (Portuguese Island), such typology of studies has not been carried out—increasing the relevance of the work toward a better understanding of the territorial dynamics, barriers, and opportunities for a sustainable growth and

Contextually, insular territories are affected by their geographic position, which gives them a high degree of isolation and their small dimensions (spatial constraints), and so they represent a specific challenge and fragility in the face of changes [6]. This typology of territory is affected directly and indirectly by the proximity to the sea and is considered a coastal territory. In this sense, the territorial planning is a fundamental instrument to attribute conditions of prosperity to its inhabitants and consequently to future generations, promoting the mitigation of social inequalities and spatial imbalances, as well as a catalyst tool for sustainable development. In this context, the sustainable development allows not only to respond to the problems discussed above but also to create opportunities and more competitive territories.

Accounting (SEEA), and it is used by many of the organizations [3].

The present study is based essentially on CORINE Land Cover (CLC). The CLC is a vector map with a scale of 1:100000, a minimum cartographic unit (MCU) of 25 ha, and a geometric accuracy better than 100 m. It maps homogeneous landscape patterns, i.e., more than 75% of the pattern has the characteristics of a given class from the nomenclature. This nomenclature is a three-level hierarchical classification system and has 44 classes at the third and most detailed level (**Table 1**). To deal with areas smaller than 25 ha, a set of generalization rules were defined [15].

In this regard, the years of 1990, 2000, 2006, and 2012 were analyzed through direct and indirect tools and methods. Thus, exploratory tools were used as is the case of GIS tools, CLC, or the site analysis conducted by the authors. Moreover, a literature review has been performed in order to properly describe, discuss, and understand the obtained results—the land use change dynamics in Madeira Island.

Nevertheless, later in the present chapter, these methods will be exposed and further developed.

#### **2.1. Case study: the Madeira Island**

The Madeira Archipelago is located in the North Atlantic Ocean. Covering an area of 802 km<sup>2</sup> , the Madeira Archipelago is composed of the following islands: Madeira (742 km<sup>2</sup> ) (**Figure 1**),


Porto Santo (43 km<sup>2</sup>

**Table 1.** CLC nomenclature.

), Desertas (14 km<sup>2</sup>

**Level 1 Level 2 Level 3**

4 Wetlands 41 Inland wetlands 411 Inland marshes

5 Water bodies 51 Inland waters 511 Water courses

Source: http://www.igeo.pt/gdr/pdf/CLC2006\_nomenclature\_addendum.pdf

42 Maritime wetlands 421 Salt marshes

52 Marine waters 521 Coastal lagoons

412 Peat bogs

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422 Salines

423 Intertidal flats

512 Water bodies

522 Estuaries 523 Sea and ocean

Island will be exposed in the following (**Table 2**).

**Figure 1.** Madeira Archipelago—Madeira Island, Portugal.

ing almost the entire territory (741 km<sup>2</sup>

), and Selvagens (3 km<sup>2</sup>

Madeira Archipelago presents particular conditions for the occurrence of potential natural disasters—i.e., wildfires; the high exposition of urban areas to natural disasters (rugged terrain promotes vertical impulsion of maritime tropical air masses coming from the southwest); free surface flow's fast convergence into the river channels and the high drainage density levels (floods); deeply changed volcanic geological substrate and consequently less permeable; and embedded V-shaped valleys, enabling greater interaction between landslides and river patterns, among many other extreme phenomena [19–21]. Also, the specific and rough geomorphology of Madeira Island occupies most of the land cover—i.e., 120 watersheds occupy-

). The main features of Madeira

) correspond to 40% of the total island surface [21, 23].

#### Dynamics of the Land Use Changes and the Associated Barriers and Opportunities… http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80827 19


Source: http://www.igeo.pt/gdr/pdf/CLC2006\_nomenclature\_addendum.pdf

**Table 1.** CLC nomenclature.

**Level 1 Level 2 Level 3**

units

18 Land Use - Assessing the Past, Envisioning the Future

1 Artificial surfaces 11 Urban fabric 111 Continuous urban fabric

12 Industrial, commercial, and transport

14 Artificially and nonagriculturally

2 Agricultural areas 21 Arable land 211 Nonirrigated arable land

22 Permanent crops 221 Vineyards

23 Pastures 231 Pastures

31 Forests 311 Broad-leaved forest

32 Scrub and/or herbaceous vegetation

33 Open spaces with little or no

associations

vegetation

vegetated areas

3 Forest and seminatural areas 112 Discontinuous urban fabric

123 Port areas 124 Airports

132 Dump sites 133 Construction sites

213 Rice fields

223 Olive groves

24 Heterogeneous agricultural areas 241 Annual crops associated with permanent crops

141 Green urban areas

142 Sport and leisure facilities

212 Permanently irrigated land

222 Fruit trees and berry plantations

242 Complex cultivation patterns

244 Agroforestry areas

312 Coniferous forest 313 Mixed forest

321 Natural grasslands 322 Moors and heathland 323 Sclerophyllous vegetation 324 Transitional woodland shrub

331 Beaches, dunes, and sands

333 Sparsely vegetated areas

335 Glaciers and perpetual snow

332 Bare rocks

334 Burned areas

243 Land principally occupied by agriculture, with significant areas of natural vegetation

13 Mine, dump, and construction sites 131 Mineral extraction sites

121 Industrial or commercial units

122 Road and rail networks and associated land

**Figure 1.** Madeira Archipelago—Madeira Island, Portugal.

Porto Santo (43 km<sup>2</sup> ), Desertas (14 km<sup>2</sup> ), and Selvagens (3 km<sup>2</sup> ). The main features of Madeira Island will be exposed in the following (**Table 2**).

Madeira Archipelago presents particular conditions for the occurrence of potential natural disasters—i.e., wildfires; the high exposition of urban areas to natural disasters (rugged terrain promotes vertical impulsion of maritime tropical air masses coming from the southwest); free surface flow's fast convergence into the river channels and the high drainage density levels (floods); deeply changed volcanic geological substrate and consequently less permeable; and embedded V-shaped valleys, enabling greater interaction between landslides and river patterns, among many other extreme phenomena [19–21]. Also, the specific and rough geomorphology of Madeira Island occupies most of the land cover—i.e., 120 watersheds occupying almost the entire territory (741 km<sup>2</sup> ) correspond to 40% of the total island surface [21, 23].


**Code 111 112 121 122 123 124 131 132 133 141 142** Year 1990 0.21 **9.16** 0.10 0.00 0.06 0.22 0.00 0.00 0.06 0.05 0.00

**Code 211 212 221 222 231 241 242 243 244** Year 1990 0.16 0.49 0.11 0.74 0.94 0.90 4.83 **10.68** 0.25

**Code 311 312 313 321 322 324 331 332 333 334** Year 1990 **20.89** 5.90 14.24 8.34 10.50 6.56 0.11 0.07 1.91 0.00

**Code 523** Year 1990 **2.55**

2000 **20.67** 5.74 13.99 8.22 10.41 6.33 0.11 0.07 1.91 0.06 2006 **20.82** 5.29 13.14 9.07 10.77 6.25 0.11 1.52 1.75 0.24 2012 **19.27** 4.72 11.98 8.70 9.06 5.58 0.11 1.52 1.75 6.23

> 2000 2.52 2006 2.25 2012 2.25

2000 0.16 0.49 0.11 0.46 0.91 0.90 3.02 **9.47** 0.47 2006 0.04 0.04 0.18 0.31 0.32 0.23 2.80 **10.05** 0.00 2012 0.04 0.04 0.21 0.31 0.32 0.23 2.77 **10.08** 0.00

Bold identifies the higher value founded.

Bold identifies the higher value founded.

Bold identifies the higher value founded.

Bold identifies the higher value founded.

**Table 6.** Water bodies.

**Table 5.** Forest and seminatural areas.

**Table 4.** Agricultural areas.

**Table 3.** Artificial surfaces.

2000 0.22 **12.76** 0.22 0.04 0.08 0.26 0.00 0.04 0.10 0.05 0.22 2006 0.31 **13.16** 0.32 0.04 0.08 0.26 0.15 0.08 0.09 0.01 0.33 2012 0.31 **13.20** 0.35 0.04 0.08 0.26 0.15 0.06 0.01 0.01 0.36

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**Table 2.** Main features of Madeira Island [16–22].

Moreover, the high human pressure under the territory should be also considered. In fact, in these particular territories, human activities and densities are more critical for the success or failure of a sustainable development and growth—considering the limitations presented by these "ultra-peripheral" territories.
