Catalonia’s Natural Environment and Administrative Organization

Posted on Nov 15, 2024 in Geography

Catalonia’s Biomes and Climates

Diverse Ecosystems and Climate Zones

Catalonia’s landscapes are classified into various biomes, each with unique ecosystems, climate, and vegetation:

  • Equatorial Climate (Humid Tropical Selva Biome): Warm temperatures, steady and high rainfall, low thermal oscillation.
  • Tropical Climate (Savanna Biome): Warm temperatures, constant but less intense rainfall, two distinct seasons (wet and dry), noticeable thermal oscillation.
  • Desert Climate (Desert Biome): High temperatures, significant thermal oscillation, scarce rainfall.
  • Atlantic Climate (Temperate Deciduous Forest Biome): Abundant and evenly distributed rainfall, mild temperatures, cold winters, and cool summers.
  • Mediterranean Climate (Mediterranean Biome): Scarce rainfall concentrated in spring and autumn, hot summers, potential droughts.
  • Continental Climate (Dry Grassland Biome): Irregular and abundant rainfall, warm summers, cold winters.
  • Polar Climate (Tundra Biome): Long, cold winters, little precipitation (mostly snow).
  • High Mountain Climate (High Mountain Biome): Cold temperatures, scarce rainfall.

Catalonia’s Specific Climates

  • Mediterranean Climate: Coastal and pre-coastal areas, mild temperatures, warm summers (25 degrees), rainfall concentrated in spring and autumn, drier winters and summers.
  • Continental Mediterranean Climate: Lleida and central depression, hotter summers and colder winters than coastal areas.
  • Oceanic Atlantic Climate: Val d’Aran and Pyrenees, abundant rainfall throughout the year.
  • High Mountain Climate: Pyrenees, cold temperatures, precipitation mainly as snow.

Environmental Protection and Transport

Protecting Catalonia’s Natural Heritage

Human activities exert pressure on Catalonia’s natural environment, necessitating protection and conservation efforts. Key objectives include protecting, conserving, and enhancing natural heritage.

Transportation Networks

Two types of communication networks exist: telecommunications and physical transport. Transport systems facilitate the movement of people and goods across land, sea, and air. Their functions include connecting urban and rural areas, balancing land use, linking producers and distributors with consumers, and channeling flows of people and goods between urban systems.

Administrative Organization

Levels of Governance

Spain’s administrative levels are: Municipal, Provincial, Autonomous Region, State (Spanish Government), and European Union (EU).

Catalonia’s administrative levels are: Borough, County, Comarca, Autonomous Region, State (Spanish Government), and EU.

Territorial Organization

  • Municipalities (Municipis): 8,073 municipalities of varying sizes.
  • City Councils (Ajuntaments): Responsible for security, public transport, environmental protection, employment services, and education.
  • Provinces (Provincies): Oversee traffic, education, and health services.
  • Autonomous Communities (Comunitats Autònomes): Decentralized entities responsible for culture, environment, education, and health.
  • Comarques: Local territorial entities formed by contiguous municipalities, with legal personality and governed by county councils.

Environmental Challenges and Risks

Pollution

Pollution affects Catalonia’s rivers, with the eastern slope experiencing more pollution than the western slope. Wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) treat wastewater and return it to the environment in optimal conditions for irrigation of fields, golf courses, industrial crops, and other activities.

Mediterranean Landscape Crisis

The Mediterranean ecosystem faces several challenges:

  • Erosion: Native vegetation formations recover slowly from erosion and prolonged drought.
  • Rural Depopulation: Concentration of population in urban areas, abandonment of crops, increased fire risk.
  • Mass Tourism: Increased urbanization, waste generation, and infrastructure development.
  • Coastal Urbanization: Extensive urbanization of coastal and sub-coastal areas.

Means of Transport

Physical elements used for transport include vehicles, boats, aircraft, roads, airports, and railroads.

Anthropic Risks

Risks associated with natural phenomena, often exacerbated by human activities, include forest fires and floods (due to mismanagement of dams and reservoirs). Prevention programs (INUNCAT, NEUCAT, INFOCAT, PLASEQTA, TRASCO, PENTA) address these risks.