Marco Vizzari

Environmental Effectiveness of Swine Sewage Management: A Multicriteria AHP-Based Model for a Reliable Quick Assessment

Environmental issues related to swine production are still a major concern for the general public and represent a key challenge for the swine industry. The environmental impact of higher livestock concentration is particularly significant where it coincides with weaker policy standards and poor manure management. Effective tools for environmental monitoring of the swine sewage management process become essential for verifying the environmental compatibility of farming facilities and for defining suitable policies aimed at increasing swine production sustainability. This research aims at the development and application of a model for a quick assessment of the environmental effectiveness of the pig farming sewage management process. In order to define the model, multicriteria techniques, and in particular, Saaty’s analytic hierarchy process, were used to develop an iterative process in which the various key factors influencing the process under investigation were analyzed. The model, named EASE (Environmental Assessment of Sewages management Effectiveness), was optimized and applied to the Lake Trasimeno basin (Umbria, Italy), an area of high natural, environmental and aesthetic value. In this context, inadequate disposal of pig sewage represents a potential source of very considerable pollution. The results have demonstrated how the multicriteria model can represent a very effective and adaptable tool also in those decision-making processes aimed at the sustainable management of livestock production.

Spatio-temporal analysis using urban-rural gradient modelling and landscape metrics

Urbanization can be considered as a particular environmental gradient that produces modifications in the structures and functions of ecological systems. In landscape analysis and planning there is a clear need to develop specific and comparable indicators permitting the spatio-temporal quantification of this gradient and the study of its relationships with the composition and configuration of other land uses. This study, integrating urban gradient modelling and landscape pattern analysis, aims to investigate the spatiotemporal changes induced by urbanization and by other anthropogenic factors. Unlike previous studies, based on the transect approach, landscape metrics are calculated diachronically within five contiguous zones defined along the urban to rural gradient and characterized by decreasing intervals of settlement density. The results show that, within the study area, urban sprawl and agricultural land simplification remain the dominant forces responsible for the landscape modifications that have occurred during the period under investigation.

Peri-Urban Transformations in Agricultural Landscapes of Perugia, Italy

Urban fringes represent very complex landscapes because of their proximity and mutual dependency with cities and rural areas. These landscapes may be considered as transition entities characterized by fuzzy boundaries. An uncontrolled development of urban sprawl and land use changes in these areas may determine negative impacts on all natural, economic and social components. Thus, urban fringes assume a key-role in modern landscape analysis, planning and management. Landscape analysis of these interfaces, as this study shows, can be effectively supported by GIS spatial modelling. The Settlement Density Index (SDI), developed through GIS spatial analysis techniques, expresses punctually the territorial gradients generated by the presence of settlements and allows the identification of the urban fringes in the two periods under investigation. These areas are then characterized and analyzed quantitatively using detailed land use data. The comparison of the diachronic information highlights the transformations of peri-urban landscapes that appear mainly related to the modifications of spatial configuration of urban areas and to the changes of agricultural systems.

RELIABILITY OF NDVI DERIVED BY HIGH RESOLUTION SATELLITE AND UAV COMPARED TO IN-FIELD METHODS FOR THE EVALUATION OF EARLY CROP N STATUS AND GRAIN YIELD IN WHEAT

This study was aimed at comparing in-field parameters and remote sensing NDVI (normalized difference vegetation index) by both satellite (SAT) and unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) for the assessment of early nitrogen (N) status and prediction of yield in winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.). Six increasing N rates, i.e., 0, 40, 80, 120, 160, 200 kg N ha−1 were applied, half at tillering and half at shooting. Thus, when the crop N status was monitored between the two N applications, consecutive N treatments differentiated from each other by just 20 kg N ha−1. The following in-field and remote sensed parameters were compared as indicators of crop vegetative and N status: plant N% (w:w) concentration; crop N uptake (Nupt); ratio between transmitted and incident photosynthetically active radiation (PARt/PARi); leaf SPAD values, an indirect index for chlorophyll content; SAT and UAV derived NDVI. As reliable indicators of wheat N availability, in-field parameters were ranked as follows: PARt/PARi ≅ Nupt > SPAD ≅ N%. The PARt/PARi, Nupt and SPAD resulted quite strongly correlated to each other. At all crop stages, the NDVI was strongly correlated with PARt/PARi and Nupt. It is of relevance that NDVI correlated quite strongly to in-field parameters and grain yield at shooting, i.e., before the second N application, when the N rate can still be adjusted. The SAT and UAV NDVIs were strongly correlated to each other, which means they can be used alternatively depending on the context.

Ecosystem Services Along the Urban–Rural–Natural Gradient: An Approach for a Wide Area Assessment and Mapping

Landscapes can be viewed as a continuum and studied using spatial gradients along which environmental modifications determine the structural and functional components of ecosystems. The analysis and quantification of Ecosystem Services, intended as the benefits people obtain from ecosystems, play a crucial role in sustainable landscape planning. In this framework we developed a novel method for the identification and characterization of the landscapes nested along the urban-rural-natural gradient and the analysis of potential ES supply and demand within said landscapes. The Kernel Density Estimation technique was applied to calculate continuous intensity indicators associated with urbanization, agriculture, and natural elements, considered as key components of the gradient. The potential ES demand and supply within each landscape area were assessed using expert–knowledge based indices associated to the LULC CORINE classes. Results showed a complex organization of “pillar” and transitional landscapes along the gradient, which match different bundles of ES demand and supply.

Potential Nitrogen Load from Crop-Livestock Systems: A Spatial Database for a Multi-Scale Assessment and Mapping

The EU “Water†Directive establishes a common European framework for the environmental protection of inland, coastal and marine waters. One of the major environmental concerns about water quality is certainly the N loads from agro-livestock systems. In this study, carried out in Umbria region, Italy, a novel spatial database for a multi-scale and multi-level analysis was designed and implemented integrating different agricultural and livestock farming datasets related to agro-livestock system. This database allows the calculation of different descriptive indicators about agricultural and livestock farming systems at different scales of investigation (NVZ, sub-basins, bodies of ground water, cadastral sheets, municipalities, provinces, entire region). Moreover, three relevant spatial indicators (potential nitrogen crop supply, potential nitrogen availability from livestock manure, and total potential nitrogen loads) were calculated applying an assessment model developed in the study. All this information appears very significant to support decision making at the various administrative levels and to pursue the environmental objectives established by EU and national regulations.

Potential Nitrogen Load from Crop-Livestock Systems: An Agri-environmental Spatial Database for a Multi-scale Assessment

The EU “Water” Directive establishes a common European framework for the environmental protection of inland, coastal and marine waters. Environmental pressures related to agri-livestock systems are still a major concern among the general public and policy makers. In this study, carried out in Umbria region, Italy, a novel spatial database for a multi-scale analysis was designed and implemented integrating different agricultural and livestock farming datasets. Beyond descriptive indicators about agricultural and livestock farming systems, this database allows to assess, at different geographic levels of investigation (cadastral sheets, municipalities, provinces, entire region, Nitrogen Vulnerable Zones, bodies of groundwater, sub-basins), the potential nitrogen crop supply, the potential nitrogen availability from livestock manure, and, by means of a scenario analysis, the total potential nitrogen load. These indicators appear to be very relevant to support decision making and to pursue the environmental objectives established by EU and national regulations.

Potential Nitrogen Load from Crop-livestock Systems: an Agri-environmental Spatial Database for a Multi-scale Assessment

The EU “Water” Directive establishes a common European framework for the environmental protection of inland, coastal and marine waters. Environmental pressures related to agri-livestock systems are still a major concern among the general public and policy makers. In this study, carried out in Umbria region, Italy, a novel spatial database for a multi-scale analysis was designed and implemented integrating different agricultural and livestock farming datasets. Beyond descriptive indicators about agricultural and livestock farming systems, this database allows to assess, at different geographic levels of investigation (cadastral sheets, municipalities, provinces, entire region, Nitrogen Vulnerable Zones, bodies of groundwater, sub-basins), the potential nitrogen crop supply, the potential nitrogen availability from livestock manure, and, by means of a scenario analysis, the total potential nitrogen load. These indicators appear to be very relevant to support decision making and to pursue the environmental objectives established by EU and national regulations.