Abstract: |
Protected natural spaces contribute to the well being of society in various ways such as maintaining biological diversity and quality of the landscape, regulation of water sources and nutrient cycles, production of soil, protection against natural catastrophes and the provision of recreation areas, education, science and culture, aspects which attain maximum relevance in the lands under the protection of the National Park. The singular nature and the high degree of protection to a large extent limit management, since the principles of conservation and natural processes prevail in these areas. Nevertheless the inevitable responsibility to ensure now and in future, the ecological economic and social functions of these spaces goes on to assume a management model on the lines of compliance with the Pan European Criteria for Sustainable Forest Management. In 2000 management of the Ordesa and Monte Perdido Park , in the Spanish Pyrenees which was declared a natural park in 1918, took the initiative to devise a Plan for the Prevention of Forest Fires in the park and its surroundings which may be a reference for the other parks comprising the network of Spanish National Parks. The Plan analyses the effectiveness of current protection resources, supported by cartography which aids decision making, fuel maps, fire risk, visibility, territorial isochrones and areas which at the same time plan the necessary measures to guarantee the protection of this space, which in many areas is inaccessible due to the steep landscape. The possibility of counting on this planning indubitably constitutes an important technical support tool, which will assist management, not only in terms of fire prevention, but in respect of the conservation of the park, since it provides a cartographic and alphanumerical base for consultation and analysis within the framework of GIS (Graphic Information System) –DINAORDESA-, with the possibility of extending or creating new information using the data contained therein. |
