ECOLOGICAL FOOTPRINT CALCULATION IN A MUNICIPALITY OF VILLA CLARA PROVINCE

Abstract

This paper calculates the ecological footprint in a municipality of Villa Clara province in 2013 using a software that has programmed all the mathematical expressions of Ress and Wackernagel methodology. The territory ecological footprint and carrying capacity in 2013 were 0.6603 ha/cap/year and 1.4233 ha/cap/year respectively, which indicates that it has a surplus, revealing the path towards environmental sustainability. Predictions of sustainability were made in desired and undesired future scenarios until 2025. The unwanted scenario was considered the progressive deterioration of the region's environmental quality, motivated by an increase in energy and crop sub footprints, idle area and forest area reduction, leading to an increase in the ecological footprint and decrease in carrying capacity with a deficit in 2023 of -0.0207 ha/cap/year. In desired scenario, reductions of the energy sub footprint, of idle and constructive surfaces are considered, as well as the sub footprint of forests and seas increase as well of agricultural and forest surfaces, which guarantees ecological footprint gradual reductions and load capacity increases with surplus increases.