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Marginal areas in economically advanced countries are a critical issue that European and national policies have been addressing for some time. These areas are affected by depopulation, infrastructural gaps and labor systems that do not reach the corresponding national levels and where often agriculture still plays a critical role. In Italy, despite the fact that the National Strategy for Inner Areas (SNAI) has been active for about a decade with the aim of increasing the territorial cohesion of these fragile areas, rather limited results have been achieved in terms of halting economic marginalization and demographic decline. In this specific context, our work is aimed at analyzing land use changes, the loss of ecosystem services and demographic trends in a Mediterranean region (Irpinia—Southern Italy) on district and municipal scales in the last 30 years (1990–2018) to capture current, subtle socio-economic dynamics. The analysis carried out has indicated a substantial increase in urban areas due to the development of new industrial areas and discontinuous urban fabric (urban sprawl) at the expense of natural areas (mainly meadows and shrublands). The agricultural areas have remained substantially unchanged in terms of extension, with a slight increase in heterogeneous agricultural areas and an expansion of high-value crops (vineyards), that are the most suitable for multifunctional agriculture activities (experiential and rural tourism). The analysis of the demographic trend has highlighted a widespread phenomenon of depopulation, with the exception of those municipalities who economically orbit around the provincial capital of Avellino. The municipalities in depopulation are mostly located in the inner areas characterized by a more rugged morphology and infrastructural gaps. Unexpectedly, most of municipalities show a significant anticorrelation among the population and agricultural areas which is an indicator of social and economic phenomena as complex as they are underestimated. As a final step, this analysis highlights also a loss of carbon storage mainly attributable to the soil sealing of large areas. This study can help to comprehensively understand the conditions of marginal areas in Mediterranean Europe over recent decades in the light of the main socio-economic dynamics to better direct efforts towards the containment of the human capital hemorrhage, consisting of persistently negative natural and migratory rates, and the sustainable empowerment of these geo-economic peripheries. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In agriculture, the geography of specific crops can successfully support productivity monitoring and farming practices management. Vineyards particularly have a key role in modeling and protecting Mediterranean landscapes, representing a fundamental asset in the economies of inner areas. In this paper, we mapped the 2017 coverage of vineyards of the Vulture-Melfese, a specialized agricultural district of Basilicata (Southern Italy) renowned for hosting the Aglianico grapevine variety. To achieve this objective, we combined information extracted from free-accessible multisource data by leveraging the traditional photo-interpretation technique. Then, we characterized the mapped vineyards based on simple geo-environmental variables (size, elevation, climate). This detailed inventory can help public bodies and land managers to shape more specific local agricultural policies to strengthen the profitability of the agricultural sector, preserve agrobiodiversity and face climate change effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Forest ecosystems are increasingly subject to disturbances, such as extreme (climate) events, fires and pathological outbreaks, which exert significant (and still poorly quantified) economic impacts, despite their intrinsic resilience. How forest management addresses these challenges will have profound effects on human health, environmental diversity, (ecological and economic) productivity and the ability of forest ecosystems to recovery from exogenous shocks. Assuming forests as ensuring ecosystem services that are vital to society and human well-being, in addition to providing wood material, a better knowledge of forest ecosystems appears a key requirement to delineate a developmental strategy that guarantees environmental protection objectives and achievement of climate and energy targets. In the context of Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations 2030 Agenda, the information available on forest management practices in Europe still seems not completely suitable to provide a comprehensive overview of ecosystem conditions, their economic value, and their biodiversity. Based on a literature review, the present contribution focuses on recent dynamics of the forestry sector in Europe, delineating the inherent complexity in the environmental-economic nexus. Additionally, the extensive use of a key natural resource such as wood exerts social implications for local districts adapting to ecological change—from climate warming to landscape transformations. In line with earlier studies, our paper confirms the role of the technical-economic dimension of forestry in sustainable development paths of districts and regions, affecting together (i) short-term economic dynamics, (ii) the growth prospects of the sector, (iii) the organization of the supply chain, (iv) the interconnections between companies, and (v) investment strategies at large. One of the major issues is the low reliability of official statistics to provide a coherent picture of the actual status of forest resources. At the same time, forestry practices are pivotal in maintaining habitats and species while increasing the timber production that remains (too) sustainable. This is the policy direction constantly given by the European Commission to stimulate over time public bodies and private (in whose hands is about 60% of European forests) to start virtuous paths in the circular economy with considerable repercussions in terms of additional jobs, recycled materials, mt of CO2 equivalent avoided, and increase in community added value. In this context, forestry should assure a more 'holistic' contribution to sustainable development paths at various spatial scales. This means concentrating on both economic and environmental targets based on the identification of significant (ecological-economic) dimensions that may delineate future lines of investigation and policy intervention, while increasing between member countries and regional authorities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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Forest management is a complex topic at the interface between sustainability and the resilience of socioeconomic and environmental systems. The influence of market forces, supranational, country and regional policies, as well as climate change, on forest goods and services, is expected to increase in the near future. Such a complex interplay between economic and environmental forces is common to most European countries. The aim of this study is to operationally delineate and discuss the transition of the environmental sustainability and economic viability of forestry in Italy. This country encompasses the typical Mediterranean ecosystems with broad forest coverage in mountainous and hilly areas, where expanding woodland areas have been observed in the last decades mainly as a consequence of the decline of agropastoral activities, especially in disadvantaged and marginal areas. The consequent increase in wood biomass was frequently conceived as an element of environmental criticality, exposing woods to high vulnerability to wildfires and a consequent reduction in their economic value, possibly exacerbated by local warming. These dynamics usually took place in contexts where only a part of the overall forest heritage was subjected to regular management, despite the efforts made through various policies such as the Constitutional Law 3/2001 and the recent Law on Forests and Forestry Supply Chains. The latter policy tool, enhancing the concept of "active forest management" aimed to establish a sustainable approach to forest resources, leading to a broader forest area for formal planning and controlled harvesting. These dynamics took place in parallel with the inherent expansion in forest certification schemes formally promoting long-term environmental sustainability and a wider spectrum of forest ecosystems. Timber and non-wood materials and products are key elements from the perspective of achieving sustainable (climate-neutral) development in advanced economies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Satellite sensors, in particular, are able to provide comprehensive records of global land change dynamics over long time scales [[2]], thereby offering precious information on the spatial and temporal variability in land surface and the interplay between different geographical areas and different scales. B Guo et al. b [[5]] used optical data at different spatial and temporal resolutions to monitor glacier SnowLine Altitude (SLA), which is a fundamental parameter to evaluate glacier equilibrium and possible links and feedbacks to climate change. To achieve a high level of labelling of land-take processes, satellite classification was supported by comprehensive land information (regional geo-topographic database - GTDB), integrated in a free and open-source GIS environment. B Santarsiero et al. b [[14]] exploited remote sensing data (Landsat TM/OLI) to extract land use/land cover (LULC) for a diachronic analysis of land-take processes in Mediterranean areas. [Extracted from the article]

The monitoring of shrublands plays a fundamental role, from an ecological and climatic point of view, in biodiversity conservation, carbon stock estimates, and climate-change impact assessments. Laser scanning systems have proven to have a high capability in mapping non-herbaceous vegetation by classifying high-density point clouds. On the other hand, the classification of low-density airborne laser scanner (ALS) clouds is largely affected by confusion with rock spikes and boulders having similar heights and shapes. To identify rocks and improve the accuracy of vegetation classes, we implemented an effective and time-saving procedure based on the integration of geometric features with laser intensity segmented by K-means clustering (GIK procedure). The classification accuracy was evaluated, taking into account the data unevenness (small size of rock class vs. vegetation and terrain classes) by estimating the Balanced Accuracy (BA range 89.15–90.37); a comparison with a standard geometry-based procedure showed an increase in accuracy of about 27%. The classical overall accuracy is generally very high for all the classifications: the average is 92.7 for geometry-based and 94.9 for GIK. At class level, the precision (user's accuracy) for vegetation classes is very high (on average, 92.6% for shrubs and 99% for bushes) with a relative increase for shrubs up to 20% (>10% when rocks occupy more than 8% of the scene). Less pronounced differences were found for bushes (maximum 4.13%). The precision of rock class is quite acceptable (about 64%), compared to the complete absence of detection of the geometric procedure. We also evaluated how point cloud density affects the proposed procedure and found that the increase in shrub precision is also preserved for ALS clouds with very low point density (<1.5 pts/m2). The easiness of the approach also makes it implementable in an operative context for a non-full expert in LiDAR data classification, and it is suitable for the great wealth of large-scale acquisitions carried out in the past by using monowavelength NIR laser scanners with a small footprint configuration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Taken as a classical issue in applied economics, the notion of 'convergence' is based on the concept of path dependence, i.e., from the previous trajectory undertaken by the system during its recent history. Going beyond social science, a 'convergence' perspective has been more recently adopted in environmental studies. Spatial convergence in non-linear processes, such as desertification risk, is a meaningful notion since desertification represents a (possibly unsustainable) development trajectory of socio-ecological systems towards land degradation on a regional or local scale. In this study, we test—in line with the classical convergence approach—long-term equilibrium conditions in the evolution of desertification processes in Italy, a European country with significant socioeconomic and environmental disparities. Assuming a path-dependent development of desertification risk in Italy, we provided a diachronic analysis of the Environmental Sensitive Area Index (ESAI), estimated at a disaggregated spatial resolution at three times (1960s, 1990s, and 2010s) in the recent history of Italy, using a spatially explicit approach based on geographically weighted regressions (GWRs). The results of local regressions show a significant path dependence in the first time interval (1960–1990). A less significant evidence for path-dependence was observed for the second period (1990–2010); in both cases, the models' goodness-of-fit (global adjusted R2) was satisfactory. A strong polarization along the latitudinal gradient characterized the first observation period: Southern Italian land experienced worse conditions (e.g., climate aridity, urbanization) and the level of land vulnerability in Northern Italy remained quite stable, alimenting the traditional divergence in desertification risk characteristic of the country. The empirical analysis delineated a more complex picture for the second period. Convergence (leading to stability, or even improvement, of desertification risk) in some areas of Southern Italy, and a more evident divergence (leading to worse environmental conditions because of urban sprawl and crop intensification) in some of the land of Northern Italy, were observed, leading to an undesired spatial homogenization toward higher vulnerability levels. Finally, this work suggests the importance of spatially explicit approaches providing relevant information to design more effective policy strategies. In the case of land vulnerability to degradation in Italy, local regression models oriented toward a 'convergence' perspective, may be adopted to uncover the genesis of desertification hotspots at both the regional and local scale. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Soil erosion is one of the most widespread soil degradation phenomena worldwide. Mediterranean landscapes, due to some peculiar characteristics, such as fragility of soils, steep slopes, and rainfall distribution during the year, are particularly subject to this phenomenon, with severe and complex issues for agricultural production and biodiversity protection. In this paper, we present a diachronic approach to the analysis of soil loss, which aims to account for climate variability and land cover dynamics by using remote data about rainfall and land cover to guarantee sufficient observational continuity. The study area (Basilicata, Southern Italy) is characterized by different local climates and ecosystems (temperate, Csa and Csb; arid steppic, Bsk; and cold, Dsb and Dsc), and is particularly suited to represent the biogeographical complexity of the Mediterranean Italy. The well-known Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation (RUSLE) was applied by integrating information from remote sensing to carry out decadal assessments (1994, 2004, 2014, and 2021) of the annual soil loss. Changes in the rainfall regime and vegetation cover activity were derived from CHIRPS and Landsat data, respectively, to obtain updated information useful for dynamical studies. For the analyzed region, soil loss shows a slight reduction (albeit always remarkable) over the whole period, and distinct spatial patterns between lowland Bsk and Mediterranean mountain Dsb and Dsc climate areas. The most alarming fact is that most of the study area showed soil erosion rates in 2021 greater than 11 t/ha*y, which is considered by the OECD (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development) the threshold for identifying severe erosion phenomena. A final comparison with local studies shows, on average, differences of about 5 t ha−1 y−1 (minimum 2.5 and maximum 7) with respect to the local estimates obtained with the RUSLE model. The assessment at a regional scale provided an average 9.5% of soil loss difference for the arable lands and about 10% for all cultivated areas. The spatial-temporal patterns enhance the relevance of using the cover management factor C derived from satellite data rather than land cover maps, as remote observations are able to highlight the heterogeneity in vegetation density within the same vegetation cover class, which is particularly relevant for agricultural areas. For mountain areas, the adoption of a satellite-gridded rainfall dataset allowed the detection of erosion rate fluctuations due to rainfall variability, also in the case of sparse or absent ground pluviometric stations. The use of remote data represents a precious added value to obtain a dynamic picture of the spatial-temporal variability of soil loss and new insights into the sustainability of soil use in a region whose economy is mostly based on agriculture and the exploitation of natural resources. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natura 2000 is the largest coordinated network of protected areas in the world, which has been established to preserve rare habitats and threatened species at the European Community level. Generally, tools for habitat quality assessment are based on the analyses of land-use/land-cover changes, thus, highlighting already overt habitat modifications. To evaluate the general quality conditions of terrestrial habitats and detect habitat degradation processes at an early stage, a direct and cost-effective procedure based on satellite imagery (Landsat data) and GIS (Geographic Information System) tools is proposed. It focuses on the detection of anomalies in vegetation matrix (stress/fragmentation), estimated for each habitat at the level of both a single protected site and local network, to identify habitat priority areas (HPA), i.e., areas needing priority interventions, and to support a rational use of resources (field surveys, recovery actions). By analyzing the statistical distributions of standardized NDVI for all the enclosed habitats (at the site or network level), the Degree of Habitat Consistency (DHC) was also defined. The index allows the assessment of the general status of a protected site/network, and the comparison of the environmental conditions of a certain habitat within a given protected site (SCI, SAC) with those belonging to the other sites of the network. The procedure was tested over the Natura 2000 network of the Basilicata region (Southern Italy), considered as a hotspot of great natural and landscape interest. An overall accuracy of ~97% was obtained, with quite low percentages of commission (~8%) and omission (~6%) errors. By examining the diachronic evolution (1985–2009) of DHC and HPA, it was possible to track progress or degradation of the analyzed areas over time and to recognize the efficaciousness/failure of past managements and interventions (e.g., controlled disturbances), providing decision-makers with a thorough understanding for setting up the most suitable mitigation/contrast measures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Southern Europe is a hotspot for desertification risk because of the intimate impact of soil deterioration, landscape transformations, rising human pressure, and climate change. In this context, large-scale empirical analyses linking landscape fragmentation with desertification risk assume that increasing levels of land vulnerability to degradation are associated with significant changes in landscape structure. Using a traditional approach of landscape ecology, this study evaluates the spatial structure of a simulated landscape based on different levels of vulnerability to land degradation using 15 metrics calculated at three time points (early-1960s, early-1990s, early-2010s) in Italy. While the (average) level of land vulnerability increased over time almost in all Italian regions, vulnerable landscapes demonstrated to be increasingly fragmented, as far as the number of homogeneous patches and mean patch size are concerned. The spatial balance in affected and unaffected areas—typically observed in the 1960s—was progressively replaced with an intrinsically disordered landscape, and this process was more intense in regions exposed to higher (and increasing) levels of land degradation. The spread of larger land patches exposed to intrinsic degradation brings to important consequences since (1) the rising number of hotspots may increase the probability of local-scale degradation processes, and (2) the buffering effect of neighbouring (unaffected) land can be less effective on bigger hotspots, promoting a downward spiral toward desertification. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Depopulation and economic marginalization of rural districts have induced a progressive land abandonment in agricultural and pastoral districts. In Europe, areas at higher risk of farmland abandonment are characterized by low‐intensity pasture systems whose fate is strongly dependent on state incentives or subsidies to rural development promoting more sustainable land‐use trajectories. Especially in Southern Europe, undergrazing is the main driver of pasture degradation. In such a context, a land management preserving pasture resilience requires a wider knowledge about the impact of practices on the ecological characteristics of pastures and an improved understanding of complex socio‐environmental interactions underlying the adoption of such practices. Based on these premises, this study investigates the extent to which the past land management reflects the current state of agro‐pastoral systems in a local community of Southern Apennine (Basilicata, Italy). Based on a multi‐scale analysis integrating multiple sources of data and exploratory techniques, three land‐use trajectories with different implications for land degradation were identified: (a) areas completely abandoned, (b) areas with a decrease in grazing where the management system is remained unchanged, and (c) areas characterized by a decrease in grazing with changes in the management system. Results outline the importance of landscape history shaping (optimal and sub‐optimal) land management and the influence of landscape structure on livestock performances within different farm management types. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The Basilicata region summarizes many basic features of the biogeographic complexity characterizing Mediterranean countries. The intricate geomorphology and the long history of human management generated the current landscapes, which include both high-value ecosystems and areas prone to desertification. Preserving goods and services provided by such composite land cover mosaics poses many problems due to the interference/overlap of diverse natural and anthropic factors which make the correct selection of relevant parameters and the interpretation of observational data rather difficult. Here, we study interconnections between local climate and vegetation activity by correlating parameters characterizing the interannual statistics of the NDVI (Normalized Difference Vegetation Index), derived from satellite data, with a recently devised multivariate statistical index of meteoclimatic variability. We used a 15-year sequence of remote images concerning a set of plots located around meteorological ground stations of the central-eastern part of the region to pick up spatial structures in the vegetation–climate relationships. Our analyses were able to correlate spatial heterogeneity to variations in water exchanges between vegetation and atmosphere. This study represents a first step to improve the description of relevant processes to protect natural habitats and quality agriculture, therefore combating land degradation and climate change detrimental effects. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To preserve integrity and functioning of coastal ecosystems services, monitoring and protection actions have to be realized on an ecosystem perspective and consider an integrated observing approach. We implemented a multidisciplinary study, based on remote sensing and geophysical techniques, landscape ecology tools, and geospatial data analysis for monitoring a coastal area (Basilicata Ionian coast) with a high concentration of forest ecosystems services: five Natura 2000 protected sites, intensive agriculture, and touristic infrastructures. The analysis of landscape evolution performed within five protected sites over about 30 years (1985-2013) shows the presence of different processes acting along the investigated coast. Where coniferous forests were involved in marked fragmentation processes geophysical measurements highlighted saltwater infiltrations in superficial layers. Since severe shoreline changes interested the investigated littoral, erosional processes could have increased the saltwater intrusion phenomena favoring the forest degradation and limiting its recovery after fires. Touristic activities do not seem to alter the forest evolution except for very localized segments. The implemented study suggests that the integration of remote sensing and in situ information coupled with landscape ecology perception can be a suitable support tool for planning and management activities in coastal areas (e.g. ecological interventions, and earthen block or barrage construction). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The diversity in composition of moth communities living forest habitats is strongly related to habitat characteristics, depending mainly on dominant forest type. The species in a community have different behaviors and are more or less influenced by the surrounding landscape diversity. The effects of landscape diversity on moth communities are significant when the appropriate spatial scale is considered, which depends on the ecological needs and dispersion abilities of species. In this study we assessed the relationships between landscape diversity at different spatial scales in four different forest Calabrian scenarios, identified by using the CORINE Land Cover, and moth diversity. Nocturnal Lepidoptera were sampled in beech, chestnut, Calabrian black pine and fir forests by using LED light traps. In each forest type 9 traps were posi - tioned, in a total of 36 sample plots selected by the maturity of forest. The diversity of Lepidoptera communities was related to landscape diversity, considering each sample plots as the center of the surrounding landscape analyzed with different buffers (500m, 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, and 5000m). Diversity moth-landscape correlations were performed for: (i) all 36 sample plots; (ii) only broadleaves forest sites; (iii) only coni - fers forest sites; (iv) only forested plots; (v) only non-forested plots. Our results suggest that landscape composition in forest ecosystems, both at small and medium spatial scale, have a driving role in determining moth communities diversity, pointing out that the landscape structure is a parameter to taking in account for the sustainable management of forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Relationships between landscape and moth diversity in Mediterranean mountain forest ecosystems at multiple spatial scales. The diversity in composition of moth communities living forest habitats is strongly related to habitat characteristics, depending mainly on dominant forest type. The species in a community have different behaviors and are more or less influenced by the surrounding landscape diversity. The effects of landscape diversity on moth communities are significant when the appropriate spatial scale is considered, which depends on the ecological needs and dispersion abilities of species. In this study we assessed the relationships between landscape diversity at different spatial scales in four different forest Calabrian scenarios, identified by using the CORINE Land Cover, and moth diversity. Nocturnal Lepidoptera were sampled in beech, chestnut, Calabrian black pine and fir forests by using LED light traps. In each forest type 9 traps were positioned, in a total of 36 sample plots selected by the maturity of forest. The diversity of Lepidoptera communities was related to landscape diversity, considering each sample plots as the center of the surrounding landscape analyzed with different buffers (500m, 1000m, 2000m, 3000m, and 5000m). Diversity moth-landscape correlations were performed for: (i) all 36 sample plots; (ii) only broadleaves forest sites; (iii) only conifers forest sites; (iv) only forested plots; (v) only non-forested plots. Our results suggest that landscape composition in forest ecosystems, both at small and medium spatial scale, have a driving role in determining moth communities diversity, pointing out that the landscape structure is a parameter to taking in account for the sustainable management of forests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The development of low-cost and relatively simple tools to identify emerging land degradation across complex regions is fundamental to plan monitoring and intervention strategies. We propose a procedure that integrates multi-spectral satellite observations and air temperature data to detect areas where the current status of local vegetation and climate shows evident departures from the mean conditions of the investigated region. Our procedure was tested in Basilicata (Italy), which is a typical bio-geographic example of vulnerable Mediterranean landscape. We grouped Landsat TM/ETM+ NDVI and air temperature (T) data by vegetation cover type to estimate the statistical distributions of the departures of NDVI and T from the respective land cover class means. The pixels characterized by contextual left tail NDVI values and right tail T values that persisted in time (2002-2006) were classified as critical to land degradation. According to our results, most of the critical areas (88.6%) corresponded to forests affected by erosion and to riparian buffers that are shaped by fragmentation, as confirmed by aerial and in-situ surveys. Our procedure enables cost-effective screenings of complex areas able to identify raising hotspots that require urgent and deeper investigations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The European "Green Deal" strategy is aimed at making Europe the first climate-neutral continent by 2050 through integrated actions relying on healthier agricultural systems grounded in (environmental and economic) sustainable practices, including soil carbon management and biodiversity enhancement. In this vein, the present study contrasts the economic-environmental performances of conventional (deep tillage) and conservative (no-tillage and soil ripping) practices for two varieties of durum wheat (Triticum turgidum spp. durum), namely a modern (Anco Marzio) and an ancient landrace (Saragolla Lucana) variety in the Basilicata region (Southern Italy). Field and laboratory analysis (granulometry, mineralogy, and geochemistry) as well as satellite data (RapidEye) were used to characterize the soil and vegetation patterns. The empirical results indicate a higher biomass production and vegetative potential together with higher grain yields in soils managed with conventional deep tillage compared with soil managed with conservative practices. Similarly, the modern wheat variety exhibited better performance with respect to the old landrace. The soils managed with conventional practices had a distribution of exchangeable macro-nutrients characterized by a reduction in Ca+ and an increase in Mg2+ and K+ between pre-sowing and post-harvesting. Such a distribution was also genotype-dependent, with a higher variability for Saragolla Lucana than Anco Marzio, showing a diverging adsorption of macro-elements between the modern and ancient landrace varieties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates long-term landscape transformations (1949–2016) in urban Rome, Central Italy, through a spatial distribution of seven metrics (core, islet, perforation, edge, loop, bridge, branch) derived from a Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) analyzed separately for seven land-use classes (built-up areas, arable land, crop mosaic, vineyards, olive groves, forests, pastures). A Principal Component Analysis (PCA) has been finally adopted to characterize landscape structure at 1949 and 2016. Results of the MSPA demonstrate how both natural and agricultural land-uses have decreased following urban expansion. Moreover, the percent 'core' area of each class declined substantially, although with different intensity. These results clearly indicate 'winners' and 'losers' after long-term landscape transformations: urban settlements and forests belong to the former category, the remaining land-use classes (mostly agricultural) belong to the latter category. Descriptive statistics and multivariate exploratory techniques finally documented the intrinsic complexity characteristic of actual landscapes. The findings of this study also demonstrate how settlements have expanded chaotically over the study area, reflecting a progressive 'fractalization' and inhomogeneity of fringe landscapes, with negative implications for metropolitan sustainability at large. These transformations were unable to leverage processes of settlement and economic re-agglomeration around sub-centers typical of polycentric development in the most advanced socioeconomic contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Seasonality is a fundamental feature of environmental systems which critically depend on the climate annual cycle. The regularity of the precipitation regime, in particular, is a basic factor to sustain equilibrium conditions. An incomplete or biased understanding of precipitation seasonality, in terms of temporal and spatial properties, could severely limit our ability to respond to climate risk, especially in areas with limited water resources or fragile ecosystems. Here, we analyze precipitation data from the Climate Hazards Group Infrared Precipitation with Stations (CHIRPS) at 0.050 resolution to study the spatial features of the precipitation seasonality across different climate zones in Central-Southern Europe during the period 1981–2018. A cluster analysis of the average annual precipitation cycle shows that seasonality under the current climate can be synthesized in the form of a progressive deformation process of the annual cycle, which starts from the northernmost areas with maximum values in summer and ends in the south, where maximum values are recorded in winter. Our analysis is useful to detect local season-dependent changes, enhancing our understanding of the geography of climate change. As an example of application to this issue, we discuss the seasonality analysis in a simulated scenario based on IPCC projections. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The magnitude and frequency of Extreme Weather Events (EWEs) are increasing, causing changes in species distribution. We assessed the short-term effects of a late spring frost on beech forests, using satellite images to identify damaged forests and changes in v-egetation phenology, as well as to support the analyses on associated moth communities. The EWE caused crown dieback above 1400 m of altitude, recovered only after several weeks. Nine stands for moth sampling, settled in impacted and non-impacted forests, allowed us to study changes in moth communities and in the wingspan of the most impacted species. The EWE modified community structures, reducing the abundance of beech-feeder species, but leaving species richness unaltered. Operophtera fagata and Epirrita christyi, dominant before the EWE, lost 93% and 89% of their population, respectively. We found a general increase in the average wingspan for these species, caused by the loss of small specimens in most impacted forests, suggesting a re-colonization from non-impacted forests. According to our results, populations of some species could be more resilient than others after an EWE due to their different dispersal ability. Forest ecosystems appear to be dynamic entities able to cope with extreme weather events but, likely, only if they continue to occur in the future at the current rate. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]