Marco Zitti

The Environmental “Risky” Region: Identifying Land Degradation Processes Through Integration of Socio-Economic and Ecological Indicators in a Multivariate Regionalization Model

Although several studies have assessed Land Degradation (LD) states in the Mediterranean basin through the use of composite indices, relatively few have evaluated the impact of specific LD drivers at the local scale. In this work, a computational strategy is introduced to define homogeneous areas at risk and the main factors acting as determinants of LD. The procedure consists of three steps and is applied to a set of ten environmental indicators available at the municipality scale in Latium, central Italy. A principal component analysis extracting latent patterns and simplifying data complexity was carried out on the original data matrix. Subsequently, a k-means cluster analysis was applied on a restricted number of meaningful, latent factors extracted by PCA in order to produce a classification of the study area into homogeneous regions. Finally, a stepwise discriminant analysis was performed to determine which indicators contributed the most to the definition of homogeneous regions. Three classes of “risky” regions were identified according to the main drivers of LD acting at the local scale. These include: (i) soil sealing (coupled with landscape fragmentation, fire risk, and related processes), (ii) soil salinization due to agricultural intensification, and (iii) soil erosion due to farmland depopulation and land abandonment in sloping areas. Areas at risk for LD covered 56 and 63% of the investigated areas in 1970 and 2000, respectively.

Convergence or divergence in desertification risk? Scale-based assessment and policy implications in a Mediterranean country

This paper explores changes (1990–2000) in two environmental indexes with the aim of providing empirical evidence on regional and local convergence in an increasing-impact phenomenon such as Land Degradation (LD) in Italy. Convergence analysis for ESAI (Environmental Sensitive Area Index) and LVI (Land Vulnerability Index) was developed at five different geographical scales. Results indicate that territorial disparities in land vulnerability tend to increase during the investigated period following a defined spatial pattern that depends on land quality, the environmental context and the economic performance of regional systems. Finally, the implications this process has on policy strategies aimed at mitigating desertification risk are discussed.

Economic growth vs. land quality: a multidimensional approach in Italy

This paper evaluates the recent economic dynamics in Italy and their implications for a specified environmental topic – land quality and its vulnerability to degradation. As opposed to the traditional economic literature, centred on GDP level and changes, a multidimensional concept of ‘economic growth’ was developed in the present study by considering several variables (share of agriculture and industry on the total production, labour productivity by sector, per capita value added) within a Principal Component Analysis (PCA). This analysis was carried out with the aim of assessing diachronically the spatial association between (and, possibly, to clarify the implications of) the economic growth and the distribution of the vulnerable lands to degradation across nearly 700 Italian districts in the mid-1990s and mid-2000s. The geographical gradients and the socio-economic factors supposed to have a prominent role in this relationship were analysed by dividing the investigated area into three geographical belts with different environmental characteristics. PCA results indicate that the traditional north-south economic gap has not been significantly reduced throughout the last 10 years. Furthermore, coastal-inland and urban-rural gradients were revealed as crucial in the environment-economic transition. Finally, the implications of this nexus on land quality were discussed.

Natural resource depletion and the economic performance of local districts: suggestions from a within-country analysis

SUMMARY Studying the interactions among ecological factors and economic performance measured at the local scale is necessary to suggest policies able to mitigate natural resource depletion in complex ecosystems, like those in the Mediterranean region. The aim of this paper is to explore the relationship among natural resource depletion due to land degradation (LD) and some economic characteristics of local labour systems in Italy, a country where many areas, especially southern regions, are vulnerable. LD was estimated using an environmental sensitive area index, covering the national territory at a fine scale, which takes into account ecological factors such as climate, soil and vegetation. Economic indicators used here consider per capita income, land productivity, production and labour productivity by sector (agriculture, industry and services). A regression analysis was built-up at the LLS scale using an index change over time (1990–2000) as dependent variable and economic variables as predictors. A principal component analysis (PCA) was carried out to synthesise the outputs of the regression analysis. Results indicate a negative relationship among per capita income and LD over the whole study area. However, other variables showed a significant correlation with the dependent variable, highlighting the importance of local factors to increase land vulnerability. In order to clarify the contribution of economic factors to natural resource depletion it is necessary to drive integrate policies to combat LD in dry Mediterranean areas.

Map of Long-Term Changes in Land Sensitivity to Degradation of Italy

The study introduces a map of the long-term changes in the level of land sensitivity to degradation for Italy, presented at a scale of 1:1,300,000. According to the Environmental Sensitive Area (ESA) approach, the national territory was divided into different classes of land sensitivity by assigning a score based on the observed changes in four themes (climate, soil, vegetation and land management) related to land degradation processes. The observed increase in the level of land sensitivity was rapid and spatially heterogeneous and reflects the decrease in land quality mainly due to human-derived landscape transformations. Maps illustrating the change in land sensitivity over a sufficiently long time period should be developed at country scale as a contribution to monitoring and dissemination of scientific results in the framework of the ‘Zero Net’ Land Degradation strategy introduced by the United Nations Convention to Combat Desertification.

Climate Aridity under Changing Conditions and Implications for the Agricultural Sector: Italy as a Case Study

A comprehensive diachronic analysis (1951–2010) of precipitation and temperature regimes has been carried out at the national and regional scale in Italy to investigate the impact of climate aridity on the agricultural system. Trends in climate aridity have been also analysed using UNEP aridity index which is the ratio between rainfall and potential evapotranspiration on a yearly basis. During the examined time period, and particularly in the most recent years, a gradual reduction in rainfall and growing temperatures have been observed which have further widened the gap between precipitation amounts and water demand in agriculture.

Coastal vs inland sensitivity to desertification: a diachronic analysis of biophysical and socioeconomic factors in Latium, Italy

The present study assesses the spatial distribution of a composite index of land sensitivity to desertification (called ISD) in the coastal area of Rome, including natural areas such as Castelporziano forest, compared with inland areas of Latium region, central Italy. Based on two partial indicators integrating 10 elementary variables (five biophysical attributes investigating climate, soil and vegetation, and five socioeconomic attributes assessing population pressure, changes in the use of land and human pressure), the ISD was calculated for two reference years (1970 and 2000) and at the municipal scale in Latium region. Results indicate a positive trend in the ISD in both coastal and inland areas with territorial disparities widening significantly over the studied period. Interestingly, coastal urban and peri-urban municipalities showed the highest growth rate in the ISD. These finding possibly reflects rising human pressure in lowland and coastal areas experiencing urbanization compared to internal hilly and mountain areas.

Urban Concentration, Agglomeration Economies and the Spatial Structure of Italian Local Labor Market Areas

This study investigates the evolution of local labor systems (1996-2005) in Italy by introducing an indicator of economic agglomeration (per-land value added) with the aim to identify changes in urban hierarchy. Factors promoting local competitiveness in a traditionally-divided country such as Italy were also identified based on a joint analysis of economic growth and population increase over time. The spatial distribution of per-land value added standardized by population density was studied using a Morans index of spatial autocorrelation identifying urban clusters and economically-dynamic rural districts. An index of economic competitiveness based on the ratio of changes over time of per-land value added to population density was proposed with the aim to evaluate direction and intensity of variation in the Italian urban hierarchy. This index was finally contrasted with background socioeconomic variables characterizing local labor systems with the objective to propose a multivariate analysis of urban concentration and hierarchy based on multiple criteria and territorial attributes. The proposed index was found correlated with variables assessing the economic structure of labor markets during 1996-2000 and with territorial variables assessing socio-spatial issues, accessibility and settlement characteristics during 2001-2005. Per-land value added could differentiate local labor systems along urban-rural gradients, evidencing a marked north-south divide when standardized to population density. Results of this study candidate per-land value added as a reliable proxy of the (changing) urban hierarchy in a given country or region.

Agricoltura e crisi: verso un nuovo paesaggio della frangia

L’evoluzione tecnologica ha modificato radicalmente il rapporto tra l’uomo e la natura. L’artificialita e l’artificiosita degli interventi antropici hanno fatto venir meno l’integrazione con i luoghi; a fenomeni di conurbazione si aggiungono fenomeni di disurbanizzazione. Si delinea un territorio di transizione tra l’urbano e il rurale, in cui gli elementi caratterizzanti si intrecciano e si trasformano sotto la pressione dei processi di urbanizzazione, ruralizzazione e naturalizzazione, perdendo il loro valore identitario. L’analisi - condotta attraverso l’individuazione di indicatori quali-quantitativi relativi agli attori che operano nella frangia urbana di una citta mediterranea rappresentativa di contesti in crisi identitaria, prima ancora che finanziaria - consente di delineare un quadro ragionato degli effetti economici, sociali e ambientali provocati dalla pressione antropica. Nello stesso tempo si vuole valutare la permanenza o la trasformazione dei paesaggi tradizionali, in territori in cui le attivita agricole, economiche, archeologiche e speculative si intrecciano e insistono su un unico tessuto urbano-rurale che ha acquisito caratteri di entropia e caoticita.

Eco-sostenibilità dell’agricoltura e spazio rurale: profili territoriali di vulnerabilità al degrado delle terre

Drought, land degradation, and desertification are global problems which involve different climatic, soil, vegetation, agricultural and demographic factors. Originally attributed to the most arid regions of the world, the risk of desertification has rapidly increased in temperate regions. In Mediterranean Europe, high human pressure, climatic changes, and intensive agriculture development has combined to produce land consumption, a key factor in starting desertification processes. Unfortunately, the effect of agriculture on land degradation has been poorly considered as far as quantitative indicators and cartographic tools are concerned. The aim of this paper is to introduce a system of agro-environmental indicators aimed at improving a model for desertification risk assessment, especially focusing on land quality, farm management and the impact of agricultural practices. Based on a multivariate exploratory strategy including non-hierarchical cluster analysis and linear discriminant analysis, thirty-two indicators have been included in an Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) application to define the contribution of agriculture to land sensitivity in the Region of Lazio (Latium), Italy. Finally, new findings achieved in the context of the agricultural impact on the environment have been discussed as an original contribution to the study of desertification.