VARIACIóN ESPACIO-TEMPORAL DE LA COBERTURA VEGETAL EN LA MICROCUENCA EL LLANITO, SANTANDER, COLOMBIA

a detailed analysis of the variations in vegetation coating and the mirror still water swamp el llanito in the area of the micro-basin el llanito located in the municipality of barrancabermeja (santander) is presented. a comparative study of vegetation and land use supported on traditional optical sensors and field verification was carried out between the 1960s and 1990s. based on igac (2000), methodology, eight types of vegetation coating, five types of uses of soil, and four types of water coating were identified. each type of coating was geo-referenced and transferred to 1:25000 scale thematic maps, and then organized into a geographic information system (gis). the following impact indicators were obtained: deforestation of 4635.26 natural forest hectares, , increase of 663.83 hectares of secondary forest, increase of 1639.09 hectares of improved pastures, and 318.05 hectares extension of the mirror still water swamp el llanito. the results indicate that the original ecosystem has been split due to processes of selective logging, colonization, and increased livestock holdings.