Districts In Italy Research Articles

An Analysis of the Distribution of Direct Cost of Diabetes Care in Selected Districts in Italy.

This study aims to define the distribution of direct healthcare costs for people with diabetes treated in two healthcare regions in Italy, based on number of comorbidities and treatment regimen. This was a retrospective analysis using data from two local health authority administrative databases (Campania and Umbria) in Italy for the years2014-2018. Data on hospital care, pharmaceutical and specialist outpatient and laboratory assistance were collected. All people with diabetes in 2014-2018 were identified on the basis of at least one prescription of hypoglycemic drugs (ATC A10), hospitalization with primary or secondary diagnosis of diabetes mellitus (ICD9CM 250.xx) or diabetes exemption code (code 013). Subjects were stratified into three groups according to their pharmaceutical prescriptions during the year: Type1/type2 diabetes (T1D/T2D) treated with multiple daily injections with insulin (MDI), type2 diabetes on basal insulin only (T2D-Basal) and type2 diabetes not on insulin therapy (T2D-Oral). We identified 304,779 people with diabetes during the period for which data was obtained. Analysis was undertaken on 288,097 subjects treated with glucose-lowering drugs (13% T1D/T2D-MDI, 13% T2D-Basal, 74% T2D-Oral). Average annual cost per patient for the year2018 across the total cohort was similar for people with T1D/T2D-MDI and people with T2D-Basal (respectively €2580 and €2254) and significantly lower for T2D-Oral (€1145). Cost of hospitalization was the main driver (47% for T1D/T2D-MDI, 45% for T2D-Basal, 45% for T2D-Oral) followed by drugs/devices (35%, 39%, 43%) and outpatient services (18%, 16%, 12%). Average costs increased considerably with increasing comorbidities: from €459 with diabetes only to €7464 for a patient with four comorbidities. Similar trends were found across all subgroups analysis. Annual cost of treatment for people with diabetes is similar for those treated with MDI or with basal insulin only, with hospitalization being the main cost driver. This indicates that both patient groups should benefit from having access to scanning continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) technology which is known to be associated with significantly reduced hospitalization for acute diabetes events, compared to self-monitored blood glucose (SMBG) testing.

Characteristics of the health districts in Italy and their implication in primary health care policies: an analysis of socio-demographic trends.

The Health District (HD) is a critical component of Italy's National Health Service, responsible for ensuring Primary Health Care (PHC) services in response to community health needs. The Italian government established a national strategic reform program, the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR), starting in 2022, with a series of health interventions to reorganize the PHC setting, the main reform being the Ministerial Decree 77/2022 (DM77). Our study aimed to provide a description of socio-demographic data and to assess the correlation between HDs, in order to suggest health intervention priorities in PHC reforms. We conducted our analysis using a cross-sectional record linkage of data from multiple sources to compare organizational and socio-demographic variables. A dataset was created with each of the 21 Italian Regions' HDs data of population, land area, mean age, ageing index, old-age dependency ratio, birth rate and death rate. The Inland Areas Project data was integrated for a socio-economic perspective. Our study identified comparable groups of HDs, considering demographical, socio-economic and geographical aspects. The study provides a baseline understanding of the Italian situation prior to the implementation of DM77. It also highlights that inhabitants number cannot be the only variable to take into account for the definition of Italian HDs organisation and PHC reform, providing intercorrelated variables that take into account geographic location, demographic data, and socio-economic aspects. By acknowledging the interplay of demographic, socio-economic, and geographic factors, policymakers can tailor interventions to address diverse community needs, ensuring a more effective and equitable PHC system.

Vertical seismic ground shaking in the volcanic areas of Italy: prediction equations and PSHA examples

This work introduces a new Ground Motion Model (GMM) to predict the horizontal and vertical components of PGA, PGV and acceleration response spectra up to 5s for the volcanic events in Italy. The model updates the GMM for the horizontal components, recently developed by Lanzano & Luzi [1], and shows relevant amplitudes in near-source and a frequency content richer in intermediate-to-low frequencies. The comparison with an event not used for the calibration and belonging to another volcanic district in Italy is promising for the extension of the model to other areas. Finally, we present a case study of a site, in the proximity of Mount Etna in eastern Sicily region, which allows us to evaluate the impact of these models in the framework of a Probabilistic Seismic Hazard Analysis (PSHA).

3D MODELS CITYGML-BASED COMBINED WITH TECHNICAL DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM FOR THE SETTING UP OF DIGITAL CONSERVATION PLANS OF HISTORIC DISTRICTS

Abstract. The setting up of recovery plans for historic districts requires a multi-level and multi-thematic process for their analysis and diagnosis to determine classes of priorities and interventions for buildings at the district scale of relevance. Traditional tools and protocols have already highlighted operative complexity and expensive activities, affecting the organicity and effectiveness in interpreting data. On the other hand, recent scientific and practical activities based on the use of parametric Digital Models and Informative Systems have highlighted their advantages in standardizing complex issues and knowledge. Recent work by the authors has defined the structured organization of technical knowledge for the creation of a digital recovery plan using Informative Parametric Models, based on descriptors, and primary and secondary factors. These aim at converting properties and information in qualitative and quantitative data, and then structuring dependencies on descriptors and primary factors, according to thematic taxonomies, existent ontologies for the geometric and semantic representation of urban and architectural entities, thematic normative and established approaches for the recovery of cultural and landscape heritage. Thus, the present work shows a workflow for the semi-automatic setting up of intervention classes for architectures in historic districts in Italy. It is structured on CityGML-based models, coherently implemented with a Technical Decision-Support System (T-DSS). Specifically, the T-DSS is determined considering the relations among thematic normative: UNI 11182, UNI/CEN TS 17385:2019, and Italian Consolidated Law on Building. The workflow is finally tested in the historic district of Ascoli Satriano, in the Apulia Region (South of Italy).

The incidence of vestibular neuritis in Italy.

This study aims to estimate the incidence of Vestibular neuritis (VN) in three different districts in Italy, its epidemiological features, and the prevalence of comorbidities associated with it. An observational prospective study of 198 patients referred to ENT departments in Siena, Grosseto, and Cuneo was carried out over a 2-year period. Each patient underwent a complete otoneurologic examination in the first 48 h from the onset of symptoms and a brain MRI in the early stages of the disease. The follow-up lasted for 1 year. The total VN incidence rate of the three municipalities was 48.497 (95% CI: 48.395-48.598) and its standardized value was 53.564 (95% CI: 53.463-53.666). The total VN incidence rate for the whole sample (municipality and district of the three centers) was 18.218 (95% CI: 18.164-18.272), and its standardized value was 20.185 (95% CI: 20.129-20.241). A significant difference was highlighted between patients living in the city compared to those living in the surrounding area (p < 0.000), this may be due to the ease of reaching the otoneurological referral center. The total incidence rate for the three municipalities was 48.497. This result is higher than previously reported studies.

Review: Italian Immigration in the American West, 1870–1940, by Kenneth Scambray

Book Review| May 01 2023 Review: Italian Immigration in the American West, 1870–1940, by Kenneth Scambray Kenneth Scambray. Italian Immigration in the American West, 1870–1940. Reno: University of Nevada Press, 2021. 368 pp. Illustrations. Paperback $45.00. William Issel William Issel WILLIAM ISSEL is professor of history emeritus at San Francisco State University. His recent publications include a chapter, “Deutsche Einwanderer in San Francisco,” in California Dreams: San Francisco—Ein Porträt (2019), and a thriller, Coit Tower (2022), that features an Italian American private investigator in World War II San Francisco. Issel is the winner of the Distinguished Scholarship Award from the American Catholic Historical Association for his book For Both Cross and Flag (2010), a study of a forgotten culture war in California between Italian American Catholics and Italian American Communists before and during World War II. From 1976 to 1979, while teaching in London, he traveled extensively in Italy and Sicily interviewing city planners, architects, and citizen activists for his lectures on the conservation and preservation of historic central city districts in Italy, France, the UK, and the USA. Search for other works by this author on: This Site PubMed Google Scholar California History (2023) 100 (2): 109–111. https://doi.org/10.1525/ch.2023.100.2.109 Views Icon Views Article contents Figures & tables Video Audio Supplementary Data Peer Review Share Icon Share Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Email Tools Icon Tools Get Permissions Cite Icon Cite Search Site Citation William Issel; Review: Italian Immigration in the American West, 1870–1940, by Kenneth Scambray. California History 1 May 2023; 100 (2): 109–111. doi: https://doi.org/10.1525/ch.2023.100.2.109 Download citation file: Ris (Zotero) Reference Manager EasyBib Bookends Mendeley Papers EndNote RefWorks BibTex toolbar search Search Dropdown Menu toolbar search search input Search input auto suggest filter your search All ContentCalifornia History Search When Humbert W. Ziroli entered the mess hall for dinner on his first day at the Naval Academy, several fourth-year midshipmen surrounded him and pushed him up against the wall. “You’re our first Italian. Let’s hear you sing.” The nineteen-year-old Ziroli walked to the nearest table, swept aside several place settings, climbed atop the table, and belted out the “E lucevan le stelle” (“And the stars were shining”) aria from Puccini’s Tosca. “Nobody at Annapolis ever bothered me about being Italian again.” Asked to explain his audacious response years later, the highly decorated retired admiral credited his bravery to his family and his Worcester, Massachusetts, Italian community institutions.1 In Italian Immigration in the American West, Kenneth Scambray assembles a rich collection of personal and family stories of Italians who found themselves caught up in the quotidian contests over access to power, privilege, and prestige that flourished in... You do not currently have access to this content.

CO2 diffusion in dry and hydrous leucititic melt

Abstract. Using the diffusion couple technique, diffusion of CO2 in a leucititic melt from the Colli Albani Volcanic District in Italy was investigated at temperatures between 1200 and 1350 ∘C in an internally heated pressure vessel at 300 MPa. To examine the effect of dissolved H2O in the melt, experiments were performed for a nominally dry melt (0.18 ± 0.03 wt % H2O) and for a hydrous melt containing 3.36 ± 0.28 wt % H2O. Diffusion experiments were run for 40 to 120 min and terminated by rapid quench. CO2 concentration profiles were subsequently measured via attenuated total reflection Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR) and fitted with error functions to obtain individual diffusion coefficients. For the anhydrous and hydrous sample series, seven diffusion coefficients were determined each. Diffusivity was found to increase exponentially with temperature for both melts following an Arrhenius behaviour. The Arrhenius equation for the nominally dry leucititic melt is described by log⁡DCO2=-1.44(±0.24)⋅10000T-1.95(±1.59), where DCO2 is the diffusion coefficient in m2 s−1 and T is the temperature in K. In the experimental temperature range, H2O has an accelerating effect on CO2 diffusion. At 1200 ∘C, diffusivity increases from 1.94 × 10−12 m2 s−1 in the dry melt to 1.54 × 10−11 m2 s−1 in the hydrous melt. The Arrhenius equation for the leucititic melt containing 3.36±0.28 wt % H2O is given by log⁡DCO2=-1.09(±0.30)⋅10000T-3.41(±1.99). The activation energies for CO2 were determined to be 275 ± 47 kJ mol−1 for the anhydrous melt and 209 ± 58 kJ mol−1 for the hydrous melt. The high CO2 activation energy in the leucititic melt indicates that the diffusion might be partly attributed to the carbonate species. At high magmatic temperatures above 1200 ∘C, CO2 diffusivity in the leucititic melt is only slightly lower than CO2 diffusion in rhyolitic and basaltic melts, suggesting that CO2 diffusion in natural melts is relatively independent from the bulk melt composition at such temperatures. CO2 diffuses slower than other volatile components such as halogens and H2O in depolymerized silicate melts. Thus, a fractionation of volatiles can occur during magma ascent and degassing. The experimental data on CO2 diffusion can be used for modelling the degassing mechanisms of ultrapotassic mafic melts.

The economic value of a climate service for water irrigation. A case study for Castiglione District, Emilia-Romagna, Italy

The use of climate services to support decision makers in incorporating climate change adaptation in their practices is well established and widely recognized. Their role is particularly relevant in a climate sensitive sector like agriculture where they can provide evidence for the adoption of transformative solutions from seasonal to multi-decadal time scales. Adaptation solutions are often expensive and irreversible in the short/medium run. Accordingly, end users should have a reliable reference to make decisions. Here, we propose and apply a methodology, co-developed with service developers and a representative potential user, to assess the value of the IRRICLIME climate service, whose information is used to support decisions on climate smart irrigation investment by water planners in a sub-irrigation district in Italy. We quantify the value of the information provided by the climate service, that we consider the intrinsic value of the service, or the value of adaptation. We demonstrate that under three different climate change scenarios, the maximum potential value of IRRICLIME could range between 2,985 €/ha and 7,480 €/ha.

Plant diversity and species composition of the abandoned mines of the Iglesiente mining district (Sardinia, Italy): A restoration perspective

The ‘metalliferous ring’ of Iglesiente was for centuries the most important mining district of Italy. After a marked decline in mining activities, alternative management strategies were proposed to face issues mainly related to unemployment and environmental pollution. We focused on the coastal section of the mining district, in order to evaluate the development of vegetation after disturbance and assess the conservation value of the study area. The floristic composition in terms of species richness, number of endemics, evenness, life form diversity, vegetation and cryptogamic covers were analysed for 96 vegetation samples. Three main plant assemblages with 227 vascular plant species and 18 endemics were described. The most influential variable in determining species composition was the herbivory, which negatively affects species richness, endemic species richness and life form diversity and, positively, the evenness. Other influential variables were elevation, positively associated with species and endemic species richness, and the degree of debris/rock flow, which negatively influences species richness and life form diversity. Soil grain size positively influences evenness and negatively life form diversity and vegetation cover. The number of years of mining inactivity was only positively influencing life form diversity. Each identified community, especially those characterised by perennial herbs and small shrubs, can provide surrogate habitats for many endemic plants, which can be in turn used for phytostabilization and remediation. Further indications for strategic management of these mining environments, where policy and long-term monitoring are necessary interrelated strategies, were provided.

EE239 Real-World Analysis and Economic Evaluation of the Freestyle Libre System in Selected Districts in Italy: The Reconnect Study

EE239 Real-World Analysis and Economic Evaluation of the Freestyle Libre System in Selected Districts in Italy: The Reconnect Study

Experimentation of Mitigation Strategies to Contrast the Urban Heat Island Effect: A Case Study of an Industrial District in Italy to Implement Environmental Codes

The European goals to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 40% by 2030 and reach carbon neutrality by 2050 cannot ignore the building sector, that accounts for 27% of global greenhouse gas emissions. In the context of the sustainable development goals, it is a key point to consider the reduction of the heat island effect in the urban environment. Considering this background and the proven absence of the clear promotion of urban mitigation measures, the research aims at investigating the influence on several micro-climate parameters of different retrofitting strategies at the building level (green façades) and the cooling strategies at the urban scale (e.g., cool pavements, trees). As a case study, the application of these measures in an industrial district located in Italy is evaluated. ENVI-met software was adopted to perform the outdoor environmental simulations, in order to assess the effectiveness of the mitigation strategies proposed, considering both the whole district and a portion, focusing on urban canyons. Cool pavements proved to be the most promising strategy to both reduce the air temperature and increase the relative humidity. Slighter effects on environmental conditions can be achieved by planting trees and installing green walls that, by contrast, significantly affect the mean radiant temperature and buildings’ surface temperatures, respectively.

Breast cancer screening adhesion among migrants: a matter of communication strategy?

Abstract Background Migrants’ engagement to cancer screening programs is a relevant issue for universalistic health systems. To increase breast cancer screening coverage among migrant women, a public-private partnership involving a multidisciplinary team of Primary Care, Public Health, Hospital and private social workers has been built up in a district in Italy. The team worked in two steps, planning health promotion (HP) meetings addressing women in refugees’ reception programs and a web-based workshop involving intercultural mediators (IMs) and community health promoters. Objectives The workshop, involving 10 professionals among IMs and community health promoters, realized in 3 online meetings during March ‘22, aimed at identifying communication tools to enable migrants’ participation to breast cancer screening and increasing health literacy (HL) and cultural competence (CC) among the team. A participatory approach, supported by learning methods, such as storytelling and role-play, has been adopted to identify the major barriers to access to screening and public health messages. Participants worked on critical words and concepts, highlighted during HP meetings, accounting for HL, literacy, language skills, communication techniques and different perspectives about health and prevention. Results Several barriers, such as lack of knowledge on preventive initiatives and different approaches to health, decrease the perception of cancer risk. Others, like family and work duties, influence the adhesion. Fear or shame about the exam and linguistic issues are further hampering factors. Participants pointed out text, audio and video messages, in Italian and native plain language, as useful tools to explain the screening procedure and give relevant and practical information supported by simple and clear illustrations to diffuse via WhatsApp. Conclusions The intervention enabled the team to improve HL and CC defining suitable communication strategies for cancer screening programs. Key messages

Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Application and Outcomes: Analysis in the "Lazio Network" Database.

BackgroundThe aim of this study was to investigate how the COVID-19 pandemic influenced ERAS program application in colorectal surgery across hospitals in the Lazio region (central district in Italy) participating in the “Lazio Network” project.MethodsA multi-institutional database was constructed. All patients included in this study underwent elective colorectal surgery for both malignant and benign disease between January 2019 and December 2020. Emergency procedures were excluded. The population was divided into 2 groups: a pre-COVID-19 group (PG) of patients operated on between February and December 2019 and a COVID-19 group (CG) of patients operated on between February and December 2020, during the first 2 waves of the pandemic in Italy.ResultsThe groups included 622 patients in the PG and 615 in the CG treated in 8 hospitals of the network. The mean number of items applied was higher in the PG (65.6% vs. 56.6%, p < 0.001) in terms of preoperative items (64.2% vs. 50.7%, p < 0.001), intraoperative items (65.0% vs. 53.3%, p < 0.001), and postoperative items (68.8% vs. 63.2%, p < 0.001). Postoperative recovery was faster in the PG, with a shorter time to first flatus, first stool, autonomous mobilization and discharge (6.82 days vs. 7.43 days, p = 0.021). Postoperative complications, mortality and reoperations were similar among the groups.ConclusionsThe COVID-19 pandemic had a negative impact on the application of ERAS in the centers of the “Lazio Network” study group, with a reduction in adherence to the ERAS protocol in terms of preoperative, intraoperative and postoperative items. In addition, in the CG, the patients had worse postoperative outcomes with respect to recovery and discharge. Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00268-022-06694-8.

The Real Effects of Judicial Enforcement

This article shows that judicial enforcement has substantial effects on firms’ decisions with regard to their employment policies. To establish causality, I exploit a reorganization of the court districts in Italy involving judicial district mergers as a shock to court productivity. I find that an improvement in enforcement, as measured by a reduction in average trial length, has a large, positive effect on firm employment. The cross-sectional heterogeneity of the results suggests that stronger enforcement reduces financing constraints, boosting employment as a result, especially in firms characterized by higher complementarity between labor and capital. Moreover, in the presence of stronger enforcement, firms can raise more debt to dampen the impact of negative shocks and, in this way, reduce employment fluctuations. Consistent with this result, worker-level evidence shows that strong enforcement reduces the likelihood of unemployment.

Tap water as a natural vehicle for microorganisms shaping the human gut microbiome.

Fresh potable water is an indispensable drink which humans consume daily in substantial amounts. Nonetheless, very little is known about the composition of the microbial community inhabiting drinking water or its impact on our gut microbiota. In the current study, an exhaustive shotgun metagenomics analysis of the tap water microbiome highlighted the occurrence of a highly genetic biodiversity of the microbial communities residing in fresh water and the existence of a conserved core tap water microbiota largely represented by novel microbial species, representing microbial dark matter. Furthermore, genome reconstruction of this microbial dark matter from water samples unveiled homologous sequences present in the faecal microbiome of humans from various geographical locations. Accordingly, investigation of the faecal microbiota content of a subject that daily consumed tap water for 3 years provides proof for horizontal transmission and colonization of water bacteria in the human gut.

Network analysis of comorbidity patterns in heart failure patients using administrative data

Background: Congestive Heart Failure (HF) is a widespread chronic disease characterized by a very high incidence in elder people. The high mortality and readmission rate of HF strongly depends on the complicated morbidity scenario often characterising it.&#x0D; Methods: Data were retrieved from the healthcare administrative datawarehouse of Lombardy, the most populated regional district in Italy. Network analysis techniques and community detection algorithms are applied to comorbidities registered in hospital discharge papers of HF patients, in 7 cohorts between 2006 and 2012.Results: The relevance network indexes applied to the 7 cohorts identified death, ipertension, arrythmia, renal and pulmonary diseases as the most relevant nodes related to HF, in terms of prevalence and closeness/strenght of the relationship. Moreover, 3 clusters of nodes have been identified in all the cohorts, i.e. those related to cancer, lung diseases and heart/circulation related problems.Conclusions: Network analysis can be a useful tool in epidemiologic framework when relational data are the objective of the investigation, since it allows to visualize and make inference on patterns of association among nodes (here HF comorbidities) by means of both qualitative indexes and clustering techniques.

Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the oncologic activities (diagnosis, treatment, clinical trials enrollment) of a general hospital in a district with high prevalence of SARS-COV-2 in Italy

PurposeLittle is known about the real impact of the COVID-19 outbreak on the qualitative and quantitative fall-out on the management of cancer patients. Our objective was to provide evidence of the effects of SARS-COV-2 on the management of cancer patients in the real world.MethodsIn a general hospital in a district in Italy with high prevalence of COVID-19 during the first wave, we retrospectively analyzed the data of oncologic activity, namely new cancer diagnosis, types of treatment (intravenous or by mouth), clinical research studies, and drug utilization, and compared the findings with those of 2019, before the pandemic. The data have been summarized in boxplot figures for median and interquartile range.ResultsIn 2020, a significant reduction in new cancer diagnosis was demonstrated when compared with 2019, with 17.4% fewer cancer diagnoses, 84.5% fewer patients enrolled in clinical trials, a 10.6% reduction in intravenous antitumor treatment, and a 42.7% increase in oral anticancer treatment.ConclusionOur data indicate a significant reduction in cancer diagnosis, antitumor venous treatment, and patients enrolled in clinical research studies in 2020 compared with 2019, although there was a significant increase in oral treatment. These data suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic had a deep impact on the real-world management of cancer patients in a district of Italy with a high prevalence of COVID-19.

AN EXPLORATION OF THE AGRO-TOWN IN THE ITALIAN COUNTRYSIDE AND RURAL DISTRICT

The primary sector has been completely reshaped by the assignation of specific functions to farmers over the last 25 years, since legislators noted the importance of quality food productions to the rural and agro-industrial sectors and formally established rural and agri-food districts as legal entities. Agro-towns and rural districts in Italy, despite their peculiarities, represent an element of continuity in the path of social and economic development of the Italian countryside, contrasting the risk of marginalisation in rural areas through a propulsive growth of social capital and human interactions. The main purpose of this research was to assess the development of rural districts in some Italian regions as a consequence of the diffusion of agro-towns. The method of investigation has been a theoretical approach aimed at assessing the diffusion of the rural districts from 2016 to 2019 and by a comparison among Italian regions using some maps. Drawing some final remarks, agro-towns represent a fundamental pillar for the growth of the rural district in Italy due to their specificities in terms of social capital and local development, which are able to give a special connotation to the surrounding rural territory in a process of economic growth. In conclusion, the model of the rural district represents a spearhead for the countryside, emphasising all the peculiarities of rural areas where the impact of agro-towns has been significant in the past. The main consequence has been a transition of agro-towns from being degraded structures, where the incidence of agricultural underemployment was high, to structures where, despite the diffusion of large estates, there is an advanced social and economic development able to create a cohesive space that works to contrast the marginalisation of the Italian countryside.

Density matters? Settlement expansion and land degradation in Peri-urban and rural districts of Italy

Being a relatively less known driver of land vulnerability to degradation in Southern Europe, the net impact of urban expansion on land quality depletion requires a comparative investigation in peri-urban and rural districts. An empirical approach based on the Environmentally Sensitive Area Index (ESAI) was illustrated here with the aim at assessing long-term changes in the level of land vulnerability during a time interval that reflects divergent socioeconomic dynamics in Italy, an affected country according with the United Nation Convention to Combat Desertification (UNCCD). The degree of land vulnerability increased in a spatially heterogeneous manner over the last 50 years thanks to the synergic impact of climate aridity and landscape transformations. At the same time, urbanization shaped the spatial distribution of vulnerable land at both regional and local scale. Urban-rural gradients were at the base of renewed spatial disparities in land vulnerability between Northern Italy (classified as a ‘non-vulnerable’ region in the National Action Plan to combat desertification) and Southern Italy (classified as a ‘highly vulnerable’ region). These dynamics reflect the expansion of peri-urban areas towards high-quality, productive soils less vulnerable to degradation. By documenting a complex pattern of soil depletion due to urbanization in Italy, the present study contributes to a wider knowledge of the intrinsic linkage between peri-urbanization, (un)sustainable development, and desertification risk in advanced economies.

Assessing the impact of multiple drivers of land sensitivity to desertification in a Mediterranean country

Experiencing climate changes and increased human pressure, Mediterranean regions are considered representative hotspots of desertification. However, relatively few studies have been devoted to quantify the individual impact of different factors shaping land sensitivity to desertification in these contexts. Our study contributes to this deserving (positive and normative) issue with a diachronic analysis of the impact of multiple drivers of desertification risk on six indicators of land sensitivity based on the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) approach. Indicators (average and maximum ESA score, coefficient of variation and normalized range in the ESA scores, share of ‘fragile’ and ‘critical’ areas in total landscape) were calculated in 777 rural districts of Italy at three time points (early-1960s, early-1990s, and early-2010s). Multivariate models were used to determine the impact of 12 predictors (climate, soil, vegetation, and land management quality) on each indicator of land sensitivity. Results of the analysis identified two non-redundant dimensions respectively associated with the average level of land sensitivity and its intrinsic variability across space. Impacts of climate and vegetation qualities on the level of land sensitivity were high, decreasing over time, and more intense respectively in Northern and Southern Italy. Impacts of soil and land management qualities were moderate, increasing over time, and involving almost all the country's area. Our study emphasizes the role of context-based measures promoting sustainable land management. The ‘local’ dimension proved to be crucial in any strategy of risk mitigation undertaken at disaggregated spatial scales.