**3. Results and discussion**

The results come from the analysis of the land use changes for RAM in the years 1990, 2000, 2006, and 2012. The results will be exposed through the graphs and tables. This typology of results exposed allows to extract the most relevant information and to characterize the evolution of land use based on the 44 uses of the soil determined by CLC. The information is organized as presented from **Tables 3–7**, in percentage.

At **Table 3**, it is possible to analyze the behavior of the artificial surfaces; by far the highest values have been found on the land use 112 (discontinuous urban fabric), which also increased over the years (where the tendency is located). The second most representative land use, considering artificial surfaces, is for the uses 121, 124, and 142 (industrial or commercial units, airports, and sport and leisure facilities)—presenting close values and oscillation patterns among them. The policies of urban and infrastructural expansion carried out by the successive autonomic governments for the Madeira Island territory may explain these results. For example, the case of the touristic *boom* that the region as felt in the last few decades was lead

Dynamics of the Land Use Changes and the Associated Barriers and Opportunities… http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.80827 21


Bold identifies the higher value founded.

**Table 3.** Artificial surfaces.


Bold identifies the higher value founded.

**Table 4.** Agricultural areas.

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

23 °C 5.4 °C

N-NE

30 km/h (S-SW)

The results come from the analysis of the land use changes for RAM in the years 1990, 2000, 2006, and 2012. The results will be exposed through the graphs and tables. This typology of results exposed allows to extract the most relevant information and to characterize the evolution of land use based on the 44 uses of the soil determined by CLC. The information is

At **Table 3**, it is possible to analyze the behavior of the artificial surfaces; by far the highest values have been found on the land use 112 (discontinuous urban fabric), which also increased over the years (where the tendency is located). The second most representative land use, considering artificial surfaces, is for the uses 121, 124, and 142 (industrial or commercial units, airports, and sport and leisure facilities)—presenting close values and oscillation patterns among them. The policies of urban and infrastructural expansion carried out by the successive autonomic governments for the Madeira Island territory may explain these results. For example, the case of the touristic *boom* that the region as felt in the last few decades was lead

these "ultra-peripheral" territories.

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

Maximum average velocity (and direction)

20 Land Use - Assessing the Past, Envisioning the Future

**Physical features**

Average daily temperature: Maximum (August) Minimal (February)

Prevailing winds: Direction

**3. Results and discussion**

organized as presented from **Tables 3–7**, in percentage.

Average altitude 646 m

Average slope 56% Perimeter 177.3 km Area 742 km<sup>2</sup>

Highest peak Pico Ruivo (1862 m)

Predominant soils Andosols (42%)

Weighted average annual precipitation 1628 mm

Population 256,424 (inhabitants)


Bold identifies the higher value founded.

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


Bold identifies the higher value founded.

**Table 6.** Water bodies.


**Table 7.** Evolution of the occupied surfaces, according to levels (in the period 1990–2012).

to the actors to carry unsustainable politics of construction—jeopardizing, in many occasions, the natural and unique heritage of the island. In fact, this phenomenon not only occurs in this particular insular territory; the same scenario has been described in the Canary Islands [24, 25]—or even generalizing further, we can pick some high touristic demand territory, and, unfortunately, similar results are easily found [26–30].

Through the analysis of **Table 4**, it is possible to verify the behavior of the agricultural areas; once again the highest values have been clearly found in one single land use, the 243—land principally occupied by agriculture, with significant areas of natural vegetation—which as decreased over the years (with an exception for the period of 2000 where it has decreased and recovered back in 2006). The second most representative land uses, considering artificial surfaces, is for the land use 242 (complex cultivation patterns), followed closely by the land uses 231, 241, and 222 (pastures, annual crops associated with permanent crops, and fruit trees and berry plantations). Those outcomes, as is the example of the decrease of the surface occupied by agriculture with significant natural vegetation, are not unexpected. Once again the territorial governance may play a key role in these results once the politics carried out toward the preservation of natural vegetation and traditional agriculture are not so profitable for the land owners, contrary to the reconversion of the land for a different use or agricultural technique—tendency that seems to be dangerous not only for the local heritage preservation as well as for a long-term sustainable development and growth.

Finally, the land uses regarding water bodies have decreased over the last decades; once again expansionary and unsustainable politics may be at the core of the answer. In **Figure 2**, it is possible to verify that in most of the cases there is stability in the land uses. However, the land use 334 (burned areas), which has significantly increased, should be highlighted, within the last decade, and consequently the land use 311 (broad-leaved forest) has decreased. Also, the increases of the land uses 112 and 322 (discontinuous urban fabric and moors and heathland)

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23

In **Table 7**, the land use changes over the last decades according to levels 1, 2, 3, and 5 (artificial surfaces, agricultural areas, forests and seminatural areas, and water bodies) are presented. By far, the most representative level is the third (forests and seminatural areas), followed by the artificial surfaces (1), which became more representative in the last years in Madeira

The changes in the land use could be understood as a direct manifestation of human activity over natural environments [31, 32]. Therefore, the natural factors and features—i.e., geomorphology, slope, relief, soil, and vegetation, among many others— are critical for the proper organization

should be highlighted.

**3.1. Barriers and opportunities**

Island territory than the land use 2 (agricultural areas).

**Figure 2.** Evolution of the land cover through the years.

In **Table 5** the behavior of the forest and seminatural areas is shown, with the highest values found in one land use, the 311—broad-leaved forest—which decreased over the years (with some oscillations in the 2000–2006 period). The second most representative land uses, considering artificial surfaces, is for the land use 313 (beaches, dunes, sands), followed closely by the land uses 322 and 321 (moors and heathland and natural grasslands). Here, the change of positions—in the period of 2006–2012—of the land use 324 (transitional woodland-shrub) replaced by the land use 334 (burned areas) should be highlighted; this results may be explained by the natural events as wildfires occur in the island—i.e., in fact, in 2016 wildfire events occurred once again in Madeira Island consuming several hectares of natural vegetation, agricultural areas, and urban areas leading to numbers that are even getting worst in future studies related to land use changes in Madeira Island. In this regard, the high values of the land use 313 (beaches, dunes, sands) are expected considering the territorial features (island). In fact, where could be identified a barrier—once this use typology practically impossible to reconvert; nevertheless, and analyzed from another perspective, there is an opportunity to develop a touristic sustainable activity over this land use.

**Figure 2.** Evolution of the land cover through the years.

to the actors to carry unsustainable politics of construction—jeopardizing, in many occasions, the natural and unique heritage of the island. In fact, this phenomenon not only occurs in this particular insular territory; the same scenario has been described in the Canary Islands [24, 25]—or even generalizing further, we can pick some high touristic demand territory, and,

**Level Artificial surfaces Agricultural areas Forest and seminatural areas Water bodies**

2000 13.99 15.99 **67.51** 2.52 2006 14.83 13.97 **68.96** 2.25 2012 14.83 14.00 **68.92** 2.25

Year 1990 9.86 19.l0 **68.52** 2.55

**Table 7.** Evolution of the occupied surfaces, according to levels (in the period 1990–2012).

Through the analysis of **Table 4**, it is possible to verify the behavior of the agricultural areas; once again the highest values have been clearly found in one single land use, the 243—land principally occupied by agriculture, with significant areas of natural vegetation—which as decreased over the years (with an exception for the period of 2000 where it has decreased and recovered back in 2006). The second most representative land uses, considering artificial surfaces, is for the land use 242 (complex cultivation patterns), followed closely by the land uses 231, 241, and 222 (pastures, annual crops associated with permanent crops, and fruit trees and berry plantations). Those outcomes, as is the example of the decrease of the surface occupied by agriculture with significant natural vegetation, are not unexpected. Once again the territorial governance may play a key role in these results once the politics carried out toward the preservation of natural vegetation and traditional agriculture are not so profitable for the land owners, contrary to the reconversion of the land for a different use or agricultural technique—tendency that seems to be dangerous not only for the local heritage preservation

In **Table 5** the behavior of the forest and seminatural areas is shown, with the highest values found in one land use, the 311—broad-leaved forest—which decreased over the years (with some oscillations in the 2000–2006 period). The second most representative land uses, considering artificial surfaces, is for the land use 313 (beaches, dunes, sands), followed closely by the land uses 322 and 321 (moors and heathland and natural grasslands). Here, the change of positions—in the period of 2006–2012—of the land use 324 (transitional woodland-shrub) replaced by the land use 334 (burned areas) should be highlighted; this results may be explained by the natural events as wildfires occur in the island—i.e., in fact, in 2016 wildfire events occurred once again in Madeira Island consuming several hectares of natural vegetation, agricultural areas, and urban areas leading to numbers that are even getting worst in future studies related to land use changes in Madeira Island. In this regard, the high values of the land use 313 (beaches, dunes, sands) are expected considering the territorial features (island). In fact, where could be identified a barrier—once this use typology practically impossible to reconvert; nevertheless, and analyzed from another perspective, there is an opportunity to develop a touristic sustainable activity over this land use.

unfortunately, similar results are easily found [26–30].

Bold identifies the higher value founded.

22 Land Use - Assessing the Past, Envisioning the Future

as well as for a long-term sustainable development and growth.

Finally, the land uses regarding water bodies have decreased over the last decades; once again expansionary and unsustainable politics may be at the core of the answer. In **Figure 2**, it is possible to verify that in most of the cases there is stability in the land uses. However, the land use 334 (burned areas), which has significantly increased, should be highlighted, within the last decade, and consequently the land use 311 (broad-leaved forest) has decreased. Also, the increases of the land uses 112 and 322 (discontinuous urban fabric and moors and heathland) should be highlighted.

In **Table 7**, the land use changes over the last decades according to levels 1, 2, 3, and 5 (artificial surfaces, agricultural areas, forests and seminatural areas, and water bodies) are presented. By far, the most representative level is the third (forests and seminatural areas), followed by the artificial surfaces (1), which became more representative in the last years in Madeira Island territory than the land use 2 (agricultural areas).

#### **3.1. Barriers and opportunities**

The changes in the land use could be understood as a direct manifestation of human activity over natural environments [31, 32]. Therefore, the natural factors and features—i.e., geomorphology, slope, relief, soil, and vegetation, among many others— are critical for the proper organization and distribution of the territory and their consequent land uses [31]. The lack of knowledge aligned with an existence of planning conducts to the destruction of the natural resources causing relevant (negative) impact on the local communities [33]. Thus, the proper identification and defining of risk areas—considering the planning and territorial management—are pivotal conditions for the prevention and minimization of the damages resulting from the phenomena and dangerous activities [34]. The uncontrolled growth (due to the lack of well-planning process) to built-up areas contributes to increasing the soil vulnerability and increasing the risk of natural disasters [35, 36], as is the case of erosion or landslides [37]—considering the local geomorphic features. In this regard, the urban expansion toward topographically "more" inclined and geologically unstable ground can cause problems and affect the population, the environment, and the local economy. The slope is assumed to be fundamental for the occurrence of slope movements, mainly due to the higher slope and the greater influence of gravity forces on the existing materials in the slopes that, if they are fragile, easily will disintegrate and move along the slope—which is their case in RAM [38]. Therefore, and considering the geomorphological risks, the slope assumes the main role, since it interacts with and for the erosion increasing in a geomorphological context and in the lithology allowing to define critical slopes for landslides—even in the vegetal cover ground, eliminating natural resources of the island [39]. The definition of land uses consistent with the risk degree that characterizes it and the prohibition or limitation to the urban expansion in the unstable areas are some of the options pointed out by Zêzere [37] to avoid such risks. In fact, the crossing of the constraints to urban growth with risk areas leads to the determination of land suitability for each category of use and respective infrastructure implementation. The limitation groups lead to the analysis of the urban land use capacity at the level of the existing one and at the level of areas of urban expansion (urbanizable land), consolidation, and reconversion [39–41]. Contextually, it is important to define classes and levels for specific land uses, based on urban and spatial planning criteria as well as in accordance with urban growth limitations, including the possibility of occurrence of natural hazards and disasters in specific areas [39].

In this way, and if sustainable development policy will carry out all the involved actors and depending population, it could be valued by the so-called barriers existing in this "ultra-

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Through the present study, it is possible to understand the impact of the land use changes and their dynamics on the specific insular territory. Also, throughout the analyses of the land use change patterns along with empirical knowledge of the territory, barriers and opportunities for a sustainable development and growth have been identified. Moreover, the limitations of such "ultra-peripheral" territories are evident, not only by the physical spatial dimensions presented but also by the difficulty to proceed to the reconversion of the uses. Considering such remarks and the particularity of these territories, the main actors/decision-makers and their policies and action over the territory are even more relevant and need to be conducted in a more reasonable way—considering the fragility of this region; such policies and actions present higher impact on the territory as well as on their inhabitants' life's quality standards

Therefore, the study of the land use change patterns is seen as pivotal to understand the dynamics and tendencies of these territories as well as to provide clues for the main actors to

As the final remarks, the land uses could be understood as another tool for the knowledge of

1 Faculty of Applied Sciences, University of Dąbrowa Górnicza, Dąbrowa Górnicza, Poland

3 Environmental Resources Analysis Research Group (ARAM), University of Extremadura,

4 VALORIZA—Research Centre for Endogenous Resource Valorization, Portalegre, Portugal 5 Faculty of Exact Sciences and Engineering (FCEE), Department of Civil Engineering and

8 Research Centre for Tourism, Sustainability and Well-being (CinTurs), University of

, José Manuel Naranjo Gómez4,6,

and Luís Loures4,7,8

where the efforts toward a sustainable development and growth should be placed.

, José Cabezas3,4, Luis Fernández-Pozo<sup>3</sup>

2 ICAAM—Institute for Agrarian and Environmental Sciences, Évora, Portugal

peripheral" territory.

**4. Final remarks**

**Author details**

Patrícia Escórcio<sup>5</sup>

Badajoz, Spain

Algarve, Faro, Portugal

and finally on the long-term sustainable development.

the territory—assessing the past and envisioning the future.

\*Address all correspondence to: alexdiazbrown@gmail.com

Geology (DECG), University of Madeira (UMa), Funchal, Portugal 6 Polytechnic School, University of Extremadura, Caceres, Spain 7 Polytechnic Institute of Portalegre (IPP), Portalegre, Portugal

Rui Alexandre Castanho1,2,3,4\*, Sérgio Lousada<sup>5</sup>

On the other hand, the relief could also influence the urban growth and development [42]—once it forces the city to grow in a dispersed or apparently disorganized way, creating urban voids. In this case, it works as a topographical barrier and constitutes a natural element of obstruction to the urban expansion and as a barrier protecting (somehow) the fragmentation of the natural habitats. Such phenomenon is more relevant in cities located in hilly areas where the variation of altitude is large and there are steep slopes. Thus, the land uses of Madeira Island have been assessed from different perspectives and methods at RAM according to the abovementioned; in fact, the geomorphology of the territory strongly affects its development and growth.

Nevertheless, despite all the limitations inherent to the territorial relief, such topographic barriers at RAM will value the environmental dimension—considering as fundamental in a perspective of social and economic well-being, promoting the full exploitation of the values and endogenous natural resources. For this, the relationship between the economic activities and biodiversity and nature conservation is strongly influenced, namely, by the *unique fauna* and *flora* of the island as well as their ecosystems, natural landscapes, and humanized landscapes; in fact, these factors could also be seen as opportunities to promote sustainable development.

The valorization of the agricultural heritage of RAM (despite the stagnation of land use for agriculture) should be preserved and protected in a sustainable way; once in Madeira Island, there are several typical crops—i.e., banana, sugarcane, and vineyards, among many others. In this way, and if sustainable development policy will carry out all the involved actors and depending population, it could be valued by the so-called barriers existing in this "ultraperipheral" territory.
