Deforestation for economic development and urbanisation or urban sprawl as a
result of human population growth is a common feature of land-use change and is an
important source of increased atmospheric CO2. At the global level, carbon emissions
from burning fossil fuels are two to three times higher than carbon sequestration by
land systems, mainly forests and woody vegetation.
The work presented herein focuses on the identification of carbon balance shifts
due to land use changes in a group of municipalities located in the Douro River Valley
in northern Portugal, where the dominance of vineyards and forestry uses over urban
occupation is the norm. However, when urban sprawl occurs through the replacement
of forested areas by urban uses, the ability to sequester carbon dioxide is reduced
while its production rates increase. A thorough study (Lourenço et al., 2008) of land
uses evolution between 1990 and 2000 shows that urban uses have been growing
near Vila Real as well as vineyard plantations. Forest fires and a complex topography
are major causes for the growth of abandonment, which make these areas more prone
to erosion and desertification.