Land use change around hydroelectric dams using Landsat multi-temporal data: a challenge for a sustainable environment in Mexico
Zuleyma Zarco-González, Octavio Monroy‐Vilchis, Xanat Antonio Némiga, Ángel Rolando Endara Agramont
Abstract
Dams must provide human development with economic viability, social equitability, and be environmentally sustainable However, environmental and social impacts are often negative and seldom considered in the design of these projects. We made a multitemporal analysis classifying 26 satellite images of several Mexican hydroelectric power stations between 1972 and 2016 to evaluate the effect of dams on the change in land use. Eleven socio-economic indicators were also compared before and after the construction of the dam to document effects on local communities. We use the Land Change Modeler to quantify the net changes in land use and land cover. We found a mean decrease in tropical forest (1,404.19 km2) and temperate forest (1,191.26 km2) and an increase in agriculture (2,241.26 km2) and urban use (92.9 km2). The results also show that although some indicators improved, the environmental deterioration around these projects shows that they are not sustainable.