Land-use planning for the Guadalupe Valley, Baja California, Mexico

Development threats to beautiful and productive agricultural areas occur th roughout the world. This case study of one such productive valley reveals i ts agricultural uniqueness to Mexico and the pressures for its industrializ ation. Landscape and regional planning and environmental impact assessment tools were applied to suggest compatible and sustainable uses. Five environ mental units were selected according to a digital model of the terrain and the overlapping of ecological maps, aerial photos and Landsat images. Descr iptions included both natural and transformed physical attributes. Cultural and landscape architecture parameters were added to evaluate the aesthetic s of each unit.: Contrasting six potential land-uses (agriculture, agri-ind ustry, tourism-recreation, urban, range management for cattle, and conserva tion) generated the capacity for sustained land-use, together with an envir onmental impact assessment. Economic means for directing land-use toward su stainability are to be developed by the local government. Community organiz ation, local political pressure and the tastes of the national government w ill dictate its future use. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reser ved.