RT Journal Article T1 Identifying socio-ecological networks in rural-urban gradients: Diagnosis of a changing cultural landscape A1 Arnaiz Schmitz, Cecilia A1 Schmitz García, María Fe A1 Herrero Jaúregui, Cristina A1 Gutíerrez Angonese, J. A1 Díaz Pineda, Francisco A1 Montes, C. AB Socio-ecological systems maintain reciprocal interactions between biophysical and socioeconomic structures. As a result of these interactions key essential services for society emerge. Urban expansion is a direct driver of land change and cause serious shifts in socio-ecological relationships and the associated lifestyles. The framework of rural-urban gradients has proved to be a powerful tool for ecological research about urban influences on ecosystems and on sociological issues related to social welfare. However, to date there has not been an attempt to achieve a classification of municipalities in rural-urban gradients based on socio-ecological interactions. In this paper, we developed a methodological approach that allows identifying and classifying a set of socio-ecological network configurations in the Region of Madrid, a highly dynamic cultural landscape considered one of the European hotspots in urban development. According to their socio-ecological links, the integrated model detects four groups of municipalities, ordered along a rural-urban gradient, characterized by their degree of biophysical and socioeconomic coupling and different indicators of landscape structure and social welfare. We propose the developed model as a useful tool to improve environmental management schemes and land planning from a socio-ecological perspective, especially in territories subject to intense urban transformations and loss of rurality. PB Elsevier SN 0048-9697, ESSN: 1879-1026 YR 2018 FD 2018-01-15 LK https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12079 UL https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14352/12079 LA eng NO Ministerio de Economía y Competitividad (MINECO) NO Comunidad de Madrid/European Social Fund (ESF) DS Docta Complutense RD 25 ago 2024