Documenting cultural heritage in an INSPIRE-based 3D GIS for risk and vulnerability analysis

Purpose: The study, within the Increasing Resilience of Cultural Heritage (ResCult) project, aims to support civil protection to prevent, lessen and mitigate disasters impacts on cultural heritage using a unique standardised-3D geographical information system (GIS), including both heritage and risk and hazard information. Design/methodology/approach: A top-down approach, starting from existing standards (an INSPIRE extension integrated with other parts from the standardised and shared structure), was completed with a bottom-up integration according to current requirements for disaster prevention procedures and risk analyses. The results were validated and tested in case studies (differentiated concerning the hazard and type of protected heritage) and refined during user forums. Findings: Besides the ensuing reusable database structure, the filling with case studies data underlined the tough challenges and allowed proposing a sample of workflows and possible guidelines. The interfaces are provided to use the obtained knowledge base. Originality/value: The increasing number of natural disasters could severely damage the cultural heritage, causing permanent damage to movable and immovable assets and tangible and intangible heritage. The study provides an original tool properly relating the (spatial) information regarding cultural heritage and the risk factors in a unique archive as a standard-based European tool to cope with these frequent losses, preventing risk

Il microcredito come strumento di riqualificazione dei sistemi socio-ecologici.

L’analisi dei sistemi ecologici può essere utile anche per la comprensione dei meccanismi di funzionamento dei sistemi socio-economici. Abbiamo messo a confronto struttura e funzioni del circuito microbico (microbial loop) con la struttura ed il funzionamento di alcuni circuiti economici locali, facendo in particolare riferimento al meccanismo del microcredito. Il processo di “riqualificazione” energetica della materia organica detritale, operata da detritivori e decompositori, è confrontabile con il meccanismo di riqualificazione economico-sociale che gli istituti micro finanziari operano sul tessuto sociale, concedendo piccoli prestiti a soggetti passivi incapaci di entrare nei circuiti economici del macromercato. Come il circuito microbico trasforma il carbonio organico detritale (non vivente) in biomassa microbica e quindi in “nuova energia” per i livelli trofici superiori, il microcredito rappresenta un meccanismo di ridistribuzione della risorsa economica (ripartizione delle risorse limitanti) per incrementare il potenziale economico di individui o piccoli gruppi di individui socialmente ed economicamente sotto-utilizzati, accrescendo in questo modo la loro efficienza e quella dell’intero sistema. Utilizzando come descrittori della struttura e stabilità degli ecosistemi la connettanza, la ridondanza e la diversità funzionale si sono identificate ulteriori potenzialità “sistemiche” del microcredito. Il microcredito, aumentando il numero di vie per gli scambi monetari tra individui (paragonabili agli scambi energetici fra i nodi di una rete trofica) e diversificando l’economia locale, mantenendo al contempo un’ elevata sostituibilità di beni e servizi, aumenta la stabilità della realtà socio-economica locale riducendone al contempo lavulnerabilità agli eventi estremi. L’analisi comparativa delle funzioni sistemiche di microcredito e circuito microbico evidenzia l’applicabilità del microcredito non solo come strumento chiave della mitigazione degli effetti dei disastri ex-post ma anche come strumento importante per la stabilizzazione preventiva dei sistemi economici potenzialmente soggetti a disastri naturali

Enhancing resistance and resilience to disasters with microfinance: Parallels with ecological trophic systems

Large sums of money are spent by humanitarian programs for disaster recovery world- wide each year. Though bringing relief to millions of victims in the immediate aftermath of a disaster, these efforts have produced mixed results in terms of sustainable disaster mitigation. One of the shortfalls has been the failure to invest adequately to support disaster risk reduction activities. To better understand how to increase human resistance and resilience to natural disasters, this paper explores parallels between social and ecological theories of disturbance. The authors do not introduce new research, or offer new substantive critiques of these approaches, but try to build new connections between core concepts of ecosystems theory and disaster risk reduction theory. The central argument is that, similar to certain trophic pathways (e.g. microbial loop) that can enhance ecosystems’ resistance and resilience to disturbances, microfinance programs used to foster disaster risk reduction strategies may significantly enhance humans’ ability to cope with natural hazards and disasters

Climate change effects on environment (marine, atmospheric and terrestrial) and human perception in an Italian Region (Marche) and the nearby northern Adriatic Sea.

An integrated analysis of recent climate change, including atmosphere, sea and land, as well as some of the impacts on society, has been conducted on the Marche Region in central Italy and the northern portion of the Adriatic Sea. The Marche Region is one of the 20 administrative divisions of Italy, located at a latitude approximately 43 North, with a total surface area of 9,366 km2 and 1,565,000 residents. The northern Adriatic Sea is the northernmost area of the Mediterranean Sea, and it has peculiar relevance for several aspects (environment, tourism, fisheries, economy). The collected environmental data included meteorological stations (daily maximum and minimum air temperature, daily precipitation), oceanographic stations (sea temperature, salinity, dissolved oxygen, nutrient salts concentration, chlorophyll) and river flows, over the last 50 years. The collected social data include 800 questionnaires and interviews carried out on selected samples of residents, decision-makers and emergency managers. These questionnaires and interviews aimed at highlighting the perception of climate change risks. The trend analysis of air temperature and precipitation data detailed an overall temperature increase in all seasons and rainfall decreases in Winter, Spring and Summer with Autumn increases, influencing river flow changes. Marine data showed a relevant warming of the water column in the period after 1990 in comparison with the previous period, particularly in the cold season. Surface salinity increased in Spring and Summer and strongly decreased in Autumn and Winter (according with the precipitation and river flow changes). These last mentioned changes, combined with anthropogenic effects, also influenced the marine ecosystems, with changes of nutrient salts, chlorophyll and dissolved oxygen. Changes in nutrient discharge from rivers influenced the average marine chlorophyll concentration reduction and the consequent average reduction of warm season hypoxic conditions. Indeed, all these changes influence several other aspects of the North Adriatic marine environment, such as coastal erosion, ecosystems, biological productivity, mucilage phenomena, harmful algal blooms, etc.. These impacts in the coastal areas are also evident inland. For example, the analysis of agro-meteorological extreme indices (aridity index, potential water deficit) suggests negative impacts in terms of soil deterioration and agricultural productivity, particularly evident in the area close to the coast. Finally, the analysis of social data revealed awareness among local residents of these impacts and associated risks connected to climate change. Yet, this awareness does not appear translated into long term adaptation plans. Apparently, the inability to define shared collective strategies is the result of a feeble sense of individual and institutional responsibility about climate matters, and ineffective information exchange among citizens, public administrators and the scientific community

A multidisciplinary study on the effects of climate change in the northern Adriatic Sea and the Marche region (central Italy)

An integrated analysis of recent climate change (including atmosphere, sea and land), and social reaction and adaptation, was conducted in central Italy and the northern portion of the Adriatic Sea. The collected environmental data included meteorological, oceanographic, and river gauges stations, covering the time period 1961–2009. Social data included 800 questionnaires and interviews carried out on selected samples of residents, decision-makers, and emergency managers. The trend analysis of air temperature data detailed an overall increase in all seasons, whereas rainfall data showed decrease in winter, spring, and summer, and increase in autumn, influencing river flow changes. Marine data showed a warming of the water column after the year 1990, particularly relevant in the cold season. Surface salinity increased in spring and summer and strongly decreased in autumn and also in winter (due to the spreading over the basin of the increased autumnal river runoff). These changes, combined with anthropogenic effects, appear to influence the northern Adriatic marine environment and ecosystems. Impacts in the coastal areas are also evident inland; the analysis of Aridity index, and potential water deficit, suggests negative impacts in terms of soil deterioration and agricultural productivity, particularly in the area near the coastline. At the same time, the analysis of social data revealed awareness among local residents of these impacts and associated risks connected to climate change. Yet, this awareness is not currently translated into preventive and protective actions; among the main reasons for this delay is also ineffective information exchange among citizens, public administrators, and the scientific community