José Gómez Zotano´s works, under the direction of lecturers Yolanda Jiménez Olivencia and Elena Martín-Vivaldi Caballero, of the Department of Regional Geographical Analysis and Physical Geography of the UGR, habe systematized the information of an area characterized by the historical configuration of rich ecocultural landscapes fruit of a peculiar natural base and a very diverse antrophic use of the territory.
Sierra Bermeja area has a double functional nature since it is the lifeblood of several rural villages in its North facade, which maintains a traditional model of mountain occupancy typical of the Serranía de Ronda at the time as it rises as a backdrop of Western Costa del Sol.
However, territorial management models´ maintenance typical of this area poses difficulties. The traditional mountain exploitation system is in crisis. It has to confront problems like isolation, as a result of communication difficulties, limitations of its agricultural exploitations and, especially, an alarming demographic apathy.
According to UGR researchers, in numerous occasions, this valuable cultural space is in hands of foreign policies which plan changes in the mountain without the necessary agreement. The parameters used are, sometimes, purely economic and speculative within an increasing tourist and urban expansion and in the period of summer forest fires.
Exceptional natural richness
After the preparation of José Gómez Zotano´s thesis an unknown and amazing natural heritage. The geodiversity observed in the wide range of rocks that compose this mountain and its littoral, is the most important natural characteristic in this area; peridotites stand out, since they are very scarce in the rest of the Earth which is present in Sierra Bermeja. As is is near to the Strait of Gibraltar and passes from 1,500 metres high to the sea level Sierra Bermeja is areal wet island from a climatic point of view in a dry regional context. It all makes it very attractive to humans from prehistoric ages.
In addition, in this area and its coast, there are a lot of unique botanical species that which are not very common in the diverse physical world of the Mediterranean mountain. The methodology of José Gómez Zotanos thesis is innovative since he has tested in this enclave, for the first time and successfully, an assesment, characterization and evolution method in the Andalusian landscape.
Further information:
Prof. José Gómez Zotano.
Phone number: 958 24 30 83.
E-mail: miguelos@ugr.es
Prof. Yolanda Jiménez Olivencia.
Phone number: 958 24 36 39.
E-mail: yjimenez@ugr.es
– Prof. María Elena Martín-Vivaldi Caballero.
Phone number: 958 24 36 42.
E-mail: evivaldi@ugr.es
