Abstract
Rome Province with its 4 million inhabitants is one of the Italians areas with the largest urban expansion, mainly concentrated around the capital city. The uncontrolled urbanization of the past has heavily marked the landscape, especially Rome countryside and coastline. However many zones have exceeded the anthropic pressurewithout serious consequence since the sensitivity towards environmental protection has grown in recent years. Rome Province Administration has devoted special attention to the improvement and protection of its naturalistic heritage by means of a series of administrative actions, cultural initiatives and projects for environmental education. In this perspective a three-year agreement was concluded with CNR LARA focused on the study of natural vegetation by means of MIVIS (Multispectral Infrared Visible Imaging Spectrometer) remotely sensed data. This study distinguished and mapped the most important natural forests, shrub and herbaceous formations, assessed the health conditions of the arboreal vegetation, identified the areas with little water supply, and measured some environmental parameters, like temperature and surface humidity. The results achieved highlight the large botanical and naturalistic assortment and the complexity of the study-area.
Highlights
The importance of mapping, quantifying and monitoring changes in the physical characteristics of forest cover has been widely recognized as a key element in the study of global change (Nemani and Running, 1996)
Rome Province Administration has long devoted its efforts to enhancing the value and protecting its historical naturalistic heritage and it has implemented some specific Land Management Plans for its Natural Reserves (Nature 2000 Project of the European Community)
Rome Province Administration started a triennial agreement with CNR-IIA/Laboratorio Aereo Ricerche Ambientali (LARA) to study the main vegetation covers by means of MIVIS (Multispectral Infrared Visible Imaging Spectrometer) airborne sensor
Summary
The importance of mapping, quantifying and monitoring changes in the physical characteristics of forest cover has been widely recognized as a key element in the study of global change (Nemani and Running, 1996). The rapid and cost-effective application of remote sensing to map vegetation is one of the important motivations for its utilization in land use planning to replace more time consuming and expensive field surveys In this context, an increasing number of agencies as well as private companies with large land holdings currently use vegetation maps derived from satellite and airborne data (Congalton et al, 1993). Rome Province Administration has long devoted its efforts to enhancing the value and protecting its historical naturalistic heritage and it has implemented some specific Land Management Plans for its Natural Reserves (Nature 2000 Project of the European Community) The purpose of these Management Plans is to represent a reference framework from which to undertake land management policy actions and stimulate bio-compatible activities in the respect and the safeguard of the environment. Rome Province Administration started a triennial agreement with CNR-IIA/LARA to study the main vegetation covers by means of MIVIS (Multispectral Infrared Visible Imaging Spectrometer) airborne sensor
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