Abstract
A land classification and resources inventory of Falcón State was undertaken with the aim of gathering baseline information to help in development planning. The study area, located in northwestern Venezuela, comprises an ecologically diverse region, due both to its varied geomorphology and to its history of human occupation. A landscape approach was used. On the basis of photointerpretation, examination of existing literature, and field work, uniform land units (physiognomic units) were delineated and described in terms of landform, soil, vegetation, drainage pattern, and climate. These were grouped in homogeneous units (HU) on the basis of their potential natural vegetation through the delimitation of climax complexes. The last hierarchy, the land systems, comprise the geomorphogenetically related HU. The results are presented at different levels of generalization and integration, in verbal and cartographic descriptions, and they are stored in standardized formats to ensure ease of comprehension and handling and to meet different needs. This report describes the methods employed for the survey and data presentation, and discusses its applicability and limitations.
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Matteucci, S.D., Colma, A. & Pla, L. Multiple-purposes land mapping and resources inventory. Environmental Management 9, 231–242 (1985). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867079
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF01867079