Sustainable management of UNESCO landscapes
1
Di.S.Te.B.A., Università del Salento, Centro Ecotekne, Via Monteroni, 165, Lecce, LE - 73100, Italia
2
Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), Istituto di Analisi dei Sistemi e Informatica “Antonio Ruberti”, Via dei Taurini, 19, Roma, RM - 00185, Italia
3
NBFC, National Biodiversity Future Center, Piazza Marina, 61, Palermo, PA - 90133, Italia
Abstract
Through an integrated approach between tangible and intangible heritage, UNESCO landscapes should be managed to guarantee the maintenance of its socio-ecological values for future generations. The research aims at (1) analyzing the landscape dynamics from 1954 to 2023 of a study area including the Cerveteri UNESCO site, by comparing the UNESCO core and UNESCO buffer area with a landscape context which is characterized by high ecological and natural value (2) verifying the effects of the international recognition of the UNESCO site, in terms of landscape multifunctional stability, (3) building-up possible scenarios by identifying sustainable policies aimed at achieving a high level of socio-ecological connectivity between UNESCO area and its landscape context; (4) at last, an assessment of natural capital in monetary terms was carried out to quantify the benefits of goods and services provided by this multifunctional landscape.
The land-cover analysis of the study area and the identification and quantification of the areas characterized by socio-ecological stability have been carried out using QGIS software. The study area has shown a total land-cover change from 1954 to 2023 of 23.2%, while the UNESCO site has faced a higher land-cover change of 30.9%. The landscape change was stronger before the site nomination year (2004) in the UNESCO World Heritage List. Throughout the time range (1954-2023), the whole study area shows a change trend toward loss of natural capital: natural grasslands have been converted into croplands, tree cover mainly in croplands and built-up, so that built-up class has increased. Therefore, the loss of natural capital results in a decrease in ecosystem services provided. In addition, landscape metrics show higher fragmentation in the landscape UNESCO site than in the landscape context. Finally, some sustainable policies have been identified to foster the management and valorization of this multifunctional landscape.
Ecologia del Paesaggio ed analisi spaziale degli ecosistemi