Skip to main content

Advertisement

SpringerLink
Log in

The Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Land Degradation Dynamics: A Mediterranean Case Study

  • Published:
Environmental Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

In the last decades, due to climate changes, soil deterioration, and Land Use/Land Cover Changes (LULCCs), land degradation risk has become one of the most important ecological issues at the global level. Land degradation involves two interlocking systems: the natural ecosystem and the socio-economic system. The complexity of land degradation processes should be addressed using a multidisciplinary approach. Therefore, the aim of this work is to assess diachronically land degradation dynamics under changing land covers. This paper analyzes LULCCs and the parallel increase in the level of land sensitivity to degradation along the coastal belt of Sardinia (Italy), a typical Mediterranean region where human pressure affects the landscape characteristics through fires, intensive agricultural practices, land abandonment, urban sprawl, and tourism concentration. Results reveal that two factors mainly affect the level of land sensitivity to degradation in the study area: (i) land abandonment and (ii) unsustainable use of rural and peri-urban areas. Taken together, these factors represent the primary cause of the LULCCs observed in coastal Sardinia. By linking the structural features of the Mediterranean landscape with its functional land degradation dynamics over time, these results contribute to orienting policies for sustainable land management in Mediterranean coastal areas.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Alves FL, Silva CP, Pinto P (2007) The Assessment of Coastal Zone Development at a Regional Level—the case study of the Portuguese Central Area. Journal of Coastal Research SI50:72–76

    Google Scholar 

  • Bajocco S, Ricotta C (2008) Evidence of selective burning in Sardinia (Italy): Which land cover classes do wildfires prefer? Landscape Ecology 23:241–248

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bajocco S, Rosati L, Ricotta C (2010) Knowing fire incidence through fuel phenology: a remotely sensed approach. Ecological Modelling 221:59–66

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bajocco S, Salvati L, Ricotta C (2011) Land degradation vs. fire: a spiral process? Progress in Physical Geography 35:3–18

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Balabanis P, Peter D, Ghazi A, Tsogas M (2000) Mediterranean desertification research results and policy implications. Proceedings of the international conference, Nov 1996. European Commission, Luxemburg

  • Basso F, Bove E, Dumontet S, Ferrara A, Pisante M, Quaranta G, Taberner M (2000) Evaluating environmental sensitivity at the basin scale through the use of geographic information systems and remotely sensed data: an example covering the Agri basin—Southern Italy. Catena 40:19–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bonet A (2004) Secondary succession of semi-arid Mediterranean old-fields in south-eastern Spain: insights for conservation and restoration of degraded lands. Journal of Arid Environments 56(2):213–233

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bossard M, Feranec J, Otahel J (2000) CORINE land cover technical guide—addendum 2000. Technical Report No. 40. European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, p 105

  • Brandt J (2005) Land degradation information system to support National Action Programmes in the Mediterranean (DISMED). DIS4ME, Land degradation Indicator System for Mediterranean Europe. www.unibas.it/desertnet/dis4me/using_dis4me/dismed.htm. Accessed Aug 2010

  • Burke SM, Thornes JB (2004) A thematic review of EU Mediterranean desertification research in Frameworks III and IV: preface. Advances in Environmental Monitoring and Modelling 1:1–14

    Google Scholar 

  • Buttner G, Feranec J, Jaffrain G (2002) CORINE land cover update. I&CLC2000 project. European Environment Agency. Technical Guidelines, p 56

  • Büttner G, Maucha G (2006) The thematic accuracy of Corine land cover 2000. Assessment using LUCAS (land use/cover area frame statistical survey). Technical report 7. European Environment Agency, Copenhagen. http://reports.eea.europa.eu/technical_report_2006_7/en. Accessed Mar 2012

  • Conacher AJ, Sala M (1998) Land degradation in Mediterranean environments of the world. Wiley, Chichester

    Google Scholar 

  • D’Angelo M, Enne G, Madrau S, Percich S, Previtali F, Pulina G, Zucca C (2000) Mitigating land degradation in Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral systems: a GIS-based approach. Catena 40:37–49

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Drake NA, Vafeidis A (2003) Review of spatial and temporal methods for assessing land degradation in the Mediterranean. Advances in Environmental Monitoring and Modelling 1:1–51

    Google Scholar 

  • EEA (2007) CLC2006 technical guidelines. Technical report 17/2007. European Environmental Agency, p 66

  • Enne G, Pulina G, D’Angelo M, Previtali F, Madrau S, Caredda S, Francesconi AH (2002) Agropastoral activities and land degradation: the case study of Sardinia. In: Thornes J, Brandt J, Geeson N (eds) Mediterranean desertification—a mosaic of processes and responses. Wiley, Chichester, pp 71–82

    Google Scholar 

  • European Environmental Agency (2006) The changing faces of Europe’s coastal areas. European Environment Agency, Report No. 6/2006, Copenhagen, p 107

  • Feranec J, Jaffrain G, Soukup T, Hazeu G (2010) Determining changes and flows in European landscapes 1990–2000 using CORINE land cover data. Applied Geography 30:19–35

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiori M, Motroni A, Duce P, Spano D (2004) A daily water balance estimate for climate risk evaluation at a local scale. Acta Horticulturae, vol 664. ISHS. IV international symposium on irrigation of horticultural crops

  • Freire S, Santos T, Tenedorio JA (2009) Recent urbanization and land use/land cover change in Portugal the influence of coastline and coastal urban centers. Journal of Coastal Research Special Issue 56:1499–1503

    Google Scholar 

  • Geist HJ, Lambin EF (2004) Dynamic causal patterns of desertification. Bioscience 54:817–829

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Giordano F, Marini A (2008) A landscape approach for detecting and assessing changes in an area prone to desertification in Sardinia (Italy). International Journal of Navigation and Observation. doi:10.1155/2008/549630

  • Harrington GN (1981) Grazing arid and semiarid pastures. In: Morley FHW (ed) Grazing animals. Elsevier, Amsterdam, pp 181–201

    Google Scholar 

  • Hawkes JC (2004) A review of European Union funded research into Mediterranean desertification processes. Advances in Environmental Monitoring and Modelling 1:1–39

    Google Scholar 

  • Incerti G, Feoli E, Giovacchini A, Salvati L, Brunetti A (2007) Analysis of bioclimatic time series and their neural network-based classification to characterize drought risk patterns in south Italy. International Journal of Biometeorology 51:253–263

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Jansen LJM, Di Gregorio A (2004) Land Cover Classification System: Basic concepts, main software functions and overview of the ‘‘land system’’ approach. In: Groom G (ed) Developments in strategic landscape monitoring for the Nordic countries. Nordic Council of Ministers of Environment. ANP 2004/705:64–73

  • Kosmas C, Kirkby M, Geeson N (1999) Manual on key indicators of desertification and mapping environmental sensitive areas to desertification. Directorate General, European Commission, Bruxelles. http://www.kcl.ac.uk/projects/desertlinks/downloads/publicdownloads/ESA%20Manual.pdf. Accessed Aug 2010

  • Kosmas C, Danalatos NG, Gerontidis S (2000a) The effect of land parameters on vegetation performance and degree of erosion under Mediterranean conditions. Catena 40:3–17

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kosmas C, Gerontidis S, Marathianou M (2000b) The effect of land use change on soil and vegetation over various lithological formations on Lesvos. Catena 40:51–68

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Lambin EF, Turner BL, Geist HJ, Agbola SB, Angelsen A, Bruce JW, Coomes OT, Dirzo R, Fischer G, Folke C, George PS, Homewood K, Imbernon J, Leemans R, Li XB, Moran EF, Mortimore M, Ramakrishnan PS, Richards JF, Skanes H, Steffen W, Stone GD, Svedin U, Veldkamp TA, Vogel C, Xu JC (2001) The causes of land-use and land-cover change: moving beyond the myths. Global Environmental Change: Human and Policy Dimensions 11:261–269

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lavado Contador JF, Schnabel S, Gómez Gutiérrez A, Pulido Fernández M (2009) Mapping sensitivity to land degradation in Extremadura, SW Spain. Land Degradation and Development 20:129–144

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Leemans R, Zuidema G (1995) Evaluating changes in land-cover and their importance for global change. Trends in Ecology and Evolution 10:76-81

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Maitima JM, Mugathal SM, Reid RS, Gachimbi LN, Majule A, Lyaruu H, Pomery D, Mathai S, Mugisha S (2009) The linkages between land use change, land degradation and biodiversity across East Africa. African Journal of Environmental Science and Technology 3(10):310–325

    Google Scholar 

  • Marathianou M, Kosmas C, Gerontidis S, Detsis V (2000) Land-use evolution and degradation in Lesvos (Greece): a historical approach. Land Degradation and Development 11(1):63–73

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Margaris NS (1992) Primary sector and environment in the Aegean. Environmental Management 16(5):569–574

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) (2005a) Ecosystems and human well-being: synthesis. World Resources Institute. Island Press, Washington, DC

  • Millennium Ecosystem Assessment (MEA) (2005b) Ecosystems and human well-being: desertification synthesis. World Resources Institute, Washington, DC

    Google Scholar 

  • Montanarella L (2007) Trends in land degradation in Europe. In: Sivakumar MV, N’Diangui N (eds) Climate and land degradation. Springer, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Otto R, Krusi BO, Kienast F (2007) Degradation of an arid coastal landscape in relation to land use changes in southern Tenerife (Canary Islands). Journal of Arid Environments 70:527–539

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Perdigao W, Christensen S (2000) The LaCOAST atlas: land cover changes in European coastal zones. Joint Research Centre, Ispra

    Google Scholar 

  • Pérez-Trejo F (1994) Desertification and land degradation in the European Mediterranean, EUR 14850 EN. Report prepared for the Commission of the European Communities, Brussels

  • Reynolds JF, Stafford Smith M (eds) (2002) Global desertification: Do humans cause deserts?. Dahlem University Press, Berlin

    Google Scholar 

  • Romm J (2011) Desertification: the next dust bowl. Nature 478:450–451

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Salvati L, Bajocco S (2011) Land sensitivity to desertification across Italy: past, present, and future. Applied Geography 31(1):223–231

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salvati L, Zitti M (2005) Land degradation in the Mediterranean basin: linking bio-physical and economic factors into an ecological perspective. Biota 5:67–77

    Google Scholar 

  • Salvati L, Zitti M (2008) Regional convergence of environmental variables: empirical evidences from land degradation. Ecological Economics 68:162–168

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salvati L, Zitti M (2009) Assessing the impact of ecological and economic factors on land degradation vulnerability through multiway analysis. Ecological Indicators 9:357–363

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Salvati L, Macculi F, Toscano S, Zitti M (2007) Comparing indicators of intensive agriculture from different statistical sources. Biota 8:51–60

    Google Scholar 

  • Santini M, Caccamo G, Laurenti A, Noce S, Valentini R (2010) A multicomponent GIS framework for desertification risk assessment by an integrated index. Applied Geography 30(3):394–415

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sivakumar MVK (2007) Interactions between climate and land degradation. Agriculture and Forest Meteorology 142:143–155

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Sluiter R, de Jong SM (2007) Spatial patterns of Mediterranean land abandonment and related land cover transitions. Landscape Ecology 22:559–576

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Symeonakis E, Drake N (2004) Monitoring desertification and land degradation over sub-Saharan Africa. International Journal of Remote Sensing 25:573–592

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Symeonakis E, Calvo-Cases A, Arnau-Rosalen E (2007) Land use change and land degradation in southeastern Mediterranean Spain. Environmental Management 40:80–94

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thornes JB (2004) Stability and instability in the management of Mediterranean desertification. In: Wainwright J, Mulligan M (eds) Environmental modelling: findings implicity in complexity. Wiley, Chichester, pp 303–315

    Google Scholar 

  • UNEP (1994) United Nations Convention to combat desertification in those countries experiencing serious drought and/or desertification, particularly Africa. UNEP, Geneva

    Google Scholar 

  • Valentine JF (1990) Grazing management. Academic Press, San Diego

    Google Scholar 

  • Wilson G, Juntti M (2005) Unravelling desertification: policies and actor networks in southern Europe. Wageningen Academic Publishers, Wageningen

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Thanks are due to T. Ceccarelli (CRA-CMA) who provided technical support and critical reading of the manuscript. Authors of this paper were partly financed by ‘Agroscenari’ project (research unit 6a) funded by the Italian Ministry of Agricultural and Forestry Policies.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Unit for Climatology and Meteorology in Agriculture (CRA-CMA), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via del Caravita 7a, 00186, Rome, RM, Italy

    S. Bajocco, A. De Angelis & L. Perini

  2. Department of Crop Science, University of Basilicata, Via dell’Ateneo Lucano, Potenza, PZ, Italy

    A. Ferrara

  3. Centre for Soil-Plant Relationships (CRA-RPS), Italian National Agricultural Research Council, Via della Navicella 2-4, 00184, Rome, RM, Italy

    L. Salvati

Authors
  1. S. Bajocco
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. A. De Angelis
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. L. Perini
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. A. Ferrara
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. L. Salvati
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to S. Bajocco.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Bajocco, S., De Angelis, A., Perini, L. et al. The Impact of Land Use/Land Cover Changes on Land Degradation Dynamics: A Mediterranean Case Study. Environmental Management 49, 980–989 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9831-8

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00267-012-9831-8

Keywords

Search

Navigation