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This paper analyzes the relationships between 'biodiversity conservation' and 'landscape quality aims' in the coastal area of the Molise Region in Italy, in order to provide useful tools for spatial planning choices. The fi ne-tuning of our methodology is the result of the substantial experience in research matured by the L.a.co.s.t.a. laboratory. Our research on regional coastal territory as embodied in the GES.S.TER Project, through the use of GIS software for spatial analysis, wants to reconstruct the main changes in the geography of the coastal zone such as the change of the coastline, variations in the river mouths and stretches of coastline erosion. It also wants to investigate major changes due to the settlement of the territory along the coast especially in relation to tourism activities.

Landscape values are addressed by planning tools in several diversified ways. Many European countries have joined the European Landscape Convention which just turned 20 last year. This work aims at investigating its implementations and relationships with general and local planning tools, focusing on two main objectives: the first one concerns the analysis of principles regulating regional strategies, deriving from European dictates and State norms. It has been focused in the Sicily region in Italy, the largest island in the Mediterranean basin. The second objective concerns the in-depth analysis of territories of a fragile nature in which the two terms that characterize the landscape, culture and nature, merge together. This paper consists in gathering information deriving from the various planning levels, proposing a comparison methodology which takes into account physical–environmental and landscape–visual features in some sample cases within protected areas, but in a highly urbanized context. A system and database were created and implemented within the geographic information system, drawing up a comparison between environmental requirements and development strategies.

Coastal areas are the typical 'critical zones' for the planning activities. This paper illustrates the results realised by the L.a.co.s.t.a. Laboratory of the University of Molise in Italy, in order to compare the analysis of urban and territorial planning processes in force in Italy and in its Cross-border Countries along the Adriatic Sea. The work has examined the historical evolution of the laws and norms relating to the landscape protection in different situations, with particular attention to those preserving the landscape values in harmony with the territorial plans, to contrast the growing anthropic development especially along the coastal zones. The aim of our research is to define the different levels of territorial survey and develop a basic cartography for the countries involved in our survey so as to assure the validity of the methodology used in analysing the territory by taking into account the diverse territorial conditions of each country.

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