Participatory GIS in Mapping Ecosystem Services: Two Case Studies from High-Biodiversity Regions in Italy and Peru

Assessing ecosystem services (ES) and mapping their values are of paramount importance. Here we present two case studies where the participatory mapping of social values of landscape ecosystem services is used in territories with high levels of cultural and biological diversity (Adamello Brenta Natural Park in Italy and the Alto Mayo basin in the Western Amazon, Peru). A mixed-method approach combining social geography fieldwork (participatory mapping) and desk work (GIS analyses) is adopted to improve ES mapping by including multiple actors and to increase awareness. Mapping ecosystem services is not just a technical task; it also highlights social implications of the cartographic process, a key issue in human geography. By taking into account the controversial and multiple roles of maps, and by involving actors in attributing values and mapping their spatial relations to landscape and ES, it is possible to enrich technical knowledge with local knowledge

Sentinel-2 Data Analysis and Comparison with UAV Multispectral Images for Precision Viticulture

Precision viticulture (PV) requires the use of technologies that can detect the spatial and temporal variability of vineyards and, at the same time, allow useful information to be obtained at sustainable costs. In order to develop a cheap and easy-to-handle operational monitoring scheme for PV, the aim of this work was to evaluate the possibility of using Sentinel-2 multispectral images for long-term vineyard monitoring through the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). Vigour maps of two vineyards located in northeastern Italy were computed from satellite imagery and compared with those derived from UAV multispectral images; their correspondence was evaluated from qualitative and statistical points of view. To achieve this, the UAV images were roughly resampled to 10 m pixel size in order to match the spatial resolution of the satellite imagery. Preliminary results show the potential use of open source Sentinel-2 platforms for monitoring vineyards, highlighting links with the information given in the agronomic bulletins and identifying critical areas for crop production. Despite the large differences in spatial resolution, the results of the comparison between the UAV and Sentinel-2 data were promising. However, for long-term vineyard monitoring at territory scale, further studies using multispectral sensor calibration and groundtruth data are required

How can GIS support the evaluation and design of biodiverse agroecosystems and landscapes? Applying the Main Agroecological Structure to European agroecosystems

Agrobiodiversity plays a critical role in fostering the stability, resilience, and sustainability of European farming systems. Nonetheless, there is currently a lack of comprehensive methods to describe its spatial distribution within farms, its connectivity with the surrounding landscape, and, most crucially, how the perceptions and actions of human communities affect it. The Main Agroecological Structure (MAS) has recently been proposed as an environmental index aiming to tackle such challenges by promoting a dialogue between landscape ecology and agroecology, encompassing criteria that focus on both landscape parameters and cultural variables. Geographic information systems (GIS) can play a key role in the measurement of the index by leveraging public geodata and engaging with the direct participation of communities to map the territories they inhabit and cultivate. Nevertheless, their use in this context has not yet been studied. We propose here a new GIS-based approach for estimating the Main Agroecological Structure: landscape criteria are assessed through the hybrid use of free and open-source GIS tools, field samplings, and participative mapping methods; cultural parameters are evaluated through semi-structured interviews. Contextually to the definition of such methodological foundations, the present study tests the relevance of the index to European agroecological contexts by applying the proposed workflow to three Italian farms characterized by different territorial and organizational forms. Along with a few modifications to the original proposal, we highlight the relevance of GIS in making agrobiodiversity visible at a landscape level within the context of the index. We also suggest some potential future applications related to local empowerment and agroecosystem mapping

Zona Intangible Tagaeri Taromenane y Expansion de las Fronteras Hidrocarburifera

El Estado Ecuatoriano en 1999 se ha comprometido en delimitar una Zona Intangible para los pueblos en aislamiento Tagaeri Taromenane, que deber\ueda vedar \u201ca perpetuidad a todo tipo de actividad extractiva\u201d. Pero hay una movilidad de los pueblos en aislamiento y se asiste a una movilidad de la frontera petrolera. Este trabajo utilizando el papel de la escala (cartogr\ue1fica y geogr\ue1fica) y su implicaciones cognitivas ofrece un recorrido en cuatro miradas sobre lo que esta aconteciendo al redor, cerca, dentro la Zona Intangible, desde una visi\uf3n continental hasta el detalle de su historia y su perimetracion. Las herramientas cartogr\ue1fica y geogr\ue1fica nos ayudan a visualizar el hoy y imaginar el ma\uf1ana, sabiendo que el destino de este rinc\uf3n de la Amazonia no esta necesariamente definido: se trata de una regi\uf3n a elevada complexidad territorial con la potencialidad de articular una red entre \ue1reas protegidas, territorios ind\uedgenas y corredores ecol\uf3gicos culturales, recorriendo rutas alternativas de desarrollo local

Gestire o nascondere i conflitti socio-ambientali? La Social Licence to Operate nelle attività petrolifere dell’Amazzonia ecuadoriana

The main objective of this research was to critically examine the concept of Social Licence to Operate (SLO) in an oil concession of the Ecuadorian Amazon inhabited by indigenous villages. In this paper we present the qualitative data of the semi-structured interviews and the household survey with village residents. The main findings revealed the important role of the involvement of communities in the decision-making processes (procedural fairness), people’s perceptions of company’s socio-environmental impacts, the management of forms of protest and social services in the communities. Particularly, the results suggested that procedural fairness and the respect of communities’ right of self-determination are the basic requisite for the application of the SLO concept in the study area

Biotope Area Factor: An Ecological Urban Index to Geovisualize Soil Sealing in Padua, Italy

Over the last few years, soil sealing has been recognized as one of the major threats in terms of soil degradation and loss of ecosystem services. Although many efforts have been promoted to increase the awareness of safeguarding soil for stakeholders, its value as a non-renewable resource as well as soil-related services in urban ecosystems is not implemented enough in urban planning and policies. Due to the spatially explicit component and the geographical scale of soil sealing, mapping and quantifying the number of sealed surfaces is crucial. The aim of this paper was to estimate and geovisualize the soil sealed in the city of Padua (Italy) at a very detailed scale, testing the use of the Biotope Area Factor (BAF) index. Moreover, the paper aimed to simulate an alternative mitigation scenario in a specific study area of the city. Spatial analysis was performed testing the BAF index in a Geographic Information Sistem (GIS) environment and using aerial ortho-photos at very high resolution. The results show different values of the BAF index for all four neighborhoods from 0.35 to 0.69. In the mitigation scenario, the value of the BAF index was improved using a measure of green roofs. In conclusion, the paper provides an insightful case study for enriching the debate about soil sealing and gives scientific support for sustainable urban planning

Unburnable and Unleakable Carbon in Western Amazon: Using VIIRS Nightfire Data to Map Gas Flaring and Policy Compliance in the Yasun\ued Biosphere Reserve

In the Amazon Rainforest, a unique post-carbon plan to mitigate global warming and to protect the exceptional bio-cultural diversity was experimented in 2007\u20132013 by the Ecuadorian government. To preserve the rainforest ecosystems within the Yasun\ued-ITT oil block, the release of 410 million metric tons of CO2 would have been avoided. The neologism \u201cyasunization\u201d emerged as an Amazonian narrative on \u201cunburnable carbon\u201d to be replicated worldwide. Considering the unburnable carbon, petroleum-associated gas flaring represents the unleakable part. Flaring is an irrational practice that consists of burning waste gases, representing not only a leak of energy but also a pollution source. The general aim of the paper is to monitor gas flaring as a tool, revealing, at the same time, the implementation of environmental technologies in the oil sector and the compliance of sustainable policies in the Amazon region and the Yasun\ued Biosphere Reserve. Specific objectives are: (i) identifying and estimating gas flaring over seven years (2012\u20132018); (ii) mapping new flaring sites; iii) estimating potentially affected areas among ecosystems and local communities. We processed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Nightfire annual dataset, based on the elaboration of imagery from the Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) and developed a GIS-based novel simple method to identify new flaring sites from daily detections. We found that 23.5% of gas flaring sites and 18.4% of volumes of all oil industries operating in Ecuador are located within the Yasun\ued Biosphere Reserve (YBR). Moreover, we detected 34 additional flaring sites not included in the NOAA dataset\u201412 in the YBR and one in Tiputini field, a key area for biological and cultural diversity conservation. We also found that at least 10 indigenous communities, 18 populated centers and 10 schools are located in the potentially affected area. Gas flaring can be used as a policy indicator to monitor the implementation of sustainable development practices in complex territories

Costruire geo-competenze, apprendimento permanente, lavoro decente, quale ruolo per la GIScience e i Sistemi a Pilotaggio Remoto nella promozione degli obiettivi di sostenibilità al 2030?

La Geographic Information Science è stata considerata la “causa comune per la ricerca interdisciplinare” (Onsrud, Kuhn, 2015). Nell'era dei sistemi aerei a pilotaggio remoto, l’Università di Padova ha avviato con l’anno accademico 2015/2016 un nuovo master di secondo livello in “GIScience e Sistemi a Pilotaggio Remoto (SAPR) per la gestione integrata del territorio e delle risorse naturali”. Il master vede la collaborazione di cinque dipartimenti universitari, aziende che operano nel campo della GIScience e dei droni, ONG. Con il volume del 2016 Education for people and planet: Creating sustainable futures for all, l'UNESCO ha avviato il monitoraggio dell'obiettivo 4 dei Sustainable development goals: "Garantire l'educazione di qualità, inclusiva ed equa e promuovere opportunità di apprendimento permanente per tutti". In questo contributo si indagano, alla luce degli obiettivi di sostenibilità al 2030, le possibili integrazioni tra apprendimento permanente, lavoro decente, sviluppo sostenibile, innovazione tecnologica ed il ruolo della GIScience e delle opportunità di utilizzare la piattaforma offerta da un master di secondo livello per facilitare le interazioni tra giovani, imprese, territorio

Un MOOC sui GIS per i docenti universitari. Esperienza del progetto My Geo

MY GEO \ue8 un progetto europeo (Partenariati Strategici Erasmus Pus) il cui scopo \ue8 promuovere l'occupabilit\ue0 dei giovani attraverso l'acquisizione di competenze relative alla GIScience. Uno dei risultati del progetto \ue8 la diffusione dei GIS nella didattica universitaria, rivolgendosi ai docenti che intendono utilizzare la GIScience nella propria offerta formativa. Al fine di facilitare l\u2019adozione di strumenti della GIScience il progetto preparer\ue0 un MOOC (Massive Open Online Courses) rivolto ai docenti. UNED (Universidad Nacional de Educaci\uf2n a Distancia) ha redatto la prima proposta di MOOC che \ue8 stato discusso con diversi docenti nei paesi coinvolti nel progetto My Geo: Spagna, Belgio e Italia. Il MOOC proposto \ue8 costruito sul modello pedagogico di T-PACK (Hong Stonier, 2015; Rickles, Ellul, Haklay, 2017; Su et al., 2017). L'Universit\ue0 di Padova, coordinatrice del progetto, ha realizzato il confronto con i docenti italiani attraverso tre metodologie: focus group in presenza; interviste telefoniche individuali; questionari online. Sono stati contattati attraverso 3 solleciti mail 78 docenti, tra questi 22 hanno partecipato attivamente attraverso una delle tre metodologie previste. Il MOOC \ue8 stato ritenuto efficace ma allo steso tempo si propone che possa essere flessibile e adattato al background professionale del docente. Altri suggerimenti riguardano la struttura del MOOC: deve essere pedagogicamente significativo e capace di distinguersi da altri tutorial video gi\ue0 disponibili nel web, ogni argomento deve essere presentato in modo chiaro coinvolgendo il docente sin dall'inizio e offrendo casi di studio relativi al proprio insegnamento. Quasi tutti hanno affermato di essere interessati a utilizzare tale strumento a supporto della propria attivit\ue0 didattica; tuttavia si evidenzia come l\u2019acquisizione di competenze GIS sia un'attivit\ue0 che assorbe molto tempo ai docenti universitari

Rethinking the Urban Green Spaces by the Lens of GIScience: the Experience of the Project Living Urban Parks

In Italy, soil sealing is a major threats in terms of soil degradation and the loss of urban ecosystem services. The increase in new artificial surfaces or settlement areas at the expense of green and rural areas is intensifying the effects of climate change, in particular extreme weather events, such as the increase in intense precipitation and heatwaves. In this context, the Municipality of Padua is a paradigmatic case study. According to the Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (2022), almost 50% of the municipal territory is completely sealed, making it the Italian city with the fifth highest values of soil sealing. To contrast the phenomenon, the EU soil strategy for 2030 suggested, among other strategies, the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions, strengthened with the participation and involvement of non-expert actors to be more efficient and effective. This study was developed within the Living Urban Parks (LUP) project (Key Action 3, Erasmus + Programme EU) during two years of research and participatory activities (2020–2022) within the Municipality of Padua. It aims to involve youths aged 18–30 in a public process to reconceive of the urban green spaces of the city and to develop ideas and proposals for more sustainable urban planning, promoting participatory methodologies by using geographical tools (digital and traditional cartography). More than 400 participants were directly involved in the project. All the ideas and proposals mapped during the seminars and workshops have been uploaded to the geoplatform Geocitizen. This geotool is usable on smartphones and tablets and, thanks to its interactive features and a geodatabase, allows the collection of georeferenced ideas, good practices and urban issues regarding green areas and parks. By the end of the project, 118 points had been collected on Geocitizen. Beyond the Geocitizen platform, the participants had the opportunity to test other geotools, such as Geopaparazzi and Google Earth Pro. In addition, the participants were able to present their ideas collected on the platform and directly interact with the local decision-makers who were involved to discuss and promote effective and efficient actions for the enhancement of the green areas and urban parks of the city. The use of different geographic technologies combined with participatory mapping approaches allowed an increase in the knowledge of the urban territory by making people more aware of the issue of soil sealing and urban regeneration opportunities. Finally, LUP allowed to reconception and design of green spaces to promote the restoration of degraded and abandoned areas and to propose the implementation of Nature-Based Solutions