Assessment of landscape visual fragility in the Natural Protected Area Sierra de las Nieves (southern Spain)

Abstract

Visual fragility is a fundamental analysis of landscape quality, especially for protected natural areas highly valued for their biodiversity, geodiversity and cultural heritage. This is the case of the Sierra de las Nieves Protected Natural Area, located in southern Spain, declared a national park in 2021 and which brings together outstanding natural systems. Its aesthetic character is a key point for both the local population and visitors, so phenomena such as fire pose a territorial threat. This study analyses which are the most fragile landscapes from a visual point of view. Thus, using spatial analysis techniques in GIS, the landscape units were delimited and their visual fragility was evaluated considering a 5x5m DEM of spatial resolution and defining visual basins from geolocated points along the road network, which included paved roads, unpaved roads and official trails of the study area. The results indicate a broad spatial variability in visual fragility depending on the observation point, throughout the natural area, although the landscapes with the highly valued forests of Abies pinsapo Boiss. and Quercus alpestris showed the greatest fragility, especially those located in the central, southern and eastern sectors over 900 m above sea level. These results contribute to managing the areas most exposed to threats with a visual impact, such as fire, which can negatively influence the aesthetic character of the landscapes of the Sierra de las Nieves.