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