Maria Nicolina Ripa

Land Use, Climate and Transport of Nutrients: Evidence Emerging from the Lake Vicocase Study

Soil erosion is a Europe-wide problem, causing both loss of soil fertility and pollution due to nutrient transport into water bodies. This process is particularly important in the Mediterranean area, where the climate, characterised by long periods of drought followed by intense precipitation, favours soil erosion. Research carried out in this field has amply described this process, showing that climate and land use/land cover (LU/LC) are the two main factors regulating this phenomenon. However, the interaction between these factors is complex and experimental research is needed to understand the nutrient loads deriving from different land uses. This paper shows the results of a long-term monitoring project carried out in the Lake Vico basin (central Italy), using high resolution data and runoff samples to determine the phosphorus (P) export from four different LU/LC classes resulting from the same climatic event. The results highlight the fundamental role that LU/LC plays in terms of phosphorus load. Furthermore, the results appear to indicate that the maximum rainfall registered for 30′ (I30, max), rather than the total quantity of precipitation, has the greatest effect on levels of erosion, and consequently on the migration of nutrients rather than the total quantity of precipitation can affect on erosion and therefore the migration of nutrients. These data could contribute to scientific planning support for land management choices aimed at controlling water pollution from non-point pollution sources.

A statistical GIS-based analysis of Wild boar (Sus scrofa) traffic collisions in a Mediterranean area

Abstract This study was aimed at analysing the most relevant environmental variables involved in vehicle–wild boar road collisions in a Mediterranean area, starting from a territorial information system implemented in a GIS environment. Landscape structure indices and local qualitative and quantitative variables were correlated to identify the most frequent predisposing factors of collisions. Statistical tests of the considered parameters indicated a higher frequency of collisions in the evening hours of late summer and autumn (P<0.05) compared with daytime and night-time, localized nearness to attraction points (feeding or resting sites; P<0.001) and closeness to no-hunting areas (P<0.001). In addition, local road parameters (shape of road, visibility at road sides, etc.) considerably increased the risk of collisions.

Linking phosphorus export and hydrologic modeling: a case study in Central Italy

Soil erosion is an open topic, not only because soil fertility is lost, but also because nutrients are spilled into water bodies, thereby causing pollution. Research carried out in this field has amply described this process, but the interaction between these factors is complex and experimental research is needed to understand the production of loads of nutrients for different land uses. This paper describes a long-term monitoring case study using high-resolution rainfall data and runoff samples, carried out in the Lake Vico basin (Central Italy) to determine the phosphorus (P) export during erosive rainfall events. State of the art GIS-based basin characterization and advanced rainfall-runoff models are employed in order to describe the relationship between nutrient export and rainfall or runoff time distribution. Results show that the phosphorus export is strongly related to such time distributions, and less to the cumulative amount of rainfall or runoff.

Percezione e identità paesaggistica: un’opportunità di sviluppo per i territori rurali

In questo articolo si propone un percorso metodologico partecipato per la definizione di azioni di sviluppo e tutela di un territorio rurale relazionate ai valori identitari che la popolazione riconosce. Tale approccio bottom-up mira a stimolare il coinvolgimento della stessa popolazione e i decisori politici in una logica win-win tesa a valorizzare le risorse e i capitali naturali, sociali e umani del territorio. Il presente lavoro, attraverso un caso studio specifico, si propone quindi come una proposta metodologica per la salvaguardia dei paesaggi i cui caratteri rurali sono ancora riconosciuti dalla popolazione e la creazione di sistemi socio-ecologici piu resilienti ed adattativi.

Multi-temporal analysis of urban and peri-urban land use changes in medieval towns of central Italy

La inclusion de espacios para la agricultura en las ciudades se presenta como una potencial herramienta de promocion de entornos urbanos saludables y sostenibles, pudiendo ser especialmente beneficiosa para colectivos vulnerables. El objetivo de este estudio es analizar los efectos percibidos sobre la salud por personas mayores de 65 anos que participan en una red de huertos ya instaurada en Barcelona. Se llevo a cabo un diseno exploratorio-descriptivo, realizando entrevistas semiestructuradas a seis hortelanos de Barcelona para analizar sus percepciones acerca de la influencia de la participacion en los huertos sobre su salud. Los hortelanos manifestaron haber percibido un incremento en su actividad fisica, en la calidad (aunque no en la cantidad) de las verduras que consumen y en sus relaciones sociales, y beneficios en su bienestar psicologico. Las diferentes aportaciones de los huertos urbanos observadas en este estudio y en investigaciones anteriores sugieren que destinar espacio para la agricultura en las ciudades podria contribuir a fomentar entornos y estilos de vida saludables y una mayor sostenibilidad urbana, por lo que se plantea como una posible estrategia para abordar multiples problemas de forma transversal.

Second law of thermodynamics and urban green infrastructure - A knowledge synthesis to address spatial planning strategies

Planning of ecosystem services provided by the Urban Green Infrastructure (UGI) is a key issue for urban sustainability. Planning strategies driven by the second law of thermodynamics (SLT) are innovative approaches to sustainability but they are still in seminal phase. In this article, a coupled review of SLT within spatial planning is accomplished looking at the main applications in urban green infrastructure (UGI) planning. The work has supported the definition of a preliminary low-entropy UGI planning strategy (Pelorosso, Gobattoni, & Leone, 2017) but it also aims to contribute to the improvement and/or development of even more solid planning strategies based on SLT. In particular, a systemic review of UGI planning and thermodynamics has been carried out to identify all the occurrences to date in the scientific literature. Secondly, a scoping review of SLT-related concepts of exergy, entropy and urban metabolism is presented in order to investigate the main applications of, and gaps in, urban spatial planning. Results indicate that UGI and ecosystem service planning based on SLT is a relatively new field of research. Moreover, some general indications are derived for the development of spatial UGI planning strategies based on SLT.

A Remote Sensing-Assisted Risk Rating Study to Monitor Pinewood Forest Decline: The Study Case of the Castelporziano State Nature Reserve (Rome)

The Multi-Spectral Instrument (MSI) aboard the ESA Sentinel-2 (S-2) allows satellite the Normalized Different Vegetation Index (NDVI) to be measured at much higher spatial resolution (10 m) than has been previously possible with space-borne sensors such as Medium Resolution Imaging Spectrometer aboard ENVISAT or Enhanced Thematic Mapper Plus aboard Landsat. Therefore, multi-spectral analysis of remote sensing data today represents an efficient tool for monitoring vegetation in a Mediterranean environment, where spatial resolution often represents a limiting factor due to high fragmentation and spatial distribution of forest stand.

Erratum to: Land Use, Climate and Transport of Nutrients: Evidence Emerging from the Lake Vico Case Study

1. Unfortunately, the terms ‘‘Vico Case’’ in the article title was erroneously published as ‘‘Vicocase’’. It should read as ‘‘the Lake Vico Case Study’’, not ‘‘the Lake Vicocase Study’’. 2. The fourth and fifth authors name of given and family name was reversed mistakenly as ‘‘Perini Luigi and Salvati Luca’’. It should read as Luigi Perini, not Perini Luigi and Luca Salvati, not Salvati Luca. 3. And the affiliations of authors L. Perini and L. Salvati are updated as follows:

Integrated nutrient management to control water pollution. A further step ahead referred to an Italian lake basin

Water pollution from point sources has been reduced throughout Europe and in particular in Italy thanks to the improvement of the relative depuration technologies. Nevertheless, water quality problems remained and were attributed to non point pollution sources, and in particular to agriculture.