The purpose of this book is to analyse and discuss a seriesof topics related with environmental conservation, land-useplanning and management and impact prevention as seen fromthe perspective of the Earth Sciences, but with an inte-grated, interdisciplinary approach.The contributions included in the book intend to give anoverview of existing problems and trends and to point outcertain lines along which work and/or actions will be par-ticularly needed in the near future. In short, they intendto show where we stand now with regard to those problems andin what direction we should move.Readers will find particularly useful the brief presentationof a variety of important environmental earth science top-ics, the description of the present state of the art and thesuggestions for methodological approaches to solve differentproblems, as well as the guidelines for action presentedthroughout the book.
