ENVIRONMENTAL DIAGNOSIS FOR PLANNING AND MANAGEMENT IN THE HIGH ANDEAN REGION - THE BIOSPHERE RESERVE OF POZUELOS, ARGENTINA

A method for the identification, mapping and evaluation of integrated environmental units is described. This method is applied to the assess ment and zoning of a biosphere reserve, in order to establish guidelin es for the distribution of conservation and management actions. The me thod, based on the definition of units according to observable feature s, enables the diagnosis of qualities of interest for planning and man agement, with results that can be reproduced by different operators, i f certain initial criteria are accepted. Using these criteria, initial descriptive maps can be transformed into prescriptive maps which prov ide the basis for management decisions. The nature and distribution of the units present in the area is shown. The allocation of land-use ac tivities obtained using the criteria indicated above provides the basi s for economic assessment of development plans. A series of conservati on and development actions are proposed for the reserve.