Map of changes in landscape naturalness in the Fiastra and Salino catchment basins (central Italy)

Abstract

This work assessed the spatio-temporal variation of land use in the catchment basins of Fiastra and Salino (central Italy) and its effect on landscape naturalness over a 30-year period (1978–2008). The study area (centroid coordinates 43°7′29.44′′ N; 13°20′34.56′′E) was divided into ecologically homogeneous units (land units) in terms of substrate, bioclimatic belt, and aspect using a GIS-based hierarchical approach for landscape classification and mapping. Land units were characterized from a phytosociological viewpoint, and their naturalness evaluated using the Index of Landscape Conservation status. Comparison of current and past vegetation naturalness of land units was used to prepare the map of changes in landscape naturalness in the Fiastra and Salino catchment basins (central Italy) at a scale of 1:50,000. It was found that, while the change of naturalness in the whole study area was around zero, the pattern of distribution of this change was heterogeneous: naturalness increased in land units of high hilly and mountain belts, mostly because of the spread of woods, to the detriment of shrublands, pre-wooded communities, and grasslands, while the opposite trend was recorded in the alluvial plain and low hills, because of increasing urbanization and landscape homogenization caused by the transformation of grasslands, shrublands, pre-wooded communities, and tree-planted arable lands into arable lands. The hierarchical approach to landscape classification and mapping provided information that could have not been detected by mere calculation of indices. This kind of analysis offers a method for improved interpretation of landscape evolution, affording valuable input for predicting transformation of land use, and thus for formulating sound environmental policies and planning optimum ecosystem management strategies.

Keywords:

• landscape ecology
• transformation
• naturalness
• phytosociology
• geosynphytosociology
• Index of Landscape Conservation status
• naturalization
• anthropization

Acknowledgements

This research was supported by funds of ‘The Province of Macerata, Natural Resources and Biodiversity Service’, assigned to Prof. Catorci Andrea. The authors wish to thank: Daniele Sparvoli (Province of Macerata) for help and useful technical support; Sheila Beatty, for linguistic revision; and Dr. Renata Gatti, Paola Galli and Luigi Paradisi for field surveys.