Abstract
In order to assess the dynamics of forests and the effectiveness of their management strategies, it is necessary to develop monitoring systems based on qualitative and quantitative tools for their conservation, valorization and restoration. This approach is particularly important for areas that have undergone intense anthropogenic transformations in the last century. In order to do this, it is first necessary to apply a chronological methodology based on historical GIS that allows the integration of different types of geodata. As a result of constantly evolving spatial analysis tools, the monitoring of landscape forest evolution is increasingly more effective and complete. Using as a case study a region representative of common processes of other Mediterranean areas (Southern Italy–Basilicata region), a diachronic analysis of 156 years was applied to evaluate the forest landscape dynamics. Starting from historical cartographies to remotely sensed data available online, a GIS-based approach was implemented to evaluate the spatial and statistical variations of the forest landscape. In this way, it was possible to assess how much, where and how the forest landscape has changed in order to provide a methodology to support more detailed and sectoral studies.
Highlights
IntroductionSeveral environmental objectives of paramount importance (including mitigation of greenhouse effect and climate change) need to be tackled by increasing the resilience of agroforestry systems, enhancing the rural landscape and improving ecological networks and landscape planning [1]
Several environmental objectives of paramount importance need to be tackled by increasing the resilience of agroforestry systems, enhancing the rural landscape and improving ecological networks and landscape planning [1]
Towards inland areas, where hilly and mountainous areas become more prevalent [6,7], the dynamics of transformation are related to changes in land use, a process that has always characterized territories and landscapes, but in recent decades is occurring at accelerating rates and leading to upsets in the ecosystem balance of habitats and soil biogeochemical cycles [8]
Summary
Several environmental objectives of paramount importance (including mitigation of greenhouse effect and climate change) need to be tackled by increasing the resilience of agroforestry systems, enhancing the rural landscape and improving ecological networks and landscape planning [1]. Towards inland areas, where hilly and mountainous areas become more prevalent [6,7], the dynamics of transformation are related to changes in land use, a process that has always characterized territories and landscapes, but in recent decades is occurring at accelerating rates and leading to upsets in the ecosystem balance of habitats and soil biogeochemical cycles [8] This is compromising the landscapes that are historically and culturally linked to traditional agricultural activities that have designed and shaped the territory, creating patterns of high ecological interest and resilience to climate change recognized worldwide (UNESCO) [9,10,11]
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