Abstract
T The paper addresses the long-lasting human presence on the island of Stromboli, an active volcano at the northern edge of the Aeolian archipelago, in the Southern Tyrrhenian sea, Italy. A conceptual model has been built to explore the phenomenon, it takes into account a series of aspects comparing Stromboli to other islands: their morphology, natural resources and geography along with the archaeological and historical data and, further, human attitude to volcanic environments, to risk and to insularity has been deeply explored. We propose a complex narrative where a combination of geological, socio-economic, historical, and psychological factors influenced people’s choices and that human presence is related more to the volcanic (and island) environment (and opportunities) than to volcanic activity.
Highlights
The question posed in the title of this paper is quite clear but, perhaps, could be formulated in an even more direct way: why would anyone choose to live on a 12 km2 island on the slopes of an active volcano? Researchers have long considered human presence in hazardous areas [Kates, 1971; Burton et al, 2005] and volcanoes, among dangerous environments, have always attracted people, because of the potentiality they offer, and due to the allure they exercise as all-providing, all-engulfing instruments of mighty power and as an object of awe
Andrea Di Renzoni et al a human dimension perspective has been adopted to explore the long history of the interrelation between people and Stromboli, the northernmost of the seven islands that form the Aeolian Archipelago, in the Southern Tyrrhenian Sea
We propose that the combination of geological, socio-economic, historical, and psychological factors influenced people’s choices and that volcanic environment, more than volcanic activity, is related to human presence
Summary
Researchers have long considered human presence in hazardous areas [Kates, 1971; Burton et al, 2005] and volcanoes, among dangerous environments, have always attracted people, because of the potentiality they offer, and due to the allure they exercise as all-providing, all-engulfing instruments of mighty power and as an object of awe This has led the volcanological community to focus on the human dimension of volcanic activity [Gaillard and Dibben, 2008] and treating risk perception [Slovic, 2000; Kahneman et al, 1982; Gaillard and Dibben, 2008] as a central issue. We propose that the combination of geological, socio-economic, historical, and psychological factors influenced people’s choices and that volcanic (and island) environment, more than volcanic activity, is related to human presence
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