Analisi della vegetazione del distretto minerario di Montevecchio (Sardegna sud-occidentale)

Montevecchio (SW-Sardinia) are presented. The statistic analysis of the relevés let to recognize 14 plant communities. The hygrophilous communities have been ascribed to the class Phragmito-Magnocaricetea, the hemicryptophytic mesohygrophilous ones to Juncetea maritimi, the therophytic to Tuberarietea guttatae and the hemicryptophytic mesoxerophilous to Lygeo-Stipetea. The most interesting vegetation types turned out to be the chamaephytic and nanophanerophytic ones, both kinds are belonging to sardo-corsican endemic alliances: Ptilostemono casabonae-Euphorbion cupanii and Teucrion mari, respectively. The first alliance comprises pebble vegetation with distinctive ecological preferences, as they are able to colonize substrata polluted by heavy metal, with low pH values. Within this alliance, 4 new associations have been recognized: Scrophularietum bicoloris, Dactylo hispanicae-Helichrysetum tyrrhenici, Mercurialido corsicae-Euphorbietum cupanii and Dauco maritimi-Dittrichietum viscosae, the latter with two subassociations (typicum and rumicetosum glaucescentis). As to the Teucrion mari, 1 new association and 1 subassociation have been described (Helichryso tyrrhenici-Genistetum sulcitanae and Stachydi glutinosae-Genistetum corsicae euphorbietosum cupanii), found on aged mining dumps, where the long abandonment made possible the beginning of the pedogenetic processes. The present study let to reconstruct the vegetation dynamics, that in the mining areas are clearly differing from the surrounding territory. It was possible to identify two special series, strictly related to these habitats and verging to the establishment of plant communities pertaining to the climatophilous series: the first is developing on coarse, hard-sloping debris, with very low water retention; the second is developing on fine-grained and coherent materials, found on flattened or gently-sloping sites, with high edaphic humidity. In wetlands, it was also possible to identify an edaphohygrophilous series and a geoseries of endoreic water bodies, not exclusive of the mining habitats

Urban and rural green infrastructure.Two projects for the metropolitan city of Rome

Create synergies between green infrastructure, urban and rural areas

Integration of vegetational and multitemporal analysis: a case study in the abandoned mine district of Montevecchio (South-Western Sardinia)

In this paper the authors analyse the land cover transformation in the mine district of Montevecchio, through the integration of vegetational and multitemporal landscape analysis. Por this purpose, three important dates (1955, 1977, 2000) of the district history have been considered and two different periods are analysed (1955-1977 and 1977-2000). Multitemporal analysis was carried out through thè study of aerial photographs which resulted in the production of three 1:10.000 land cover maps. Vegetational data were obtained through the phytosociological study of the area. The results show the evolution of the natural vegetation as general trend in the territory. Particular analysis was carried out on the mining areas (mining dumps, surface mines and tailing dams) to understand how much and how have been re-colonized by thè native vegetation. Por the mining dumps the main transformations are towards thè mediterranean maquis, the garrigue and thè corkoak woods. The surface mines was stable in the first period for 73.6% and thè main changes are due to the diffusion of naturai vegetation (e.g. to mediterranean maquis 14.7%). With regard to the tailing dams we observed an increase of stability (from 81.6% to 96.1%) together with a global increase of surface from 1955 to 2000. Therefore, thè integration of thè multitemporal and the vegetational analysis made possible to register a significant evolution of thè vegetation cover on incoherent and polluted materials in relatively short times

Mapping and assessment of ecosystems and their services. Urban ecosystems

Action 5 of the EU Biodiversity Strategy to 2020 requires member states to Map and Assess the state of Ecosystems and their Services (MAES). This report provides guidance for mapping and assessment of urban ecosystems. The MAES urban pilot is a collaboration between the European Commission, the European Environment Agency, volunteering Member States and cities, and stakeholders. Its ultimate goal is to deliver a knowledge base for policy and management of urban ecosystems by analysing urban green infrastructure, condition of urban ecosystems and ecosystem services. This report presents guidance for mapping urban ecosystems and includes an indicator framework to assess the condition of urban ecosystems and urban ecosystem services. The scientific framework of mapping and assessment is designed to support in particular urban planning policy and policy on green infrastructure at urban, metropolitan and regional scales. The results are based on the following different sources of information: a literature survey of 54 scientific articles, an online-survey (on urban ecosystems, related policies and planning instruments and with participation of 42 cities), ten case studies (Portugal: Cascais, Oeiras, Lisbon; Italy: Padua, Trento, Rome; The Netherlands: Utrecht; Poland: Poznań; Spain: Barcelona; Norway: Oslo), and a two-day expert workshop. The case studies constituted the core of the MAES urban pilot. They provided real examples and applications of how mapping and assessment can be organized to support policy; on top, they provided the necessary expertise to select a set of final indicators for condition and ecosystem services. Urban ecosystems or cities are defined here as socio-ecological systems which are composed of green infrastructure and built infrastructure. Urban green infrastructure (GI) is understood in this report as the multi-functional network of urban green spaces situated within the boundary of the urban ecosystem. Urban green spaces are the structural components of urban GI. This study has shown that there is a large scope for urban ecosystem assessments. Firstly, urban policies increasingly use urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions in their planning process. Secondly, an increasing amount of data at multiple spatial scales is becoming available to support these policies, to provide a baseline, and to compare or benchmark cities with respect to the extent and management of the urban ecosystem. Concrete examples are given on how to delineate urban ecosystems, how to choose an appropriate spatial scale, and how to map urban ecosystems based on a combination of national or European datasets (including Urban Atlas) and locally collected information (e.g., location of trees). Also examples of typologies for urban green spaces are presented. This report presents an indicator framework which is composed of indicators to assess for urban ecosystem condition and for urban ecosystem services. These are the result of a rigorous selection process and ensure consistent mapping and assessment across Europe. The MAES urban pilot will continue with work on the interface between research and policy. The framework presented in this report needs to be tested and validated across Europe, e.g. on its applicability at city scale, on how far the methodology for measuring ecosystem condition and ecosystem service delivery in urban areas can be used to assess urban green infrastructure and nature-based solutions

Infrastrutture verdi e benefici ambientali. Come integrare conservazione e recupero della biodiversità nella pianificazione territoriale delle aree metropolitane Green infrastructure and environmental benefits. How to combine biodiversity conservation and restoration with territorial planning in metropolitan areas

Le infrastrutture verdi (IV) urbane rappresentano un valido strumento per sostenere lo sviluppo sostenibile delle città, obiettivo strategico globale. Grazie ad una Strategia dedicata alle IV, derivata da quella per la Biodiversità al 2020, in Europa si dispone di un chiaro riferimento per il miglioramento della sostenibilità urbana e peri-urbana, in grado di stimolare l’effettiva inclusione di biodiversità e servizi ecosistemici nella pianificazione territoriale. Il contributo intende esplicitare la necessità di questa inclusione e fornire alcuni spunti per migliorane l’efficacia, a partire dall’importanza della qualità – oltre che della quantità- di specie e di ecosistemi e della connettività ecologica paesaggistica. Viene inoltre evidenziata l’importanza degli approcci interdisciplinari, in grado di esaltare le sinergie tra conservazione di specie ed ecosistemi e capacità di fornitura di molteplici servizi, risolvere eventuali conflitti e limitare compromessi dannosi per la biodiversità.Urban Green Infrastructure (GI) represents an effective tool for supporting sustainable development of cities, that is a strategic objective at the global level. Thanks to a GI Strategy, arising from that on Biodiversity to 2020, European countries dispose of a clear reference framework for addressing sustainability in urban and peri-urban areas, which is also useful for triggering the inclusion of biodiversity and ecosystem services into territorial planning. The need for such an inclusion, and some hints for enhancing its effectiveness, are delineated. In particular, the importance of species and ecosystem quality, besides quantity, and of landscape ecological connectivity is outlined. Moreover, the usefulness of multiple disciplinary skills to be involved in the planning and design processes is highlighted, in order to increase synergies between conservation targets and ecosystem service provision, to avoid and solve potential conflicts, and to reduce trade-offs impairing biodiversity

Ecological connectivity in agricultural green infrastructure. Suggested criteria for fine scale assessment and planning

In promoting biodiversity conservation and ecosystem service capacity, landscape connectivity is considered a critical feature to counteract the negative effects of fragmentation. Under a Green Infrastructure (GI) perspective, this is especially true in rural and peri-urban areas where a high degree of connectivity may be associated with the enhancement of agriculture multifunction-ality and sustainability. With respect to GI planning and connectivity assessment, the role of dispersal traits of tree species is gaining increasing attention. However, little evidence is available on how to select plant species to be primarily favored, as well as on the role of landscape heterogeneity and habitat quality in driving the dispersal success. The present work is aimed at suggesting a methodological approach for addressing these knowledge gaps, at fine scales and for peri-urban agricultural landscapes, by means of a case study in the Metropolitan City of Rome. The study area was stratified into Environmental Units, each supporting a unique type of Potential Natural Vegetation (PNV), and a multi-step procedure was designed for setting priorities aimed at enhancing connec-tivity. First, GI components were defined based on the selection of the target species to be sup-ported, on a fine scale land cover mapping and on the assessment of land cover type naturalness. Second, the study area was characterized by a Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and connectivity was assessed by Number of Components (NC) and functional connectivity metrics. Third, conservation and restoration measures have been prioritized and statistically validated. Not-withstanding the recognized limits, the approach proved to be functional in the considered context and at the adopted level of detail. Therefore, it could give useful methodological hints for the requal-ification of transitional urban–rural areas and for the achievement of related sustainable development goals in metropolitan regions