Geosistemas y paisajes: nuevos marcos de análisis aplicados a escalas detalladas en Sierra Madrona (Ciudad Real, España)

Landscape studies based on systemic approaches and methods contribute to deepen the geographical knowledge of the territory and provide tools for its planning and conservation. This study proposes a detailed-scale analysis of the landscape based on the identification of geosystems, with the aim of achieving a more comprehensive understanding of landscapes as integrated entities through their organisation and cartographic classification. The Integrated Landscape Analysis method is applied, based on photo-interpretation and the use of detailed fieldwork for the correct determination of the taxonomic and cartographic organisation. The results present the identification and taxonomic simplification of two levels of geosystems: macrogeosystems, or ‘higher-order’ geosystems, and mesogeosystems, or ‘intermediate-order’ geosystems. These levels enable the structuring of chorological units at an intra-regional scale in Sierra Madrona, one of the most prominent mountainous complexes interrupting the southern fringe of the province of Ciudad Real, selected as the case study. The resulting landscape maps are considered crucial for recognising landscape diversity, as well as for their potential use as a tool for the diagnosis and natural and cultural assessment of the studied territories.