Assessing the impact of multiple drivers of land sensitivity to desertification in a Mediterranean country

0543538 - ÚVGZ 2022 RIV US eng J - Článek v odborném periodiku
Egidi, G. - Cividino, S. - Paris, E. - Palma, A. - Salvati, L. - Cudlín, Pavel
Assessing the impact of multiple drivers of land sensitivity to desertification in a Mediterranean country.
Environmental Impact Assessment Review. Roč. 89, JUL (2021), č. článku 106594. ISSN 0195-9255. E-ISSN 1873-6432
Výzkumná infrastruktura: CzeCOS III - 90123
Institucionální podpora: RVO:86652079
Klíčová slova: environmental degradation * combating desertification * socioeconomic contexts * soil degradation * water-resources * patterns * forest * expansion * systems * sprawl * Environmental indicators * Land sensitivity * Impact assessment * Diachronic analysis * Rural districts * Southern Europe
Obor OECD: Environmental sciences (social aspects to be 5.7)
Impakt faktor: 6.122, rok: 2021
Způsob publikování: Omezený přístup
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0195925521000445?via%3Dihub

Experiencing climate changes and increased human pressure, Mediterranean regions are considered representative hotspots of desertification. However, relatively few studies have been devoted to quantify the individual impact of different factors shaping land sensitivity to desertification in these contexts. Our study contributes to this deserving (positive and normative) issue with a diachronic analysis of the impact of multiple drivers of desertification risk on six indicators of land sensitivity based on the Environmentally Sensitive Area (ESA) approach. Indicators (average and maximum ESA score, coefficient of variation and normalized range in the ESA scores, share of 'fragile' and 'critical' areas in total landscape) were calculated in 777 rural districts of Italy at three time points (early-1960s, early-1990s, and early-2010s). Multivariate models were used to determine the impact of 12 predictors (climate, soil, vegetation, and land management quality) on each indicator of land sensitivity. Results of the analysis identified two non-redundant dimensions respectively associated with the average level of land sensitivity and its intrinsic variability across space. Impacts of climate and vegetation qualities on the level of land sensitivity were high, decreasing over time, and more intense respectively in Northern and Southern Italy. Impacts of soil and land management qualities were moderate, increasing over time, and involving almost all the country's area. Our study emphasizes the role of context-based measures promoting sustainable land management. The 'local' dimension proved to be crucial in any strategy of risk mitigation undertaken at disaggregated spatial scales.
Trvalý link: http://hdl.handle.net/11104/0320737