GUIDELINES FOR LANDSCAPE IMPACT
CHILE A LANDSCAPE COUNTRY
One of the essential characteristics presented by Chile, are the diversity of landscapes, showing the peculiarities and special complexities that reveal a need to understand its dynamics and structure deeply and with appropriate techniques.
As context, based on Bergamini (2010) we can say that beyond the political boundaries of the country, which in its continental area give an elongated shape in the latitudinal sense, these being coincident with a number of geographical barriers, including the Andes, the Atacama desert and the Pacific Ocean, that isolate and reinforce their particularities.
Concerning the continental sector may indicate that has an area of 756,096 km2, distributed in latitudinal way through 4,200 km long by 180 km wide average. Also it concentrates almost all 16,000,000 approx. people that exist in the country.Existing landscapes in this unit, it could be said that they are conditioned by three structural factors: a) latitudinal distribution through 38º (located longitudinally between 18ºS and 56ºS) which essentially determines the incidence of solar radiation in different Seasons of the year; b) Orographic Active Development (Longitudinal), which determines the presence of a mountain range of up to 6,000m and similar foothills, but also processes associated with recent tectonics and volcanism; and c) Concentration of Population, which determines a strong anthropic pressure from the country's center to its periphery.
Regarding the oceanic sector may indicate that presents in insular regions 328 sq km, consisting of three main island groups: 1) In front of the Atacama Region calls Desventuradas islandscomposed of the islands of San Ambrosio and San Felix, are located more than 800 km from the continent; 2) A 670 km away west of Valparaiso, is the archipelago Juan Fernandez, composed of Robinson Crusoe, Alejandro Selkirk and Santa Clara islands; and 3) A 3,600 km west of Caldera is located Easter Island (Rapa Nui), which has an area of 163.6 sq km being the largest of the Sporadic Islands. Salas y Gomez Island is a rocky area located 415 km northeast of Rapa Nui.Moreover can be added claims about the Chilean Sea, both the continental shelf and the exclusive economic zone of 200 miles. Existing landscapes in this unit, one could say that they are conditioned by: 1) the Pacific Ocean and 2) Characteristics of the Island territories.
Finally the Antarctic sector corresponds to the territory over which Chile has claims, corresponding to a total of 1,250,000 sq km, and develops between the meridians 53 ° and 90 ° west longitude and 60 degrees from south latitude to the South Pole. Existing landscapes in this unit, one could say that they are conditioned by the climatic conditions of extreme cold, which generate an ice cap for almost the entire surface, determining the presence of life to species of very specific characteristics and limiting the presence anthropic activities mainly research in marginal sectors
A LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT GUIDEBOOK FOR CHILE
According to research conducted by Bergamini (2010) one of the main problems existing for assessment of landscapes under theEnvironmental Impact Assessment System(SEIA according to spanish name) in Chile, involves:
-The use of different methodologies, which does not allow comparisons of environmental impact studies (EIS) and different interpretation criteria.
-The use of methodologies designed in other territorial and environmental contexts, which caused that some landscapes were undervalued and others overvalued.
-Lack of knowledge of all landscapes assessment methodologies and absence of uniform criteria for the review of EIS by the technical committee members.
In the above context, a major effort of the Environmental Assessment Agency (SEA according to spanish name), was making a Landscape Assessment Guidebook for Chile that could partly overcome the above deficiencies. In this context the principles that guided the work (SEA, 2011) were:
a)A Guidebook for Chile. Creating a highly singularized guide to the country's reality, considering the existence of legislation that realizes the landscape resource but does not delve into its integral value, diversity of landscapes.
b)A Guidebook for SEIA.It is desired to be a tool specifically designed to support the process of Environmental Impact Assessment.
c)A Guidenook for Today and Tomorrow. Must be able to assess the landscape based on the natural dynamics of change and active processes that affect the territory with and without projects. Herein is should take consider the effects of global climate change and all natural transformation processes now living landscape of the country.
d)A Multidisciplinary Guidebook. Takes into consideration the diversity of specialties that allow us to understand the territory and its perceptual value.
e)A multiscale Guidebook. That can recognize from large territorial units of the country to local landscape units.
f)A Handy Guidebook. Understandable and accessible to non-experts assessors or technical teams, self-explanatory and didactic to allow interact with different reader’s levels, with strong incorporation of graphic elements to facilitate understanding and criteria to facilitate its implementation.
LANDSCAPE ASSESSMENT GUIDEBOOK GENERAL METHODOLOGY AND IMPLEMENTATION PROCESS
According to the Environmental Law of Chile, the landscape value of an area is subject to environmental protection and consequently impacts that can generate or present a project or activity on these should be evaluated within the SEIA. In the above context, the guidebook (SEA, 2013) considers the following contents:
a)Conceptual framework for landscape assessment in the SEIA, providing definitions and methodological steps to conduct that assessment.
b)Method and content to be considered for the description of the area of influence in relation to the landscape.
c)Guidelines related to predicting impacts.
d)Measures associated with impacts on the landscape.
Specifically the guidebook sets two main stages for conducting the landscape assessment. The first, more limited, sets out certain steps to determine whether the area will be located the project has or not "scenic value" where if there is an affirmative appraisal, continue with the second stage, for the full landscapes assessment process.
The determination of the "landscape value" is performed by characterizing the landscape from the recognition of their character and their visual description of biophysical attributes. Specifically, 1) Macro-zone and subzone the landscape where the project is located is identified; 2) the project site is demarcated; 3) the description of biophysical attributes of the landscape is made; 4) It is determined whether or not the area has "landscape value".
In relation to the full landscape assessment, because it the project is located in an area with "landscape value" is performed: 1) Description of the area of influence to determine the visual quality of the landscape, deepens the previous stage, delimiting the viewshed and landscape visual quality is determined; 2) Subsequently, the prediction and assessment of impacts on the landscape is performed, for what representation techniques proposed in 2D or 3D, virtual reality, and the classification of types of potential impacts to generate; and 3) a list of mitigation, repair, compensation or environmental managementmeasures, depending on the types of impacts generated is proposed.
The process of making the definitive guidebook began in 2011, where various actors participated, including the National Tourism Agency, the Undersecretary of Tourism, the Ministry of Environment, being coordinated by the SEA and technically supported by a team of Central University (SEA, 2011).
The definitive guidebook was published in 2013, and began its implementation from the publication of SEIA Regulation, on December 24, 2013, with mandatory observance since August 2015. In this time, 40 projects have under evaluation by EIS to SEIA, they should consider this guidebook.
Figure 1: Landscape Assessment Guidebook
Source: SEA (2013)
REFERENCES
Bergamini, Kay (2010). El paisaje como síntesis de líneas de base para la evaluación de impacto ambiental en Chile Tesis doctoral. Universitat de Barcelona. Departamento de Geografía Física y Análisis Geográfico Regional.
Estado de Chile (1994). Ley Sobre Bases Generales del Medio Ambiente.
Ministerio del Medio Ambiente (MMA 2013). Reglamento del Sistema de Evaluación de Impacto Ambiental.
Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental (SEA 2013). Guía de Evaluación del Valor Paisajistico en el SEIA.
Servicio de Evaluación Ambiental (SEA2011).Memoria Final, Guía para la Evaluación de la Alteración del Valor Paisajístico del Territorio en el marco del SEIA.