Multicriteria Analysis of Territorial Resilience in Pinar del Río, Cuba

The province of Pinar del Río (Cuba) faces increasing processes of anthropization and environmental degradation that threaten its territorial resilience, yet it lacks integrated assessments linking anthropogenic pressures, ecosystem state, and exposure to threats. This study aimed to evaluate the dynamics of anthropization and ecosystem vulnerability in western Cuba through a multicriteria analysis of territorial resilience across the eleven municipalities of Pinar del Río. An assessment matrix was constructed with seven dimensions (soil, water, air, vegetation, protected areas, natural threats, and anthropogenic pressure). The Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) method was applied for criteria weighting, and vulnerability indices were calculated per municipality, complemented by correlation analysis, principal components, cluster analysis, and interdependence networks. The province reached an Ecosystem Vulnerability and Anthropogenic Pressure Index (IVE-PA) of 65.3/100 (medium-high category), with the municipalities of Pinar del Río (84.7) and Consolación del Sur (77.2) as critical cores. Anthropogenic pressure was strongly correlated with water degradation (r = 0.78) and air degradation (r = 0.56), while vegetation and protected areas acted as buffers against natural threats (r = −0.67). Viñales was the most resilient municipality (45.2). It is concluded that territorial resilience in Pinar del Río is compromised by the synergy between anthropogenic pressure and pollution, although vegetation conservation constitutes a critical buffering factor. Land use planning with priority water sanitation and specific soil conservation policies is required.