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Monitoring Traditional Rural Landscapes. The Case of Italy

Author

Listed:
  • Mauro Agnoletti

    (Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Florence, Italy)

  • Francesca Emanueli

    (Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Florence, Italy)

  • Federica Corrieri

    (Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Florence, Italy)

  • Martina Venturi

    (Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Florence, Italy)

  • Antonio Santoro

    (Department of Agriculture, Food, Environment and Forestry (DAGRI), University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Florence, Italy)

Abstract

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.

Suggested Citation

  • Mauro Agnoletti & Francesca Emanueli & Federica Corrieri & Martina Venturi & Antonio Santoro, 2019. "Monitoring Traditional Rural Landscapes. The Case of Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(21), pages 1-19, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:11:y:2019:i:21:p:6107-:d:282904
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Costis Hadjimichalis, 2003. "Imagining Rurality in the New Europe and Dilemmas for Spatial Policy," European Planning Studies, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 11(2), pages 103-113, March.
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    1. Giuseppe La Verde & Vittoria D’Avino & Carlo Sabbarese & Fabrizio Ambrosino & Vincenzo Roca & Adelaide Raulo & Mariagabriella Pugliese, 2020. "Radiation Protection Legislation and Sustainable Development of a Rural Green Tuff Village of Ischia Island," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(20), pages 1-14, October.
    2. Aygun E. Guliyeva & Marcin Lis, 2020. "Sustainability Management of Organic Food Organizations: A Case Study of Azerbaijan," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(12), pages 1-20, June.
    3. Alena Harbiankova & Elena Scherbina, 2021. "Evaluation Model for Sustainable Development of Settlement System," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(21), pages 1-15, October.
    4. Antonio Santoro & Qingyi Yu & Francesco Piras & Beatrice Fiore & Alessandra Bazzurro & Mauro Agnoletti, 2022. "From Flood Control System to Agroforestry Heritage System: Past, Present and Future of the Mulberry-Dykes and Fishponds System of Huzhou City, China," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(11), pages 1-22, October.
    5. Martina 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, MDPI, vol. 13(10), pages 1-20, May.
    6. Elena Gorbenkova & Elena Shcherbina, 2020. "Historical-Genetic Features in Rural Settlement System: A Case Study from Mogilev District (Mogilev Oblast, Belarus)," Land, MDPI, vol. 9(5), pages 1-17, May.
    7. Enrico Pomatto & Marco Devecchi & Federica Larcher, 2022. "Assessment of the Terraced Landscapes’ Integrity: A GIS-Based Approach in a Potential GIAHS-FAO Site (Northwest Piedmont, Italy)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(12), pages 1-21, December.
    8. Karol Król, 2020. "The Scarecrow as Part of Polish Rural Cultural Landscapes," Agriculture, MDPI, vol. 10(11), pages 1-15, October.
    9. Huiqi Song & Pengwei Chen & Yongxun Zhang & Youcheng Chen, 2021. "Study Progress of Important Agricultural Heritage Systems (IAHS): A Literature Analysis," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-22, September.
    10. Francesco Piras & Beatrice Fiore & Antonio Santoro, 2022. "Small Cultural Forests: Landscape Role and Ecosystem Services in a Japanese Cultural Landscape," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(9), pages 1-20, September.
    11. Alena Harbiankova & Lora Gertsberg, 2022. "Information Model for Sustainable Rural Development," Energies, MDPI, vol. 15(11), pages 1-15, May.
    12. Lili Liu & Ruonan Wu & Yuanrong Lou & Pingping Luo & Yan Sun & Bin He & Maochuan Hu & Srikantha Herath, 2023. "Exploring the Comprehensive Evaluation of Sustainable Development in Rural Tourism: A Perspective and Method Based on the AVC Theory," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, July.
    13. Joan Carles Membrado-Tena & Jorge Hermosilla-Pla, 2023. "The Precarious Survival of an Ancient Cultural Landscape: The Thousand-Year-Old Olive Trees of the Valencian Maestrat (Spain)," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(7), pages 1-20, July.
    14. Raphael Ocelli Pinheiro & Luiza F. A. de Paula & Marco Giardino, 2022. "Agricultural Heritage: Contrasting National and International Programs in Brazil and Italy," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(11), pages 1-24, May.

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