Environmentally Sensitive to Desertification Areas Index (ESAI), in San Juan parish, Merida, Venezuela

The Environmentally Sensitive Area Index - ESAI is a diachronic multifactorial method conceived to identify areas potentially affected by desertification in such environments where this process is prone to occur. This method was chosen in order to evaluate the susceptibility to desertification in the San Juan Parish, Merida, defining thirteen factors which were parameterized by following the original criteria, and the final modelling was conducted in three steps: individual spatialization of each factor, sub-index estimate and finally, estimate of ESAI by means of map algebra. Results revealed that 88,60% of the Parish showed critical levels of susceptibility, whereas the disturbance on vegetation in environments having steeply dissected slope and shallow soils could easily activate processes conducing to desertification. Furthermore, research should monitor intensity of settlement processes in the Parish and the eventual stimulus to desertification.