CARACTERIZACIÓN Y CUANTIFICACIÓN DE FRAGMENTOS DE BOSQUE NATIVO, EN UN SECTOR DEL SECANO INTERIOR DE LA REGIÓN DEL MAULE, CHILE

ABSTRACT In general, the Mediterranean forests have suffered high levels of fragmentation, mainly by anthropogenic action, as result of the productive activities of agriculture and livestock, human settlements and forest plantations of fast growing exotic species, leading to loss of continuity of natural forests, and thus a decrease of biodiversity. In this context, the objective of this study was to evaluate the potential use of satellite images and Geographic Information Systems (GIS) to quantify and characterize the spatial evolution of native forests in a semi-arid landscape area at the Re...