Cities and land cover and land use change: Mantaro Valley Case

Given that the country has cities that grow spontaneously, in a disorderly, accelerated and anarchic manner, our main objective is to analyze Huancayo and other cities in the Mantaro Valley, in terms of urban growth and its influence on the change in land use with its dimensions: artificialized areas, agricultural areas, forests and mostly natural areas, wet areas and water surfaces, in ten-year periods during the last 50 years (1965-2015); considering the provinces of Chupaca, Concepción, Huancayo and Jauja. The method is the Corine Land Cover model of the European Union adapted for Peru by the Ministry of the Environment (MINAM); with the support of satellite images and the use of geographic information systems (GIS), the photo-interpretation of Landsat - SPOT images and the digital analysis of said images were allowed, as well as the use of statistics for certain spaces. This technique allowed us to build a land cover map at a scale of 1:100,000, whose phases were: preparation and review of images, analysis and interpretation of the information obtained, definition of use and coverage according to the Corine classification. As a result, we found an accelerated urban growth of the Mantaro Valley, especially in the last decade - 2005-2015; which, correlating with the dimensions of the dependent variable, we demonstrated the marked influence of this on the change in land use. Artificialized areas have been generated (discontinuous, dispersed and incipient urban fabric) in the different provinces, the most influential being Huancayo and then Chupaca, to the detriment of agricultural areas, forests and mostly natural areas, especially shrub/herbaceous vegetation. Likewise, Huancayo was the one that lost more wet areas and water surfaces, while Jauja was the one that lost more marshy areas. Therefore, there is no harmonious growth between nature and the city, especially considering the carbon footprint. Therefore, optimal planning of urban growth and adequate control of urban land use are recommended, with intangible reserve areas for such purposes, increasing the densification of urban land uses for vertical and compact growth (not dispersed or diffuse as it is today), especially preserving agricultural areas, natural areas, forests and wetlands. The decisions of the authorities on urban growth must take into consideration studies such as this one that lead to making correct decisions.