BioCultural Landscapes per la rigenerazione innovativa dei territori di montagna

Simplification of agricultural systems, farmland abandonment, uncontrolled urbanization, together with global scale drivers, determine fast and unpredictable phenomena of hydrogeological instability, biodiversity decline and identity loss. Men should hence promote socio-economic resilience and place identity, using biocultural landscapes as a resource. These landscapes are the outcome of the historical relationship between man and nature, resulting from complex interactions between biodiversity (at all levels, including species richness, ecosystem and biotope diversity) and cultural diversity, including material and immaterial aspects (architectural heritage, traditions, customs, local traditional agricultural practices, dialectal culture). Traditional water use is one of the main defining factors of traditional agricultural landscapes, characterized by significantly multiplied and enhanced functions and by the highest degree of biocultural diversity. The integrity of traditional agricultural landscapes is an indicator of environmental sustainability, socio-economic growth and habitat resilience. Land management and planning should promote the multi-functionality of biocultural landscapes through new interdisciplinary frameworks and innovative strategies, aimed at landscape conservation, enhancement and creative management.