Abstract
Detecting socio-ecological boundaries in traditional rural landscapes is very important for the planning and sustainability of these landscapes. Most of the traditional methods to detect ecological boundaries have two major shortcomings: they are unable to include uncertainty, and they often exclude socio-economic information. This paper presents a new approach, based on unsupervised Bayesian network classifiers, to find spatial clusters and their boundaries in socio-ecological systems. As a case study, a Mediterranean cultural landscape was used. As a result, six socio-ecological sectors, following both longitudinal and altitudinal gradients, were identified. In addition, different socio-ecological boundaries were detected using a probability threshold. Thanks to its probabilistic nature, the proposed method allows experts and stakeholders to distinguish between different levels of uncertainty in landscape management. The inherent complexity and heterogeneity of the natural landscape is easily handled by Bayesian networks. Moreover, variables from different sources and characteristics can be simultaneously included. These features confer an advantage over other traditional techniques.
Highlights
Most of the rural areas of Europe have been transformed by humans and can be considered cultural landscapes
Mapping cultural landscapes has been an important task for planning and conservation
We propose a new method to detect landscape boundaries, in terms of probabilistic clustering, using hybrid Bayesian networks
Summary
Most of the rural areas of Europe have been transformed by humans and can be considered cultural landscapes. Cultural landscapes are the result of slow, long-term complex interactions between social and natural systems [1]. They are adaptive socioecological systems [2,3,4], having properties of complex systems [5]: cross-scale linkages, uncertainty, nonlinear dynamics, system memory, and heterogeneity (these landscapes are frequently a mosaic with different degrees of ecological maturity [6]). The characterization and mapping of cultural landscapes, as socio-ecological systems, need to take its whole complexity into account [7], considering both biophysical and socioeconomic variables. In this way, the maps should show socio-ecological units, assigning clear spatial boundaries [8,9]. The drivers of change (e.g., emigration, aging or land-use changes, including intensification) [10,11] will transform the socio-ecological landscape, modifying spatial units and spatial boundaries, affecting the delivery of ecosystem services
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
