Abstract
This paper is devoted to the analysis of the impact of changes in olive urban forests affected by Xylella fastidiosa on ecosystem services. The focus is on microclimate and thermal comfort evaluated by two indices: the temperature of equivalent perception (TEP) and the predicted mean vote (PMV), which take into account both microclimate parameters and personal factors (heat resistance of clothing and human activity). The work has been carried out through (i) a qualitative analysis of the potential ecosystem services changes caused by temporary transition from olive groves to uncultivated soil, (ii) a study of the potential change of land use from monumental olive groves to other types of use, and (iii) a quantitative analysis on microclimate impact due to the loss of ecosystem services in two selected neighborhoods located in the Apulia region and chosen due to their proximity to the urban context. The analysis revealed that (i) direct effects on ecosystem services are principally linked with regulation functions and cultural services, (ii) a critical loss of cultural value of monumental olive groves occurred in the two neighborhoods, (iii) such a loss may lead to an increase of TEP and PMV, indicating a decrease of thermal comfort in the whole neighborhoods. Thus, it is necessary to plan the replanting policies of the use of the areas affected by X. fastidiosa not only in terms of agricultural planning but also in terms of landscape, urban planning, and human well-being.
Highlights
The global trend towards urbanization is determining the importance of the green component of the system that includes roads, car parks, footpaths, and other utility buildings
The alterations in the main environmental matrices were selected from the which occurred in the main environmental matrices were literature and applied to likely scenario (from olive groves to selected from the literature and applied to likely scenario following the implementation of the regulation of the Apulia region of 5 February olive groves to uncultivated soil) following the implementation of the regulation of the Apulia
It should be noted that a regional law (5 February 2019) indicated the removal of infected trees within the infected areas [42], and, it is expected that the Province of Lecce will have a sudden change in the landscape pattern with direct effects on the ecosystem services linked principally with the regulation functions like CO2 and climate regulation (Table 1)
Summary
The global trend towards urbanization is determining the importance of the green component of the system that includes roads, car parks, footpaths, and other utility buildings. The social and environmental benefits of trees and woodlands are the result of an intricate array of processes that demonstrate the wide-ranging role that they play in the environment, economy, culture, and human well-being [1]. Several studies suggest that trees and green space positively affect people’s self-perceived health, determined by direct and indirect social and biological benefits such as increase of attention [2,3], reduction of stress [4], increase of life satisfaction [5] and positive emotions [6,7], lower mortality rates [8,9], and increase of physical activity [10].
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