Biosystems engineering techniques for habitat restoration in protected areas.

A rural landscape is the final result of the mutual interaction among several natural ecosystems with the artificial intervention of the Man, who transformed the rural land, joining the agricultural production needed for human life with the control and care of extra-urban territory. A rural landscape includes the physical elements of landforms, the hydrological components and transitory elements such as lighting and weather conditions, strictly connected with living elements of land cover including indigenous vegetation, flora and fauna, as well as their possible spontaneous way of organization into different ecosystems. Human elements include different forms of land use, buildings and other rural constructions, who play a central role in determining the formal and substantial characteristics of the extraurban landscape, influencing the agricultural environment and the visual perception of its landscape. Combining both their physical origins and the cultural overlay of human presence, often created over millennia, a rural landscape reflects a living synthesis of people and place that is vital to local and national identity, helping to define the self-image of the people who inhabit it, and a sense of place that differentiates one region from others. The diffusion of intensive agriculture, together with the expansion of urban areas and consequent enlargement of the anthropic activities onto the rural landscape, determined a general loss in wetland areas all over the World. Because of the high rate of wetland loss over the last century, it has become routine to mitigate these losses by designing and executing specific targeted technical interventions, i.e., building or restoring existing constructions able to create local micro-environment favourable for some amphibian and reptile species, restoring existing wetlands or constructing new artificial ones, etc. Several studies have demonstrated anyway the difficulty of replicating natural habitats when attempting to create suitable habitat for these species. In the present paper, the final results of an international Project – named: “ARUPA”, financed by the EU LIFE+ Programme – aimed to guarantee the survival and increase in the population of some species of amphibians and reptiles in a protected area, are reported. The actions of the project were taken in the natural protected area surrounding the City of Matera (one of the UNESCO site of the Basilicata Region – Southern Italy) that is an EU Community Interest Site and Special Protection Zone as well. During this Project, some biosystems engineering techniques were employed, through specific constructions for the conservation and re-inclusion of some endangered species. Among these constructions, some dry-stone walls were built or restored, as well as some artificial ponds were realized. Their engineering design and construction aspects, which would contribute to the preservation of the local rural landscape, are here reported and discussed

Farm Buildings as Drivers of the Rural Environment

Farm buildings play a central role in the sustainability of the rural environment. Conceived to host biological productions, the farm building constitutes indeed an unparalleled example in the wide epistemological construction sector. Due to its peculiar interactions with the indoor and outdoor built environment, it raises architectural and technical issues different from other buildings. The role that these buildings have historically played is strictly connected with the surrounding context, due to the need of the farmer to live in close contact with agricultural land and animal husbandry. Human activities have then decisively influenced the rural environment as well as the visual perception of its landscape. The increasing sensitivity to the concept of sustainable development of the built environment is currently stimulating the valorization of farm buildings. In the present review paper, a general literature analysis of the peculiarity of farm buildings and their internal and external environmental conditions is presented. Several cases of survey, reuse and valorization of farm buildings around the world are reported as well, with special attention being paid to Southern Italy, where the results are extrapolated or generalized to other regions. Focus is also given to the wider opportunities enabled by the implementation of new technologies for the survey, analysis and planning of the interactions between farm buildings and the rural environment. The main conclusions are that farm buildings play a driving role in the rural environment, thanks to the ecological function they perform, as well as to their socioeconomic and cultural heritage at the base of the rural development

Use of traditional material in farm buildings for a sustainable rural environment

AbstractThe recent increase in the sensitivity about the concept of sustainable development is stimulating the valorisation of the locally available material for agricultural construction, both for housing purpose and for some single components. This traditional building technique has indeed interesting consequences on the rural landscape perception – since the color is similar to the countryside surroundings – as well as on the agricultural environment – this material being, at the end of its useful life, recyclable in the same context. Traditional material could be employed in other agricultural components, e.g. for food aging, a technique used since Roman times, involving the use of earthenware amphorae, buried in the soil and used for storing wine and oil. In the present paper, the most diffused traditional building materials currently rediscovered are analyzed, focusing on their utilization opportunities. One of the most interesting traditional construction material is the sun-dried earth brick, made of raw clay soil (so-called, "adobe"), often improved by the addition of fibers to control cracking while drying in the sun. After a general overview about the diffusion of earthen construction within agriculture, the results of experimental tests on adobe bricks reinforced with a natural fiber – Spanish Broom (Spartium junceum L.) – are reported

Micro-climatic effect of plastic nets for crop protection in greenhouse.

Excessive levels of solar radiation may negatively influence crop growth, with sunburns or other possible crop damages, while increasing the internal greenhouse temperature above levels that are tolerable for plants and workers. In order to control hot air temperature inside a greenhouse, one of the most common solutions traditionally employed by growers in Southern Europe is whitening the external side of its cladding material, by painting it with liquid calcium carbonate. More recently, the use of plastic shading nets is progressively affirming, thanks to their cheaper price and some improved technical characteristics that enable them to act as a “passive” tool for controlling internal microclimate and produce suitable environmental conditions. A comparative analysis between a plastic net and a traditional whitening technique, aimed to critically assess the efficacy of the two different shading methods to modify and control the internal microclimate inside a plastic-covered greenhouse, is presented in this paper. A trial was carried out in Pontecagnano (Southern Italy), where one small-scale tunnel was shaded with a plastic net characterized by 60% of shade effect, while another identical small-scale tunnel was whitened with liquid calcium carbonate on the external side of the cladding plastic film. The radiometrical characteristics both of the plastic net and the whitened film were determined in the laboratory of the SAFE School of the University of Basilicata (Italy). The results obtained through these experimental trails enabled a comparative analysis of the performances of the two tested shading methods, confirming the relationship among the shading conditions and the transmittance in the solar range, highlighting the role that a correct solution may play on the final results in terms of crop protection from high temperatures and sunburns

Vernacular farm buildings in landscape planning: a typological analysis in a southern Italian region

Farm buildings play a central role in the environmental characteristics of agricultural land. Over the centuries they have accompanied the development of the agricultural activities of man who has thereby been able to breed cattle, to grow and yield crops, and to store, transform and process agricultural products in a functional and efficient way. Farm buildings have allowed man to work in intensive conditions unaffected by the external climate. On the other hand, constructions built by farmers marked their territory, influencing and steering the spontaneous development of nature while leading to production that enabled man to get food. In the present paper, a typological analysis of farm buildings was conducted with reference to the Basilicata region, a southern Italian region rich in a history and culture connected with its traditional agricultural vocation, where rural houses still remain as witnesses to the social and cultural changes that have taken place over the years. Vernacular farm buildings, synthesizing in their architectural expression the culture, traditions and ways of life of generations of rural populations, were identified, analyzed and typologically classified all over the regional land. The results showed that many of the vernacular farm buildings visited are now abandoned; the technical survey often showed a situation of structural and functional degradation that makes their restoration difficult and expensive. Possible ways of reuse, making their recovery more economically profitable are, therefore, analyzed and discussed

Ancient roads in Southern Italy: an hypothesis of requalification for the valorization of the rural landscape.

The rural heritage of a specific area represents the form that man has been able to give to its surrounding landscape. Over the centuries, in many European rural areas, roads have lost their traditional design motivation. Their requalification, in the framework of a sustainable development of rural areas, can be an important way for the protection of the landscape. Through the provision of new alternative activities, compatible with the particular nature of the environment, new opportunities for a sustainable preservation of the environment are possible. The “Francigena Way" is a combination of arterial roads dating back to the Roman era. The “Herculia Way" is part of the “Francigena Way" that was built in southern Italy. The aim of this research is to study a possible requalification of a part of the Herculia Way. Some ancient paths, known as “tratturi” (sheep-tracks) and small royal tratturi, in some measure still existing, have been identified and located on historical maps. One of these paths has been chosen for the present analysis; different surveys have allowed us to identify some rural buildings along its route, with a significant architectonical, historical and landscape value. The hypothesis of a structural and functional recovery through their maintenance and restoration will help the sustainable protection and enhancement of the landscape

Ancient roads in Southern Italy: an hypothesis of requalification for the valorization of the rural tourism.

The current rural heritage in a specific area represents the form that the man has been able to give to his surroundings. Over the centuries, in many European rural areas, the roads have lost their traditional design motivation. Their requalification in the framework of a sustainable development of the rural areas can be an important way for a sustainable development of rural tourism. It could pass through the valorization of route-based itineraries designed on some ancient roads, as those built in Europe by the Romans or during the middle-age for religious pilgrimages. The “Francigena Way" is a combination of arterial roads dating back to the roman epoch; the “Herculia Way" is a part of the “Francigena Way" that was built in Southern Italy. In this paper the possible requalification of a part of the Herculia Way has been hypotized. Some ancient paths, known as “tratturi” (sheep-tracks) and small royal tratturi, partly still existing, have been detected and located on historical maps, for a possible structural and functional restore, with the creation of a route that could be run along by walking, by bicycle or on horseback. This redevelopment could contribute to the protection and enhancement of the rural landscape elements examined, to the sustainable management of the environment and the enhancement of rural history and, more generally, to the promotion of rural tourism

Integrating remote-sensed and historical geodata to assess interactions between rural buildings and agroforestry land

The rural built heritage constitutes a unique example, due to architectural and technical issues, which plays a central role in the formation of rural landscape. In this research, interactions between rural buildings and the surrounding land have been examined. Two case studies exemplifying some of typical dynamics of some internal mountain areas of Mediterranean region have been considered. These areas are located in Basilicata Region (Southern Italy) and suffer from land and rural buildings heritage abandonment, as well as from the concurrent disappearance of agroforestry systems with high ecological value. A multi-chronological geo-database incorporating different land cover datasets over a period of 62 years (1955–1988–2008–2017) has been implemented into a GIS to assess relationships between some rural buildings and the surrounding land have been then assessed. This has been achieved by integrating different types of remote-sensed geodata: historical aerial photos, digital orthophotos and satellite images. The analyses carried out have shown that the intensity of land abandonment can also be related to the type of rural building and prevalent agricultural activity. Moreover, thanks to this methodology, it has been possible to produce several spatial information useful to support public decisionmakers at different level

Multi-temporal analysis of vernacular farm buildings and rural landscape through historical cartography and 3-D GIS

Farm buildings, designed over the centuries in order to fulfil their primary agricultural goal, now often constitute a widespread heritage of vernacular constructions, endowed with an unreplaceable architectural value. Together with the concurrent action of natural events, human interventions and changes in natural cycles, they play indeed a central role in shaping the rural landscape. In this paper, thanks to the use of a Geographic Information System in which historical cartography, aerial photos and other ancillary dataset have been implemented, the land use of the area of “Monte Vulture and Monticchio lakes” and its environmental components have been investigated through a 3-D modelling of the relevant rural landscape and its main features. This area, located in the Basilicata Region (southern Italy), is one territory with a great scenic interest, having been recognized as a landscape heritage thanks to some specific cultural and historical elements. This rural landscape also includes – similar as many other Italian rural landscapes - some vernacular constructions having a high historical and architectural value, that have contributed to create this traditional rural landscape. The analysis has involved a multi-temporal comparison of the vernacular constructions located in the study area, so as to evaluate the built heritage evolution in the framework of its rural landscape, as well as its interactions with the surrounding territory. With this aim, the historical reconstruction of the landscape before and after the year 1900 has been conducted through implementing digital terrain models enriched by draping land cover pictures over them. The results which have been obtained enabled an evaluation in a scenic way of the morphological and vegetation variations during time of the rural landscape, allowing a virtual “time jump” back to periods when digital aerial photography was not yet existing. Thanks to these new technologies, able to exploit information included into old cartographic supports, some suitable tools have been then developed, skilled to support the sustainable planning and management of rural built heritage, enabling an analysis of their possible valorisation for cultural tourism purposes as well

Analysis of the effects of agricultural land use change on rural environment and landscape through historical cartography and GIS tools

The human activities and the social and economic transformations occurred during the last century led modifications in the agro-forestry areas. This paper shows a study case study in which the dynamics of land use are analysed using a geographic information system applied to historical maps in order to evaluate the consequences of these land transformations over the last 179 years on the rural environment and landscape. The use of three-dimensional reconstructions, obtained through the creation of different digital terrain model, has allowed to appreciate the landscape modifications, in term of morphological and vegetation variation, determining its aesthetic quality. The analysis shows a common dynamic present in many rural areas of Southern Italy, i.e., the increase of agricultural areas replacing forested surfaces in an older period followed by the further phenomenon of spontaneous re-naturalisation of many of these areas, due to the abandonment of extensive cultivated areas. Moreover, through comparison with historical documents, it was possible to analyse how the agricultural activities influenced the quality of the forest ecosystem. The methodology employed in this study allows a detailed analysis of the processes that occurred in different rural context and the creation of appropriate tools for sustainable land management