Rural Landscape Changes in the Piedmont Region (Italy). A Method for the Interpretation of Possible Effects of CAP

Enrico Gottero

doi:10.3390/su132313062

Abstract

As a result of various regulatory reforms, the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has gradually achieved value and environmental awareness. However, the most recent studies carried out in the fields of environmental assessment and spatial planning seem to indicate that agricultural policies have not been very effective in achieving landscape aims. Understanding how the CAP affects the landscape can help us to improve its effectiveness and foster a more efficient territorial and targeted approach. This paper aims to show a replicable method for evaluating rural landscape changes and understanding the possible role of CAP as one of the main driving forces. The analysis was conducted in the Piedmont Region (Italy) at the supra-local and local scales by observing land use changes and landscape changes. The main results show that the CAP seems quite effective in maintaining the territorial presence on rural landscapes and in preventing the spread of forests. However, it seems less effective in limiting urban and peri-urban sprawl. The research also shows that in areas with high CAP support, factors that produce negative effects on landscape have increased. In conclusion, the author shows a possible way for the CAP to achieve the landscape purposes.

Highlights

As a part of the natural and cultural environment, the rural landscape is crucial for the conservation of natural resources, and for its economic implications and global competitiveness of rural regions [1,2]
This paper presents a method and tools for evaluating the rural landscape changes and better understanding the possible role of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) as one of the main driving forces of these changes
2007–2013 represent the areas less involved by the CAP and the Rural Development Program (RDP) support

Summary

Introduction

As a part of the natural and cultural environment, the rural landscape is crucial for the conservation of natural resources, and for its economic implications and global competitiveness of rural regions [1,2]. Despite the environmental progress achieved and the most recent strengthening of the ecological dimension [3], the role of the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) in the protection and enhancement of the rural landscape could be improved. The most recent studies carried out in the field of agrienvironmental policy assessment seem to indicate that CAP has not been very effective in achieving environmental and landscape priorities [3,4,5,6,7,8,9]. The CAP consists of two pillars: the first one includes income support (direct payments) and market measures, while the second includes rural development measures (both national and regional). For the CAP 2023–2027, a new green architecture will be introduced that includes an “enhanced conditionality” and the “ecoscheme”, which are annual payments for agricultural practices (organic farming, agroecology, agro-forestry, high nature value farming, etc.), in order to reach the EU Green

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Conclusion