Analisi dei cambiamenti dell’uso del suolo nei siti Natura 2000 “Bosco S. Adriano” e “Vendicari”

Population and the economic activities increases, are the main and most important causes of the impoverishment of land and marine ecosystems of the planet. Within this context, the land use and vegetation cover data, and those on the transition between the different land use categories, are among the most required information necessary for the individuation of the sustainable management strategies of environmental and landscape resources. The same information is also necessary to control the efficacy of the environmental politics and the environmental integration instances of specific field politics (agriculture, industry, tourism, ect). In fact, one of the main themes is landscape transformation which changes, going from a “natural” use (woods and/or forests and wetlands) to a “semi-natural” use (agriculture) or artificial use (building, industry, infrastructures). These transitions, other than determining a permanent or irreversible loss of fertile soil, cause further negative impacts as landscape fragmentation, biodiversity reduction, alteration of the hydrogeological cycle and microclimatic changes. It is therefore interesting to evidence the changes which have taken place over time in land use, paying particular attention to those areas where the human presence, by means of compatible farming practices, may represent a positive factor for landscape and biodiversity conservation. The analysis of land use changes and/or of the vegetation cover may take place on different levels depending the characteristics of the satellite imageries available (spatial resolution, multi temporality of the acquisition). The two main approaches are the spatial one (based on maps) and the statistic one (based on punctual information). The advantage of the first is the possibility of using data in GIS environment (Geographic Information System), where these data may be compared with other spatial information (pedological and climatic maps, ect.). The WP5 of the ManagMed project envisages for the Natura 2000 sites (“Bosco S. Adriano” - ITA020025 and “Vendicari” - ITA090002) studies concerning land use changes throughout the multi-temporal analysis of the structure and of the characteristics of the landscape of the sites. These sites are characterized by a high environmental and landscape heterogeneity. Bosco S. Adriano is characterized by the presence of forest landscapes of the hilly and sub-mountain range of the Mediterranean biogeographic region. Vendicari instead, hosts one of the most important and rare, coastal wetlands areas in Sicily, which has undergone, in years, heavy transformations that have determined a constant reduction of biodiversity. In both sites, the quantification of changes at a landscape scale was carried out through a multitemporal and multi-scale analysis. The multi-temporal analysis with use of GIS has already been used for other studies, in Italy, as well as in other countries. Besides the GIS analysis and on field surveys, an historical and bibliographical research was carried out, aiming at gathering information relative to the evolution, in time, of the human activity exercised on the site’s territory.