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El valor dels espais agraris periurbans Mayor, X. Petjada
ecològica, consum del territori com a recurs? Ecological footprint, territory consumption as a resource? Wackernagel and Rees (1996) described the Ecological Footprint as the “ecologically productive” area needed to satisfy our current lifestyle forever. In fact, the authors developed a calculation methodology based on this concept. The measure commonly used is an estimate of the ecologically productive area needed, per inhabitant, in order to sustain a stable level of consumption vis-à-vis some determined margin. The underlying logic of this estimation is based on two aspects: 1) the use or consumption of resources and 2) the assimilation of the resulting waste. With this study, the authors set out to determine the very first ecological footprint of Catalonia focsing on the year 2006. They calculated the individual ecological footprint to be 3.83 ha/hab, which they then extrapolated to represent 4.58 global ha/hab. At a population level, this means that Catalonia requires more than 8 times its own area, in terms of ecological productive resources, to support its current (2006) lifestyle. This report provides valuable information on the state of Catalonia from the perspective of land use and individual consumption. Moreover, it allows us, together with previously obtained data, to trace the evolution of Catalonias ecological footprint. While the general population’s ecological footprint has increased, the individual ecological footprint has diminished. This pattern could be related to recent demographic changes in Catalonia. Finally, the area surrounding Cinc Sènies (near the City of Mataró in the Maresme region of Catalonia) was also examined in terms of its ecological footprint. We must carefully consider the value and role of this area on a local level, to better gauge their impacton the ecological footprint, both for present planning purposes, and for future land management issues. |
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