| The sustainability of land use systems and the necessary indicators and procedures to assess its present and future status in a given watershed, is the major concern of this thesis. Specifically it aimed at identifying relevant variables from the biophysical, social and economic environments, which due to their role in sustaining or being strongly related to variables that sustain land use systems, serve as sustainability indicators. A set of indicators was identified and iteratively defined. These indicators were grouped in four hierarchical levels, namely, great groups (8), groups, indicators and indicator variables. This sustainability indicator system was developed into a computer model by combining the indicators into decision-trees. The model was tested in the Texcoco river watershed, in Central Mexico. The results of the assessments revealed that land use systems in the Texcoco river watershed could be characterized as being from not sustainable to marginally sustainable. It was also clear that the indicator variable system developed and its automation provided with a valuable tool for further applications in other watersheds, after suitable adaptations are made. |
