This page has only limited features, please log in for full access.
Chagras are complex agroforestry systems developed by indigenous populations of the Amazon region based on shifting agriculture, as part of a system that includes harvesting of wild fruits and plants, hunting and fishing. During the centuries, thanks to their traditional knowledge, indigenous populations have developed a deep relationship with the surrounding environment, as, living in remote places, they must be self-sufficient. The result is the chagra, a system whose cycle is based on seven basic steps to establish a successful and sustainable system, starting from place selection and ending with the abandonment of the plot after harvesting of the products. After the abandonment, the forest starts to grow again to allow the agroecosystem to recover and to take advantage of the residual vegetal material to avoid erosion. The paper takes into consideration the Indigenous Reserve of Monochoa in Colombia as an example of how traditional knowledge can support a rich biodiversity conservation. Moreover, differently from other parts of the world where there is a growing contrast between indigenous communities and protected areas, in the Indigenous Reserve of Monochoa local communities have been recognized as the owners of the land. Results highlighted the crucial role of the indigenous communities for biodiversity conservation. The preservation and adaptation of traditional knowledge and practices, a decentralized autonomous governance system demonstrates that local communities not only can be part of ecosystems with unique biodiversity, but that they can represent the main actors for an active conservation of biodiversity. Agroforestry systems based on traditional forest-related knowledge can therefore be an effective alternative to biodiversity and ecosystem services conservation based on strict nature protection where humans are perceived as a negative factor.
Maria Alejandra Hernandez Marentes; Martina Venturi; Silvia Scaramuzzi; Marco Focacci; Antonio Santoro. Traditional forest-related knowledge and agrobiodiversity preservation: the case of the chagras in the Indigenous Reserve of Monochoa (Colombia). Biodiversity and Conservation 2021, 1 -16.
AMA StyleMaria Alejandra Hernandez Marentes, Martina Venturi, Silvia Scaramuzzi, Marco Focacci, Antonio Santoro. Traditional forest-related knowledge and agrobiodiversity preservation: the case of the chagras in the Indigenous Reserve of Monochoa (Colombia). Biodiversity and Conservation. 2021; ():1-16.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMaria Alejandra Hernandez Marentes; Martina Venturi; Silvia Scaramuzzi; Marco Focacci; Antonio Santoro. 2021. "Traditional forest-related knowledge and agrobiodiversity preservation: the case of the chagras in the Indigenous Reserve of Monochoa (Colombia)." Biodiversity and Conservation , no. : 1-16.
Traditional agro-silvo-pastoral systems are becoming each day more important, representing multifunctional systems that can contribute to the preservation of agrobiodiversity and of traditional knowledge and associated culture, to the wellbeing of local communities and to sustainable development of rural areas, as testified by the increasing interest regarding the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO). Despite many researches on traditional agro-silvo-pastoral systems tend to focus only on land uses and land use changes, is also important to analyse the different features that characterize cultural landscapes, as well as to produce detailed spatial maps, in order to preserve and valorise these systems as a whole. The paper intends to compare two traditional silvopastoral systems in two different continents and environments: sabana de morro (El Salvador) and pastures with carob trees (Italy), considered as good example of biocultural diversity. Both these sites are characterized by extensive cattle breeding in a hot climate under the shade of trees, whose fruits can also integrate the animal diet. The study analyzed the traditional landscape structure, with particular attention to the presence of linear elements, that act as property divisions and as ecological corridors, contributing to biodiversity at landscape scale. Sabana de Morro is characterized by a complex system of hedges that enhances the variety of species, while an extensive network of dry-stone walls divides the Sicilian pastures with carob trees. These two different types of linear elements created thanks to the local farmers’ knowledge are made of different materials but can play a similar ecological and social function, acting as a division between one pasture and another, as a delimitation of property boundaries, and are necessary to allow a correct pasture management. Despite the differences, these two traditional linear features deeply characterize the landscape structure and fragmentation, creating important microhabitat for many animal and vegetal species and a network of ecological corridors. For these reasons the conservation of linear features should be promoted at planning level, as well as their restoration. Thanks to the applied methodology, it was possible to identify peculiarities and vulnerabilities of linear features and of the systems as a whole, so that it will be possible to create effective management and conservation tools.
Martina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Federica Corrieri; Ever Alexis Martinez Aguilar; Antonio Santoro. The multifunctional role of linear features in traditional silvopastoral systems: the sabana de morro in Dolores (El Salvador) and the pastures with carob trees in Ragusa (Italy). Biodiversity and Conservation 2021, 1 -13.
AMA StyleMartina Venturi, Francesco Piras, Federica Corrieri, Ever Alexis Martinez Aguilar, Antonio Santoro. The multifunctional role of linear features in traditional silvopastoral systems: the sabana de morro in Dolores (El Salvador) and the pastures with carob trees in Ragusa (Italy). Biodiversity and Conservation. 2021; ():1-13.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMartina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Federica Corrieri; Ever Alexis Martinez Aguilar; Antonio Santoro. 2021. "The multifunctional role of linear features in traditional silvopastoral systems: the sabana de morro in Dolores (El Salvador) and the pastures with carob trees in Ragusa (Italy)." Biodiversity and Conservation , no. : 1-13.
The landscape is considered a strategic asset by the Tuscan regional government, also for its economic role, meaning that a specific Landscape Plan has been developed, dividing the region into 20 Landscape Units and representing the main planning instrument at the regional level. Following the aims of the Landscape Plan and the guidelines of the European Landscape Convention, it is necessary to develop an adequate assessment of the landscape, evaluating the main typologies and their characteristics. The aim of this research is to carry out an assessment of the landscape diversity in Tuscany based on 20 study areas, analyzing land uses and landscape mosaic structures through the application of landscape metrics: number of land uses, mean patch size (MPS), Hill’s diversity number, edge density (ED), patch density (PD), land use diversity (LUD). The results highlight a correlation between the landscape typologies (forest, agricultural, mixed, periurban) and the complexity of the landscape structure, especially in relation to MPS and PD, while the combination of PD and LUD calculated on the basis of a hexagonal grid allows obtaining landscape complexity maps. Despite the phenomena of reforestation and urban sprawl of recent decades, Tuscany still preserves different landscape typologies characterized by a good level of complexity. This is particularly evident in mixed landscapes, while agricultural landscapes have a larger variability because of different historical land organization forms. The methodology applied in this study provided a large amount of data about land uses and the landscape mosaic structure and complexity and proved to be effective in assessing the landscape structure and in creating a database that can represent a baseline for future monitoring.
Martina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Federica Corrieri; Beatrice Fiore; Antonio Santoro; Mauro Agnoletti. Assessment of Tuscany Landscape Structure According to the Regional Landscape Plan Partition. Sustainability 2021, 13, 5424 .
AMA StyleMartina Venturi, Francesco Piras, Federica Corrieri, Beatrice Fiore, Antonio Santoro, Mauro Agnoletti. Assessment of Tuscany Landscape Structure According to the Regional Landscape Plan Partition. Sustainability. 2021; 13 (10):5424.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMartina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Federica Corrieri; Beatrice Fiore; Antonio Santoro; Mauro Agnoletti. 2021. "Assessment of Tuscany Landscape Structure According to the Regional Landscape Plan Partition." Sustainability 13, no. 10: 5424.
Despite the definition of social and cultural values as the third pillar of Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in 2003 and the guidelines for their implementation in SFM in 2007 issued by the Ministerial Conference on the Protection of Forest in Europe (MCPFE), the importance of cultural values is not sufficiently transferred into forest planning and conservation. Tuscany is widely known for the quality of its cultural landscape, however, the abandonment of agro-pastoral surfaces as a consequence of rural areas depopulation, has led to widespread reforestation and to the abandonment of forest management. In addition, due to the interruption of a regular forest management and to the fact that most of the population lives in cities, forests are no more perceived as part of the cultural heritage, but mainly as a natural landscape. Due to this trend traditional forest management techniques, such as coppicing, have also been considered as a factor of degradation and not even a historical management form. The aim of the study is therefore to analyze forest surface changes in Tuscany in the last century to assess the importance of cultural values. Results highlighted that already in 1881 most of forests were regularly managed and that in 1936 more than 76% of broadleaved forests were managed as coppice. Between 1936 and 2016 forests increased their surface from 876,518 to 1,161,383 hectares due to the abandonment of the countryside, and 30% of the forests currently included in protected areas are the result of secondary successions. The findings of this study suggest the revision of national forest policies and, more in general, the adaptation of forest strategies to local conditions.
Francesco Piras; Martina Venturi; Federica Corrieri; Antonio Santoro; Mauro Agnoletti. Forest Surface Changes and Cultural Values: The Forests of Tuscany (Italy) in the Last Century. Forests 2021, 12, 531 .
AMA StyleFrancesco Piras, Martina Venturi, Federica Corrieri, Antonio Santoro, Mauro Agnoletti. Forest Surface Changes and Cultural Values: The Forests of Tuscany (Italy) in the Last Century. Forests. 2021; 12 (5):531.
Chicago/Turabian StyleFrancesco Piras; Martina Venturi; Federica Corrieri; Antonio Santoro; Mauro Agnoletti. 2021. "Forest Surface Changes and Cultural Values: The Forests of Tuscany (Italy) in the Last Century." Forests 12, no. 5: 531.
Cinque Terre, one of the most important Italian cultural landscapes, has not been spared from depopulation and agricultural abandonment processes, that involved many rural areas in Europe, as a consequence of socio-economic transformations that occurred after WWII. Depopulation of rural areas, especially in mountains or in terraced areas, caused significant environmental consequences, such as the decrease of biodiversity, the landscape homogenization, the increase of hydrogeological and forest fires risks. Cinque Terre National Park (5TNP) was established in 1999, and, differently from other Italian National Parks, not just for protecting natural habitats, but mainly to preserve, restore and valorize the historical terraced landscape. Moreover, the area is a UNESCO cultural landscape site and it is partly protected by three Sites of Community Importance. The research intended to investigate the transformations that have affected forested areas inside the 5TNP in the period 1936–2018, also highlighting the connections with hydrogeological and forest fires risks, as a support for the Park planning strategies and the conservation of the UNESCO site. Results highlighted that 37% of the current forests are the consequence of dry stones terraces abandonment that occurred in the twentieth century, with negative effects on the stability of steep slopes, hydrogeological risk, forest fires and on the conservation of a unique cultural landscape. This confirms the current national trend showing no deforestation occurring, but rather a continuous increase of forests on abandoned land. While 5TNP policies and actions are effectively aimed at pursuing an equilibrium between cultivated areas and forests, the Sites of Community Importance located inside the Park mainly focuses on the conservation of “natural habitats”, even if the current vegetation is also the result of secondary successions on former cultivated land. The research highlighted the need to valorize “cultural values” in forest planning as well as the importance of forest history for an accurate planning of forest resources in protected areas.
Antonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Beatrice Fiore; Federica Corrieri; Mauro Agnoletti. Forest Area Changes in Cinque Terre National Park in the Last 80 Years. Consequences on Landslides and Forest Fire Risks. Land 2021, 10, 293 .
AMA StyleAntonio Santoro, Martina Venturi, Francesco Piras, Beatrice Fiore, Federica Corrieri, Mauro Agnoletti. Forest Area Changes in Cinque Terre National Park in the Last 80 Years. Consequences on Landslides and Forest Fire Risks. Land. 2021; 10 (3):293.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Beatrice Fiore; Federica Corrieri; Mauro Agnoletti. 2021. "Forest Area Changes in Cinque Terre National Park in the Last 80 Years. Consequences on Landslides and Forest Fire Risks." Land 10, no. 3: 293.
Europe retains a great variety of cultural landscapes that constitute a significant part of the European cultural heritage. In the last decades, these high-quality landscapes are facing several challenges due to socio-economic transformations that often compromise their integrity. This situation is even worse for terraced landscapes, as in the case of the Porto Venere and Cinque Terre UNESCO World Heritage List site. The Management Plan developed for this area needs to deal with different issues: abandonment of terraced cultivations and growth of secondary forests, hydrogeological risk and high touristic pressure. Public participation is increasingly important in the process of decision-making, for incorporating the ideas and the needs of the local communities, helping to find effective solutions for the valorization of historic landscapes and for improving the quality of life. This research has investigated the perception of the local community regarding the current landscape dynamics and other critical issues studying the opinions of two social groups: farmers and residents. The purpose was to identify the best management strategies for the Management Plan and to actively involve the population in the decisions. The involvement of the local community turned out to be a very effective tool for the development of the Management Plan, suggesting a focus on the conservation of dry-stone terraces and the reduction of reforestation processes, as the strongest perceived threat is the abandonment of cultivated terraces and the resulting risk of landslides. The methodology applied in this study can be reproduced in other cultural landscapes characterized by high quality, complexity and fragility, while an active involvement of the population turned out to be important also for increasing the feeling that institutions take care of its issues.
Antonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Mauro Agnoletti. Landscape Perception and Public Participation for the Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Landscapes: The Case of the Cinque Terre and Porto Venere UNESCO Site. Land 2021, 10, 93 .
AMA StyleAntonio Santoro, Martina Venturi, Mauro Agnoletti. Landscape Perception and Public Participation for the Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Landscapes: The Case of the Cinque Terre and Porto Venere UNESCO Site. Land. 2021; 10 (2):93.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Mauro Agnoletti. 2021. "Landscape Perception and Public Participation for the Conservation and Valorization of Cultural Landscapes: The Case of the Cinque Terre and Porto Venere UNESCO Site." Land 10, no. 2: 93.
Traditional agroforestry systems have received increasing attention in recent decades for their multifunctional role and as a sustainable development model for rural areas. At the international level, the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) launched the Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme in 2002 with the aim of identifying agricultural systems of global importance; preserving landscapes, agrobiodiversity and traditional knowledge; applying the dynamic conservation principles while promoting sustainable development. The aim of the research is to carry out a review of the inscription dossiers of all the 59 sites already included in the GIAHS programme, in order to analyze the role of forests and agroforestry systems. Moreover, the main traditional management techniques have been identified and briefly described, as traditional forest-related knowledge is particularly important for sustainable forest management. Forests and agroforestry systems have been found to be important or crucial in about half of the sites. The main role assigned to forests and agroforestry systems in GIAHS proposals is related to the production of timber, fuelwood and by-products for the local communities according to sustainable and traditional management techniques. Among these, they also play important roles in hydrogeological protection, water regulation and biodiversity maintenance, representing examples both of human adaptation to different environments and of resilient systems that could help to face global challenges such as hydrogeological risk and climate change. The review of the GIAHS inscription dossiers also highlighted the lack of a uniform approach in dealing with forest issues, especially for what concern the description of management plans and the relation with protected areas or forest planning instruments.
Antonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Remo Bertani; Mauro Agnoletti. A Review of the Role of Forests and Agroforestry Systems in the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme. Forests 2020, 11, 860 .
AMA StyleAntonio Santoro, Martina Venturi, Remo Bertani, Mauro Agnoletti. A Review of the Role of Forests and Agroforestry Systems in the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme. Forests. 2020; 11 (8):860.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Remo Bertani; Mauro Agnoletti. 2020. "A Review of the Role of Forests and Agroforestry Systems in the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) Programme." Forests 11, no. 8: 860.
Traditional agroforestry systems are recognized as having great importance for providing multiple benefits for local communities all over the world, especially in tropical countries. Thanks to their multifunctional role, they can support small farmers, contribute to hydrogeological risk reduction, water regulation, preservation of soil, agrobiodiversity and landscape, as well as being examples of mitigation and adaptation towards climate change. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aims to identify agricultural systems of global importance, preserving landscape, agrobiodiversity and traditional knowledge, through dynamic conservation principles. The Sabana de Morro is a traditional agroforestry system located in El Salvador based on cattle grazing in pastures with the presence of Crescentia alata and Crescentia cujete trees, locally called Morro or Jícaro. We documented the main characteristics of this system, that has never been deeply studied, in the Municipality of Dolores, in accordance with the five GIAHS criteria, and through detailed land use mapping, to assess the relations between landscape structure, agrobiodiversity and traditional silvopastoral practices. Sabana de Morro proved to be based on strong interactions between trees, cattle and farmers. The pulp of the Morro fruits is eaten by grazing cattle, completing their feeding and giving a peculiar taste to the locally produced cheese. Morro trees provide shade for the animals while cattle contribute by spreading their seeds that also take advantage of the manure. Results show that this agroforestry system contributes to the preservation of a rich agrobiodiversity and of the traditional landscape. At the same time, it supports local farmers’ livelihood and is consistent with the aim of the GIAHS programme, even if further surveys and research are needed to assess the real possibility of the inclusion in this FAO programme.
Antonio Santoro; Ever Alexis Martinez Aguilar; Martina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Federica Corrieri; Juan Rosa Quintanilla; Mauro Agnoletti. The Agroforestry Heritage System of Sabana De Morro in El Salvador. Forests 2020, 11, 747 .
AMA StyleAntonio Santoro, Ever Alexis Martinez Aguilar, Martina Venturi, Francesco Piras, Federica Corrieri, Juan Rosa Quintanilla, Mauro Agnoletti. The Agroforestry Heritage System of Sabana De Morro in El Salvador. Forests. 2020; 11 (7):747.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Santoro; Ever Alexis Martinez Aguilar; Martina Venturi; Francesco Piras; Federica Corrieri; Juan Rosa Quintanilla; Mauro Agnoletti. 2020. "The Agroforestry Heritage System of Sabana De Morro in El Salvador." Forests 11, no. 7: 747.
Traditional agricultural systems are receiving increasing attention at the international level due to their multifunctional role. The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) programme of the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) aims to identify agricultural systems of global importance, preserve landscape, agrobiodiversity and traditional knowledge and apply the principles of dynamic conservation to promote sustainable development. Biodiversity associated to traditional agricultural practices is particularly important, especially in difficult environments, like traditional oases, for ensuring food and nutrition to local communities. We documented landscape and biological diversity associated with traditional agricultural practices in three traditional oases in Tunisia, through a landscape analysis based on land-use survey, and an assessment of cultivated species. Results show that the landscape structure is dominated by agricultural land uses and characterized by a high level of diversification. Agrobiodiversity is high: we identified 20 varieties of date palm, 21 species of fruit trees, 21 vegetable species and two fodder crops. Results highlighted that traditional oases, as other agroforestry and agricultural heritage systems, continue to play a crucial role in maintaining genetic resources and agrobiodiversity. Farmers who, all over the world, still cultivate applying traditional practices are the main actors that practice a real conservation of genetic resources and diversity by maintaining traditional cultivars and a diversified landscape structure. Our methodology, based on the combined assessment of land uses and agrobiodiversity, can be replicated in other agricultural heritage systems to evaluate and measure possible transformations and identify the best strategies for their preservation.
Antonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Sihem Ben Maachia; Fadwa Benyahia; Federica Corrieri; Francesco Piras; Mauro Agnoletti. Agroforestry Heritage Systems as Agrobiodiversity Hotspots. The Case of the Mountain Oases of Tunisia. Sustainability 2020, 12, 4054 .
AMA StyleAntonio Santoro, Martina Venturi, Sihem Ben Maachia, Fadwa Benyahia, Federica Corrieri, Francesco Piras, Mauro Agnoletti. Agroforestry Heritage Systems as Agrobiodiversity Hotspots. The Case of the Mountain Oases of Tunisia. Sustainability. 2020; 12 (10):4054.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Sihem Ben Maachia; Fadwa Benyahia; Federica Corrieri; Francesco Piras; Mauro Agnoletti. 2020. "Agroforestry Heritage Systems as Agrobiodiversity Hotspots. The Case of the Mountain Oases of Tunisia." Sustainability 12, no. 10: 4054.
The Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) program, promoted by the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), recognizes the multifunctional role of agricultural heritage systems. Traditional terraced landscapes represent important touristic destinations, and Chianti is one of the most well-known areas of Italy for rural tourism. The high-quality landscape of Lamole, consisting of forests and terraced agricultural areas, is included in the Italian National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes thanks to local farmers who recently restored the traditional landscape, considering it important both for tourism and product quality. The main aim of this research was to investigate, using anonymous questionnaires, whether tourists are aware of the characteristics of the Lamole landscape in comparison with other parts of Chianti. Results show that tourists clearly express their preference for the traditional landscape, which is comprised of a mosaic of agricultural patches with dry-stone terraces and forests, and that the level of landscape diversification is similar to 180 years ago. As tourism is a major resource, public institutions should support farmers in preserving the traditional landscape, investing in paths and information, as requested by tourists. The methodology has proved to be useful for addressing local planning, and to help farmers to achieve sustainable development in well-known touristic rural areas.
Antonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Mauro Agnoletti. Agricultural Heritage Systems and Landscape Perception among Tourists. The Case of Lamole, Chianti (Italy). Sustainability 2020, 12, 3509 .
AMA StyleAntonio Santoro, Martina Venturi, Mauro Agnoletti. Agricultural Heritage Systems and Landscape Perception among Tourists. The Case of Lamole, Chianti (Italy). Sustainability. 2020; 12 (9):3509.
Chicago/Turabian StyleAntonio Santoro; Martina Venturi; Mauro Agnoletti. 2020. "Agricultural Heritage Systems and Landscape Perception among Tourists. The Case of Lamole, Chianti (Italy)." Sustainability 12, no. 9: 3509.
The importance of rural landscapes is recognized at both the international and national level. The Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) has established a program called Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) and agricultural landscapes are also listed in the UNESCO World Heritage List. The World Bank and the Convention on Biological Diversity also have departments working on this topic, while landscape has been included in the Common Agricultural Policy of the European Union 2020–2027. One of the most important tools for landscape management, conservation and valorization is the development of a monitoring system, suited to control not only dynamics, but also the effectiveness of the policies affecting rural landscape. A research project of the Italian Ministry of Agricultural, Food and Forestry Policies has identified 123 areas scattered in the entire Italian territory, with an average size of 1300 ha, in order to establish a national monitoring system for traditional rural landscapes. As a result of this national survey, the Ministry decided to establish the National Register of Historical Rural Landscapes, that is also the Italian list for potential application to GIAHS. These landscapes are characterized by a long history, presence of traditional practices, typical foods, complex landscape mosaics and high biocultural diversity. Detailed land use maps have been produced for each area, and among other data, the average number of land use types (19.6 ha) and the average patch size (2.7 ha) detected, confirm the fine grain of these landscapes characterized by high complexity and diversity of the landscape structure. A second survey was carried out five years later, in order to create a national monitoring system based on fixed study areas. The paper shows that in the last five years no major changes occurred, and even in the 33 areas where transformations are considered significant (i.e., >5% of the surface of the area), the characteristic features of the historical landscape are still well preserved. This confirms the resilience of these systems despite climatic and socioeconomic pressures.
Mauro Agnoletti; Francesca Emanueli; Federica Corrieri; Martina Venturi; Antonio Santoro. Monitoring Traditional Rural Landscapes. The Case of Italy. Sustainability 2019, 11, 6107 .
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Francesca Emanueli, Federica Corrieri, Martina Venturi, Antonio Santoro. Monitoring Traditional Rural Landscapes. The Case of Italy. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (21):6107.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Francesca Emanueli; Federica Corrieri; Martina Venturi; Antonio Santoro. 2019. "Monitoring Traditional Rural Landscapes. The Case of Italy." Sustainability 11, no. 21: 6107.
During 25 October 2011, an extremely intense rainfall event occurred in Eastern Liguria and Northern Tuscany. Severe damages were registered in the Monterosso and Vernazza basins, located in the famous area of Cinque Terre, which have been affected by hundreds of landslides, mud flows, and erosions. The main feature of the Cinque Terre landscape is the presence of terraced cultivations on steep slopes facing the sea. The area represents a remarkable cultural landscape, is a National Park, and is included in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. This work aims to analyze the effect of abandoned terraced land on hydrogeological risks and in landslide prevention, by comparing what happened in Cinque Terre to other experiences presented in scientific literature. The cessation of maintenance of dry stone terraces due to the crisis of traditional agriculture was identified as the main cause of failure during the heavy rainfall event. However, we found some contrasting and, in some cases, unexpected results in the literature regarding the effects of the vegetation that develops on abandoned terraces. This paper compares different results in order to better understand what the future of terraced landscapes is and which are the best management strategies for such complex and fragile territories. In particular, where they represent a cultural heritage and a resource for the rural economy.
Mauro Agnoletti; Alessandro Errico; Antonio Santoro; Andrea Dani; Federico Preti. Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events. Sustainability 2019, 11, 235 .
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Alessandro Errico, Antonio Santoro, Andrea Dani, Federico Preti. Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events. Sustainability. 2019; 11 (1):235.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Alessandro Errico; Antonio Santoro; Andrea Dani; Federico Preti. 2019. "Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events." Sustainability 11, no. 1: 235.
The article analyzes the relationships between landscape planning and forests in Italy with a specific focus on Tuscany. For the Tuscan region landscape represents a fundamental value from the cultural, economic, environmental and social point of view. This is why it was the first region of Italy to develop a landscape plan in 2014, according to the National Code for Cultural Heritage, setting up a Landscape Observatory to monitor the application of the plan in 2016. The plan is the main instrument providing a vision for the development model of the region and guidelines for the planning of rural areas also affecting forest management. The construction of the plan has caused an intense debate, due to the strict limitations imposed to soil consumption, to agricultural and forest activities. Forests cover more than the half of the regional surface, but 30% of them is the result of the abandonment of farmed land occurred in the last decades, while 50% of the forests are currently managed. The article examines how the values connected to the forests have been identified an assessed in the plan, the strict limitations for their protection but also the decision to allow the restoration of farmed land to maintain a balance between farmed and forest land in the landscape. Landscape and forest is the topic of the chapter about Italy in the FAO SOFO 2018.
Mauro Agnoletti; Antonio Santoro. Rural Landscape Planning and Forest Management in Tuscany (Italy). Forests 2018, 9, 473 .
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Antonio Santoro. Rural Landscape Planning and Forest Management in Tuscany (Italy). Forests. 2018; 9 (8):473.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Antonio Santoro. 2018. "Rural Landscape Planning and Forest Management in Tuscany (Italy)." Forests 9, no. 8: 473.
Research gaps in understanding flood changes at the catchment scale caused by changes in forest management, agricultural practices, artificial drainage, and terracing are identified. Potential strategies in addressing these gaps are proposed, such as complex systems approaches to link processes across time scales, long‐term experiments on physical‐chemical‐biological process interactions, and a focus on connectivity and patterns across spatial scales. It is suggested that these strategies will stimulate new research that coherently addresses the issues across hydrology, soil and agricultural sciences, forest engineering, forest ecology, and geomorphology.
M. Rogger; M. Agnoletti; A. Alaoui; J. C. Bathurst; G. Bodner; M. Borga; Vincent Chaplot; F. Gallart; G. Glatzel; J. Hall; J. Holden; L. Holko; R. Horn; A. Kiss; S. Kohnová; Georg Leitinger; B. Lennartz; Juraj Parajka; R. Perdigão; S. Peth; L. Plavcová; John Quinton; M. Robinson; J. L. Salinas; Antonio Santoro; J. Szolgay; S. Tron; J. J. H. Van Den Akker; A. Viglione; G. Blöschl. Land use change impacts on floods at the catchment scale: Challenges and opportunities for future research. Water Resources Research 2017, 53, 5209 -5219.
AMA StyleM. Rogger, M. Agnoletti, A. Alaoui, J. C. Bathurst, G. Bodner, M. Borga, Vincent Chaplot, F. Gallart, G. Glatzel, J. Hall, J. Holden, L. Holko, R. Horn, A. Kiss, S. Kohnová, Georg Leitinger, B. Lennartz, Juraj Parajka, R. Perdigão, S. Peth, L. Plavcová, John Quinton, M. Robinson, J. L. Salinas, Antonio Santoro, J. Szolgay, S. Tron, J. J. H. Van Den Akker, A. Viglione, G. Blöschl. Land use change impacts on floods at the catchment scale: Challenges and opportunities for future research. Water Resources Research. 2017; 53 (7):5209-5219.
Chicago/Turabian StyleM. Rogger; M. Agnoletti; A. Alaoui; J. C. Bathurst; G. Bodner; M. Borga; Vincent Chaplot; F. Gallart; G. Glatzel; J. Hall; J. Holden; L. Holko; R. Horn; A. Kiss; S. Kohnová; Georg Leitinger; B. Lennartz; Juraj Parajka; R. Perdigão; S. Peth; L. Plavcová; John Quinton; M. Robinson; J. L. Salinas; Antonio Santoro; J. Szolgay; S. Tron; J. J. H. Van Den Akker; A. Viglione; G. Blöschl. 2017. "Land use change impacts on floods at the catchment scale: Challenges and opportunities for future research." Water Resources Research 53, no. 7: 5209-5219.
Wooded grasslands have always played an important role in rural life with changing issues: They are of high importance for questions of biodiversity, soil, and water resources and in preserving agricultural heritage, but their maintenance is labor intensive. Abandoned wooded grasslands undergo succession, and food production alone does not support their survival. They require special attention and at the beginning a well-established subsidy system can help to contribute to their survival. Their sustainable use in the present-day landscapes can only be conceivable in complexity where food production, reintroduction of their cultural values, biodiversity and landscape protection, and ecotourism are playing an important role. This chapter gives an overview on the recent situation of wooded grasslands and their historical development, based on the work done by the Institute for Research on European Agricultural Landscapes (www.eucalandnetwork.eu). National pictures, definitions, history (including local names), threats, potentials, cultural values, spatial distributions, subtypes, and available databases have been collected, described, and analyzed. The main results of this survey are as follows: (1) Wooded grasslands are known to the public but mainly to local communities where they occur; (2) Many subtypes of wooded grasslands exist in various European countries; (3) Wooded grasslands underwent tremendous changes during the past centuries and lost their importance for various reasons; (4) There are many local and regional projects focusing on wooded grasslands, often as “lighthouse” projects to valorise cultural achievements.
Csaba Centeri; Hans Renes; Michael Roth; Alexandra Kruse; Sebastian Eiter; Jutta Kapfer; Antonio Santoro; Mauro Agnoletti; Francesca Emanueli; Maurizia Sigura; Martina Slámová; Marta Dobrovodská; Dagmar Štefunková; Zdeněk Kučera; Dénes Saláta; Anna Varga; Salvador Villacreces; Johannes Dreer. Wooded Grasslands as Part of the European Agricultural Heritage. Environmental History in the Making 2016, 75 -103.
AMA StyleCsaba Centeri, Hans Renes, Michael Roth, Alexandra Kruse, Sebastian Eiter, Jutta Kapfer, Antonio Santoro, Mauro Agnoletti, Francesca Emanueli, Maurizia Sigura, Martina Slámová, Marta Dobrovodská, Dagmar Štefunková, Zdeněk Kučera, Dénes Saláta, Anna Varga, Salvador Villacreces, Johannes Dreer. Wooded Grasslands as Part of the European Agricultural Heritage. Environmental History in the Making. 2016; ():75-103.
Chicago/Turabian StyleCsaba Centeri; Hans Renes; Michael Roth; Alexandra Kruse; Sebastian Eiter; Jutta Kapfer; Antonio Santoro; Mauro Agnoletti; Francesca Emanueli; Maurizia Sigura; Martina Slámová; Marta Dobrovodská; Dagmar Štefunková; Zdeněk Kučera; Dénes Saláta; Anna Varga; Salvador Villacreces; Johannes Dreer. 2016. "Wooded Grasslands as Part of the European Agricultural Heritage." Environmental History in the Making , no. : 75-103.
Terraced systems currently represent an indubitable added value for Tuscany, as well as for other Italian regions and for several Mediterranean countries. This value goes beyond their original function of hosting new areas for cultivation. The hydrological functions performed by these systems, including control of erosion, stabilisation of the slopes, prolongation of runoff times and the possible reduction of the volumes of surface runoff, are well-known. In addition, they also play a strategic role in the conservation of biodiversity and in maintaining local identity. At a national level, the terraced agricultural systems fall within the scope of actions scheduled in the National Strategic Plan for Rural Development 2007–2013, and the standards of Good Agricultural and Environmental Conditions (GAECs) envisages that they be maintained through the granting of economic aid as laid down in the Rural Development Plans 2007–2013 and 2014–2020. Eighteen sample areas, previously selected on the basis of the terracing intensity index (defined as the ratio between the lines representing the walls and the surface of 1 ha), were subjected for on-site surveys to determine the geo-typological features through the identification and measurement of the main technical-construction parameters of the dry stone walls. This analysis also enabled assessments of the overall state of conservation of the dry stone walls in order to suggest operations for safeguarding and protection.
Mauro Agnoletti; Leonardo Conti; Lorenza Frezza; Massimo Monti; Antonio Santoro. Features Analysis of Dry Stone Walls of Tuscany (Italy). Sustainability 2015, 7, 13887 -13903.
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Leonardo Conti, Lorenza Frezza, Massimo Monti, Antonio Santoro. Features Analysis of Dry Stone Walls of Tuscany (Italy). Sustainability. 2015; 7 (10):13887-13903.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Leonardo Conti; Lorenza Frezza; Massimo Monti; Antonio Santoro. 2015. "Features Analysis of Dry Stone Walls of Tuscany (Italy)." Sustainability 7, no. 10: 13887-13903.
As indicated by the UNESCO-sCBD Florence Declaration on biocultural diversity the current state of biological and cultural diversity results from the combination of historical and on-going processes. The Declaration indicates the landscape level, particularly the rural landscape, as an appropriate dimension for understanding and applying this concept. The spatial component of biological diversity is of crucial importance for biodiversity, but is also one of the most interesting scientific perspective to understand biocultural diversity and the relationships with human influence. Historical landscapes still applying traditional agricultural practices are very good examples of how man has been able to adapt to difficult and often extreme, environmental conditions, preserving biodiversity. Species and their habitats have adapted to landscapes, changing their features, therefore a biocultural approach is probably best suited to understand and manage most of the biodiversity existing in landscape characterized by a long history of human influence. Some important international programs, such as UNESCO World Heritage List (WHL) for Cultural Landscapes and FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (GIAHS) are protecting rural landscapes. However, there is the need to introduce the biocultural diversity associated to the landscape mosaic in their conservation strategies. In order to study and compare biocultural diversity at landscape level, three case studies were selected in three different continents: Northern Africa (Morocco), Caribbean (Cuba) and Southern Europe (Italy). The landscape structure has been studied also to understand possible common features among areas located in very different social and environmental conditions, but all of them resulting from centuries of human influence. Despite these differences, the three areas have in common a high complexity and fragmentation of the mosaic that the study intended to highlight as an important aspect of biocultural diversity. In a comparative perspective, the three areas all display a prevalence of farmland over woodland and a relatively small average area of farmed plots: 0.48 ha in Viñales, 0.29 ha in the Itria valley, and 0.09 ha in Telouet, with an average patch size of 0.42 ha and an average agricultural patch size of 0.28 ha. The Moroccan site has by far the finest-grained landscape mesh, due to the characteristics of its irrigated fields and historical farming practices. According to this study, complex landscape mosaics represent a common feature of many traditional landscapes around the world, where socioeconomic needs rather than the environmental features, seem to be the driving factors.
Mauro Agnoletti; Martina Tredici; Antonio Santoro. Biocultural diversity and landscape patterns in three historical rural areas of Morocco, Cuba and Italy. Biodiversity and Conservation 2015, 24, 3387 -3404.
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Martina Tredici, Antonio Santoro. Biocultural diversity and landscape patterns in three historical rural areas of Morocco, Cuba and Italy. Biodiversity and Conservation. 2015; 24 (13):3387-3404.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Martina Tredici; Antonio Santoro. 2015. "Biocultural diversity and landscape patterns in three historical rural areas of Morocco, Cuba and Italy." Biodiversity and Conservation 24, no. 13: 3387-3404.
The European continent still has a rich heritage of rural landscapes built up over thousands of years. The UNESCO-sCBD Florence Declaration of 2014, describes it as being predominantly a biocultural landscape, as it assimilates economic, social, cultural, and environmental processes in time and space. This definition also includes the forests, which have been affected by several centuries of human action and are also a part of the European cultural heritage. However, an approach to forest landscapes often employing the same tools used for nature conservation has led to a definition of management tools mostly based on ecological characteristics. The origin of forests and woodlands is rarely interpreted as the result of human activities and protected and managed accordingly. The three pillars on which Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) in Europe are based are ecological values, economic values, and sociocultural values. However, no political resolutions requiring countries to develop strategies and carry out actions for the preservation of cultural forests have been developed so far. The fact that cultural values currently play a limited role in SFM indicates the scant consideration given to the role of culture and history, as well as the lack of a comprehensive landscape approach. Failure to effectively and coherently address culture and history may very well be an emerging weakness that needs to be reconciled, especially now that the landscape approach is proposed on a global scale as a new perspective for sustainable development. One of the consequences of this failure has been the widespread application of an idea of ‘naturalness’ to places that are not natural, threatening the conservation of the cultural identity of local populations and the historical values of forests, and favoring processes of abandonment and renaturalization. The present paper advocates the practical implementation of existing tools for protecting cultural forest landscapes, such as the MCPFE Guidelines for Social and Cultural Values in SFM and the UNESCO-sCBD Florence Declaration.
Mauro Agnoletti; Antonio Santoro. Cultural values and sustainable forest management: the case of Europe. Journal of Forest Research 2015, 20, 438 -444.
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Antonio Santoro. Cultural values and sustainable forest management: the case of Europe. Journal of Forest Research. 2015; 20 (5):438-444.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Antonio Santoro. 2015. "Cultural values and sustainable forest management: the case of Europe." Journal of Forest Research 20, no. 5: 438-444.
Terraced areas have existed in Italy since ancient times, and they continue to be characteristic elements of the cultural identity of the country. The progressive abandonment of rural areas and farmland that began in the 1960s has led to the disintegration and disappearance of many terraces, representing one of the problems connected with the deterioration of the historic Tuscan agricultural landscape. This research aims to provide a contribution to the territorial analysis of the agricultural terraced landscapes at a regional scale. The preliminary phase of the study involved setting up a working method in Geographic Information System (GIS) for the quantitative definition of the population. Afterwards, for the territorial analysis at a more detailed scale, a method was devised to identify the areas of greater significance in terms of a terracing intensity index. The final results concerned considerations on the distribution of the terraced landscapes and analyses related to land use and the main environmental parameters of the most representative terraced systems.
Mauro Agnoletti; Leonardo Conti; Lorenza Frezza; Antonio Santoro. Territorial Analysis of the Agricultural Terraced Landscapes of Tuscany (Italy): Preliminary Results. Sustainability 2015, 7, 4564 -4581.
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Leonardo Conti, Lorenza Frezza, Antonio Santoro. Territorial Analysis of the Agricultural Terraced Landscapes of Tuscany (Italy): Preliminary Results. Sustainability. 2015; 7 (4):4564-4581.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Leonardo Conti; Lorenza Frezza; Antonio Santoro. 2015. "Territorial Analysis of the Agricultural Terraced Landscapes of Tuscany (Italy): Preliminary Results." Sustainability 7, no. 4: 4564-4581.
Considering the importance of terraced cultivation for economic in the areas surveyed by this research, it has been decided to develop an investigation in order to analyse their features and assess the historical integrity of some areas considered as having a high level of integrity. The study is useful also in view of the funds available for the restoration of terracing according to the Common Agricultural Policy and the initiatives taken by the Ministry of Agriculture Food and Forestry, but also for the establishment of the national register of traditional landscapes. The latter will require a definition of the level of integrity in order to include the selected areas in the register. In this research three case studies were identified, Lamole, Valdobbiadene and Costa Viola, located respectively in the north, the center and the south of Italy, choosing an extension of about 800–1,000 ha for each one of them. For each area a methodology defined “Historical Cultural Evaluation Approach” was applied, already developed as part of a project for the monitoring of the Tuscan landscape (Agnoletti in Il paesaggio agro-forestale toscano. Strumenti per l’analisi, la gestione e la conservazione, ARSIA, Firenze, 2002; Agnoletti in The conservation of cultural landscapes, CAB International, New York, 2006). The project for Tuscany considered three dates starting from the early nineteenth century, but in our case, to simplify the analysis we adopted as a starting point the landscape in the 1950s. The aerial photos taken in this period represent Italy before the industrialization of agriculture, allowing us to understand the traditional features of the agricultural landscape and make a comparison with recent aerial photos representing the situation after industrialization.
Mauro Agnoletti; Antonio Santoro; Lorenzo Gardin. Assessing the Integrity of the Historical Landscapes. Environmental History in the Making 2012, 89 -130.
AMA StyleMauro Agnoletti, Antonio Santoro, Lorenzo Gardin. Assessing the Integrity of the Historical Landscapes. Environmental History in the Making. 2012; ():89-130.
Chicago/Turabian StyleMauro Agnoletti; Antonio Santoro; Lorenzo Gardin. 2012. "Assessing the Integrity of the Historical Landscapes." Environmental History in the Making , no. : 89-130.