Abstract

The dynamics of change in soil use, period 1994-2007, for a watershed in the region of La Araucania, Chile, was analyzed. The study area shows changes in soil use, intense land division and degradation of natural systems. The methodology included (1) cartographic analysis, confusion matrix and kappa index, and (2) analysis/quantification of changes using a change matrix. The results allowed us to identify spatially the soil covers subject to the greatest use pressure. "Crops and natural grassland" and "forestry plantations" were the categories identified as accounting for 79,5% of the total area undergoing soil use change in the study area, with a surface profit rate of forest use exotic species of 432 ha year-1 at the expense of soil for agricultural use. Our results reaffirm the need to analyze the evolution in soil use prior to the identification of the potential of soil resources to support new productive activities.