Spatial Distribution and Classification of Objectified Capital in the Gerês

Raimundo Elías Gómez^1*Maria Gabriela Miño²Virgilio Borges Pereira¹Carlos Maria Jardón³

• ¹Institute of Sociology, Faculty of Arts, University of Porto, Porto, Portugal
• ²CONICET, Posadas, Argentina
• ³Department of Applied Ecnomics, Faculty of Economic and Business Sciences, University of Vigo, Vigo, Spain

Despite its ecological significance and UNESCO Biosphere Reserve status, the Gerês-Xurés Transboundary Biosphere Reserve (GX), spanning the border region between northern Portugal and southern Galicia (Spain), faces increasing socio-environmental pressures. However, existing research rarely addresses the interdependences between social and physical spaces in peripheral regions of protected natural areas. Drawing on Pierre Bourdieu's concept of social space, this study analyses the spatial distribution and classification of objectified capital footprints in the GX region. The analysis is based on the most recent available data on road networks, nocturnal luminosity, building density, and carbon monoxide emissions (2022-2024), including a longitudinal series for nocturnal radiance (2014)(2015)(2016)(2017)(2018)(2019)(2020)(2021)(2022)(2023)(2024). Through spatial mapping of these variables and integrating spatial quantitative methodologies with ethnographic fieldwork, the study identifies distinct spatial clusters characterised by varying degrees of connectivity, industrialisation, and urbanisation. The results underscore significant socio-environmental asymmetries and highlight the value of integrating sociological and spatial analyses to link air pollution emissions in physical space with competitive dynamics in social space. Although currently peripheral to major capital-intensive zones, the GX region is increasingly impacted by tourism-related pressures in some areas, emphasising the need to reinforce established policy responses.