A landscape project for the coexistence of agriculture and nature: a proposal for the coastal area of a Natura 2000 site in Sicily (Italy)

Abstract

Many rural coastal Mediterranean areas suffer from great anthropomorphic pressure. This is due to intensive agriculture, and construction for residential, tourism and industrial uses.The present work investigates the idea of using a landscape project in the Gulf of Gela in South Sicily to recover the dunes and the area behind them. The method used is based on the literature and will evaluate and interpret the dynamics of the landscape, so as to draw up a landscape plan, which can be used to help sustain the assets of the area, in a way, which is compatible with conserving nature. This method was tested in the LIFE11-Leopoldia project, funded by the European Union. The results of the study form part of the landscape project. This project is aimed at connecting the different productive zones in the area, protecting the natural environments and the rural historical patrimony, through combining the modern road networks with the older slower, historic infrastructure. Three different levels of landscape management are proposed: total protection (the dunes), high-level protection (the area behind the dunes where traditional agriculture is practised, buffer areas and ecological connecting areas), medium levels of protection (sustainable agriculture, green connections and ecological corridors). The key aims of the project are as follows: transversality -repairing the agricultural fabric and the relationship between the land and the sea; sustainability -recovering the environmental system and traditional activities; flexibility -agriculture with only minor environmental impact.

Twenty-Three Years of Land-Use Changes Induced Considerable Threats to the Main Wetlands of Sardinia and Sicily (Italy) along the Mediterranean Bird Flyways

“…Such an increase was primarily related to intensive agriculture in irrigated arable lands (net gain = 39 ha/year; Table S4) due to the construction of new greenhouses for fruit-growing. This agrees with economic studies about the fast development of greenhouses in Sicily, aimed to further increase the production of oranges, tangerines, wine and lemons [26,27].…”

Assessment of the territorial suitability for the creation of the greenways networks: methodological application in the Sicilian landscape context

“…The suggested alternatives are: A1 -to establish a greenways network that can promote agro-rural development (Russo et al, 2014;Riguccio et al, 2015a); A2 -to develop a greenways network that can encourage tourism and cultural enjoyment in the area (De Montis et al, 2015;Diti et al, 2015;Taylor, 2015); A3 -to realise a network of greenways that can promote ecological activities (Fichera et al, 2015;Riguccio et al, 2016). These proposals arise from the study of the scientific literature, from specialists' opinions and from information contained in consulted cartographic, digital and documentary sources (Marcheggiani et al, 2011).…”

Assessment and Monitoring of Fish Quality from a Coastal Ecosystem under High Anthropic Pressure: A Case Study in Southern Italy

“…Many important projects have been proposed to reduce the risk and dramatic healthcare consequences caused by the Gela refinery over more than half a century. In fact, following the Marine Strategy Framework Directive [14], which establishes a framework for marine environmental policy that aims to achieve good environmental status (GES) of the EU's marine waters by 2020 [15][16][17], the Sicilian Region Authority for the Landscape and Environment started redrafting the management plan for this site [18]. This requires improving current assessment capabilities, through the characterization of the marine-coastal environment by suitable indicators of contamination.…”