16 research outputs found
Application of vegetation index time series to value fire effect on primary production in a Southern European rare wetland
Fire disturbance is an intrinsic component of the Mediterranean biome playing an important role in ecosystem dynamics and processes. However, frequent and severe anthropogenic wildfires can be detrimental to natural ecosystems, particularly in small natural protected areas, where they may hamper the flow of ecosystem services (ES). While post-fire dynamics of individual ES are heavily context-dependent, the primary productivity of the ecosystem can be regarded as a generic driver of several provisioning and regulating ES, as it represents the amount of energy available to plants for storage, growth, and reproduction, which drives future ecosystem structure and functions. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of anthropogenic wildfire on the primary productivity of a rare wetland ecosystem in the Natura 2000 site \u201cTorre Guaceto\u201d in Southern Europe. Productivity was estimated by calculating a 15-year time series of vegetation indices (EVI and NDWI)from remotely sensed MODIS imagery. Our results in terms of PP trends may be relevant to assess the change in ecosystems services provided by wetlands. Interactions between wildfire, ecosystem productivity and climate were then analyzed. During the selected period, climate did not play a significant effect on primary productivity, which was mainly driven by post-fire vegetation recovery. Findings of the present study demonstrate that the wildfire affecting the Natural Protected Area of Torre Guaceto in summer 2007 had a major effect on primary productivity, inducing the regeneration of Phragmites australis and the replacement of old individuals by structurally and functionally better ones
Key fundamental aspects for mapping and assessing ecosystem services: Predictability of ecosystem service providers at scales from local to global
How an apparent static and ordered landscape condition in social ecological landscapes (SELs), can be made sustainable in terms of maintenance and improvement of the provision of ecosystem services (ESs) in face of unpredictable disturbance and change? Our contribution to the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services (MAES) working group is to advance some recommendations on how to approach the dynamic analysis of complex adaptive systems to improve ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and the delivery of ESs. We show exemplary cases where we utilize the NDVI provided by remote sensing to evaluate land cover transformations and processes and ES provisioning. We focus on NDVI because it allows the supply of information on net primary production, i.e., the energetic foundation of nearly all ecosystems and that provides the basis of most of ESs. The use of spectral entropy, and nonlinear analysis of spatial temporal dynamics to investigate trajectory predictability of SELs provide very useful insight into the dynamics of SELs and can assist in the characterization of the links between land cover patterns with ecological processes to support more reliable assessments and accountings of ESs
GIS analysis of land-use change in threatened landscapes by Xylella fastidiosa
Land-use/land-cover analysis using Geographic Information System (GIS) application can
describe and quantify the transformation of the landscape, evaluating the effectiveness of municipal
planning in driving urban expansion. This approach was applied in the municipality of Spongano
(Salento, South Italy) in order to evaluate the spatial heterogeneity and the transformations of
the land use/land cover from 1988 to 2016. This approach was also used to examine the spread
of Xylella fastidiosa, which is a plant pathogen of global importance that is reshaping the Salento
landscape. The land-use maps are based on the CORINE Land Cover project classification, while
the topological consistency was verified through field surveys. A change detection analysis was
carried out using the land-use maps of 1988 and 2016. The most extensive land-use class is olive
groves (34–36%), followed by non-irrigated arable lands and shrub and/or herbaceous vegetation
associations. The main transition of land involved non-irrigated arable lands, which lost 76 ha and
23 ha to shrub and olive areas, respectively. Meanwhile, the artificial surfaces class doubled its
extension, which involved mainly the transition from shrub and heterogeneous agricultural areas.
However, the olive groves class is threatened by the dramatic phytosanitary condition of the area,
indicating a compromised agroecosystem, which is causing a de facto transition into unproductive
areas. The results highlight the inconsistency between what was planned by the urban plan in the
past and how the landscape of Spongano has been changed over time. This evidence suggests that it
is necessary to develop a plan based on learning by doing, in order to shape and adapt the processes
of territorial transformation to the unpredictability of the ecologic, social, and economic systems,
as well as ensure that these processes are always focused on environmental issues
KEY FUNDAMENTAL ASPECTS FOR MAPPING AND ASSESSING ECOSYSTEM SERVICES: PREDICTABILITY OF ECOSYSTEM SERVICE PROVIDERS AT SCALES FROM LOCAL TO GLOBAL.
How an apparent static and ordered landscape condition in social ecological landscapes (SELs), can be made sustainable in terms of maintenance and improvement of the provision of ecosystem services (ESs) in face of unpredictable disturbance and change? Our contribution to the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services (MAES) working group is to advance some recommendations on how to approach the dynamic analysis of complex adaptive systems to improve ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and the delivery of ESs. We show exemplary cases where we utilize the NDVI provided by remote sensing to evaluate land cover transformations and processes and ES provisioning. We focus on NDVI because it allows the supply of information on net primary production, i.e., the energetic foundation of nearly all ecosystems and that provides the basis of most of ESs. The use of spectral entropy, and nonlinear analysis of spatial temporal dynamics to investigate trajectory predictability of SELs provide very useful insight into the dynamics of SELs and can assist in the characterization of the links between land cover patterns with ecological processes to support more reliable assessments and accountings of ESs.</p
A conceptual framework to design green infrastructure: Ecosystem services as an opportunity for creating shared value in ground photovoltaic systems
This paper presents a conceptual framework that looks at photovoltaic systems in synergy with ecosystem services. The focus is to connect business success with social and ecological progress based on the operative concept of multifunctional land use. Such an approach attempts to harmonise the needs of the industrial processes of photovoltaic systems and the ecological and social needs of the landscape context. Dierent from the usual design of ground photovoltaic systems in farmlands or brownfields, a new framework is proposed, combining photovoltaic panels and vegetation. A case study is considered, applying the framework to existing photovoltaic systems in the Apulia region (southern Italy). The analysis shows how the framework has, among others, the major functions of increasing solar energy production, recycling wastewater, creating raw material for biofuel, as well as providing animal habitat and mitigating air temperature. The latter is preliminarily evaluated by means of modelling simulations performed with a computational fluid dynamics and microclimate model, ENVI-met. This approach opens up a new vision of the infrastructure design of photovoltaic systems which can produce new social and economic income
Key fundamental aspects for mapping and assessing ecosystem services: predictability of ecosystem service providers at scales from local to global
How an apparent static and ordered landscape condition in social ecological landscapes (SELs), can be made sustainable in terms of maintenance and improvement of the provision of ecosystem services (ESs) in face of unpredictable disturbance and change? Our contribution to the Mapping and Assessment of Ecosystem Services (MAES) working group is to advance some recommendations on how to approach the dynamic analysis of complex adaptive systems to improve ecosystem resilience, habitat connectivity and the delivery of ESs. We show exemplary cases where we utilize the NDVI provided by remote sensing to evaluate land cover transformations and processes and ES provisioning. We focus on NDVI because it allows the supply of information on net primary production, i.e., the energetic foundation of nearly all ecosystems and that provides the basis of most of ESs. The use of spectral entropy, and nonlinear analysis of spatial temporal dynamics to investigate trajectory predictability of SELs provide very useful insight into the dynamics of SELs and can assist in the characterization of the links between land cover patterns with ecological processes to support more reliable assessments and accountings of ESs