Map of scrub communities in La Rioja (Spain): Review and methods

Abstract

This paper presents an updated map of shrubs in La Rioja, with the main precedent cartography of Arizaleta, Fernández Aldana y Lopo (1990). In order to avoid the conceptual and operational difficulties inherent to the mapping of this type of plant covers, we propose the definition of 16 types of “dominant shrublands” with their corresponding potential allocation and the production of a new map in 2018. Three categories are considered: uniform (mono- or oligospecific), complex mixtures (plurispecific) and combinations of two types. Additionally and excluding the forested surfaces from those 16 domains by means of intersecting them with the Mapa de Bosques de La Rioja (2015), we have obtained the distribution areas of every type, wherever there is effective presence of non arboreous plant covers (the complex shrublands-grasslands). We indicate the proposed procedure for the recording and encoding of plant communities. Moreover, we describe the geographic distribution of the 16 shrub types and their correspondence with other classifications valid for the whole Spain. The resulting map are the base for an ongoing updating, supported by the intensification of field surveys and the use of the increasing-resolution aerial imagery.