Landscape Changes in Rural Areas: A Focus on Sardinian Territory

Abstract

During the past decades the Italian rural landscape has undergone drastic alterations as a result of complex and contradictory transformation dynamics. This paper aims to investigate and evaluate these alterations in Sardinia, one of the most rural Italian regions. Land-use maps from different years were studied to identify the dominant rural landscape features of the region and the transformations they were subjected to over the course of time. The analysis investigates changes on three geographical scales: region, provinces, and "agrarian regions". An overall economic balance of landscape changes was calculated from the value ascribed to types of land use on the basis of the allowances (compensation for expropriation) provided by the local authorities (Provincial Commissions). This economic balance was considered in light of the regional policies which accompanied it. Results partially confirm the national and European general trend of loss of agricultural land when it is converted to new forms of exploitation. The analysis at different geographical scales has, in some cases, revealed data against the general trend, especially for some agricultural regions and for certain agricultural products. There is consistent with economic balance. This shows the need of a deep ex post evaluation of the effects of policies financed by regional and national community funds on the evolution of Sardinian landscapes.

GIScience and Historical Cartography for Evaluating Land Use Changes and Resulting Effects on Carbon Balance

“…Among the most important environmental consequences induced by land-use change from man is the loss of fertility [6], the modification of the surrounding rural landscape [7,8], and variation in atmospheric carbon dioxide [9]. The greatest loss in carbon storage per hectare results from the conversion of forests to cropland.…”

A Review of the Effects of Land-Use Change on Social Sustainability in an Emerging Economy

“…The former is concerned with changes in the mixed pattern of land-uses while the later involves changes in the intensity of use of a particular land majorly from underutilization to enhanced exploitation. The prevalent type of land-use change substantially documented in the body of literature is the change of agricultural and natural landscape to built-up areas (Braun, 2014;Balestrieri & Ganciu, 2018). However, changes in land-use also occur, especially in urban settings when land or building change from the original use it was zoned and intended for (Tomisi, Oluwatosin, & Samson, 2016).…”