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Since March 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic has changed lifestyles in relation with the external environment, in particular nature. The permanence in natural environments, the relationship with the outside and with the green that surrounds us reveal, in general, important elements of personal and collective well-being, both during the usual daily life but also and above all in the current pandemic crisis, that has dramatically changed everyone's life habits and has disrupted interpersonal relationships and the relationship with the outdoor world, often observed from a window. As part of the CNR FOE-Nutrage project "Nutrizione, Alimentazione e Invecchiamento attivo", subtask 3.6.4 "Well-being search in natural environments", a case study was conducted with the aim of investigating, through desk analysis and field surveys, the relationship between the environment and well-being on a sample of people over 65 years of age - considered at high risk during the current COVID-19 pandemic - residing mainly in Calabria (southern Italy) and Lombardia (northern Italy). The overall vision integrated good lifestyles and permanence in natural environments with the perspective of disease prevention and maintenance of the psycho-physical health. Results showed that the sample interviewed, despite having changed during the lockdown of March-April 2020 the type of environment frequented and reduced the time spent outside, did not give up walking, attending outdoor spaces and taking care of the house greenery (plants and terraces) for their psycho-physical well-being. The study is part of a vision extensively investigated by the scientific literature on the influence of environmental factors on the psycho-physical well-being of people, and, in particular, on the importance of ecosystem services and of the "Green-care".

The permanence in natural environments and the contact with nature, even in urban areas of proximity (neighbourhood green areas or condominiums), have a relaxing and regenerative power and stimulate the fundamental vital processes. The relationship with open spaces and greenery is an element that promotes personal and collective well-being already in everyday life. This has become even more relevant during the current COVID-19 pandemic crisis, which has significantly changed individual and social life habits, upsetting interpersonal relationships and the relationship with the outside world often experienced from a window. In this context, the Project "Tranquillity Areas Mapping" is inserted in the Sila National Park, of which we report the first results. Carried out in collaboration between CNR-ISAFOM, Department of Agraria of the Mediterranea University of Reggio Calabria, and Sila National Park, the project aims to identify Areas of Tranquillity within the UNESCO Mab Area of the Park, based on the analysis of qualitative and quantitative parameters that characterize them. In its initial stages (September 2019), the project has seen the activation of participatory processes with the involvement of institutions and key local actors. The work presented here deals with the relevance of participation in the planning and management processes of protected natural areas and, in particular, of national parks. The processes under study play an increasingly important role, especially during the COVID-19 emergency, which has accentuated the need to stimulate public interest in natural parks. Increasingly, natural parks are being recognized for their role in providing environmental ecosystem services. Among these, cultural ecosystem services include preserving those "oases of tranquility" more easily accessible to the population of the territories concerned. A number of participatory experiences carried out during the project are presented. Several convergent approaches were used, making the most of both e-participation and more traditional forms of confrontation (in-depth interviews, focus groups). Finally, the methods used, and the results obtained from work carried out are indicated as potential developments for mapping the quiet areas of the Sila National Park, in view of sustainable management of the latter.

Gender-based violence (GBV), with one out of three women worldwide experiencing violence in their lifetime, has been defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as a "global public health problem of epidemic proportions" . During the current COVID-19 pandemic, the WHO and other international authorities have warned about the increased risk of GBV related to more time spent indoors, isolation from social and protective networks, and greater social and economic stress related to both the epidemic and response measures. We report here data from the Italian National Women's Network Against Violence, D.i.Re. The network collects data annually from anti-violence centers which fulfill the Istanbul Convention minimum criteria for specialized service providers.

CO2 fluxes from soil, together with soil water content and temperature have been measured over one solar year in an even-aged beech forest (Fagus Sylvatica L.) in southern Italy. We investigated the effects of three different harvested biomass removal treatments (traditional, innovative, unharvested control) on soil respiration (Rs) in three plots from May 2014 to April 2015, with the aim to evaluate the effects of such silvicultural practices on the CO2 respired from the forest floor. The influence of soil temperature and soil moisture on soil respiration was also analysed. Rs showed large variations among the treatments, with the innovative treatment resulting in significantly higher soil respiration than control and traditional treatments. There were no significant differences in soil temperature between the treatments, whereas soil water content was statistically different only in the innovative treatment. The study showed that the mean soil respiration increased with thinning intensity, confirming that after harvesting, residues remaining on the forest floor and decomposing roots may contribute to raise soil respiration, due to the higher microbial activity.

On 25 September 2015, the United Nations General Assembly formally adopted the universal, integrated and transformative 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. According to this document, 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) should be achieved within the year 2030 to boost a successful transition toward a sustainable society and a resource-efficient economy. The European Union has accepted the SDGs and has committed itself to implement them in its internal and external policies. By considering the targets established by the European Union policy for the year 2030, the CHERISH products have been defined according to the 17 SDGs, especially to those that can improve the sustainable management and valorization of Non-Reproducible Goods (NRGs) in the Member States. In this regard, the document "Culture for the 2030 Agenda", published by UNESCO in 2018, has been used by the CHERISH partnership as a useful tool to accurately relate the SDGs to the main features of the management of NRGs that can be detected at national level in each of the five European Countries involved in the Project. Moreover, since SDGs were designed to be coherent with the three dimensions of Sustainable Development (economic, social and environmental) by balancing them through an holistic approach, the CHRISH partnership decided to critically discuss the impact that the most relevant country-specific issues and excellences in the field of preservation of NRGs have on local environment, economy and society. By following this conceptual approach, the CHRISH Partners agreed to produce documents that report and discuss: - the main country-specific issues and excellences concerning sustainable management of NRGs, by presenting the most relevant point of strength and the most pressing problem that can be detected at national level in the field of each of the two major categories of NRGs, which are Cultural Heritage and Natural Capital; - the way how these main features of the national management of NRGs positively and negatively affect their respective Countries as well as the achievement of specific SDGs foreseen for the year 2030; - the impact that the main features of the national management of NRGs produce on the local environmental dimension, by highlighting good practices, strategies and tools that further strengthen the national excellences as well as those aspects that should be improved in order to overcome the country-specific issues; - the way how the economy of their respective Countries is linked to the main features of the national management of NRGs and the strategies put in place by local enterprises and public bodies in order to contribute to the sustainable valorization of Cultural Heritage and Natural Capital; - the social impact that the main features of the national management of NRGs have on their respective Countries, by influencing their national policies, scientific knowledge, education and public awareness. To harmonize the National Reports produced for the Project, the analyses has been strongly based on data collected at International and European scale that were made available by internationally Certified Bodies, such as United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO), Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD), European Group on Museum Statistics (EGMU) and Joint Research Center (JRC). This approach ensures that a common benchmark of knowledge is shared by all the partners of the Project.

Un'ipotesi di rilancio dei villaggi sorti sull'Altipiano Silano a seguito della legge Sila e della Riforma fondiaria nel primo dopoguerra; villaggi che impressero un segno indelebile sul paesaggio della natura preesistente con i colori e le macchie di caseggiati, fienili, aratri, mezzi agricoli, gente, costituendo in termini antropologici ed economici una realtà. Dopo una prima fase, i villaggi mostrarono segni evidenti di decadimento e di marginalizzazione rispetto al progetto originario. Un riequilibrio produttivo in termini sostenibili fra aree urbane congestionate e aree interne è praticabile e perseguibile all'interno di uno spettro di opzioni che contemplano turismo, formazione, ricerca, produzione, salvaguardia del territorio, attraverso il presidio umano, se si mettono insieme competenze, saperi, istituzioni, professioni in una visione, una volontà, unitaria.

The effects of initial planting densities on the distribution of above-ground biomass of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco var. menziesii) were investigated in a plantation in southern Italy. Allometric equations designed for the plantation under study were used to estimate above-ground biomass and in particular partitioning to stem and crown compartments. A comparison between biomass estimated with allometric equations and biomass estimated with a constant biomass expansion factor (BEF) from the Italian National Forest Inventory (INFC 2005) was carried out. Moreover, a BEF calculated as the ratio of total above-ground or compartment biomass to stem volume was used to define the sensitivity of BEF to age and to tree density. Variation of above-ground standing biomass estimated with allometric equations was evaluated according to 6 differing planting densities (833, 1000, 1250, 1667, 2000 and 2500 trees per hectare). In the first 20 years after planting higher biomass stock was detected in high density plots, but after the age of 32 years differences between plots disappeared. When the plantation was 40 years old, a higher amount of total biomass was observed in plots of 2000 trees per hectare (about 405 Mg ha-1), a lower amount in plots of 2500 trees per hectare (about 381 Mg ha-1). The Douglas-fir plantation has a total above-ground carbon stock of 197 Mg C ha-1 at the age of 40 and a mean annual CO2 sequestration of 18 Mg ha-1 y-1. Constant BEF from INFC underestimated biomass on average by 11% for ages 15 and 25 and overestimated biomass on average by 16% for older ages. BEFs expressed as a ratio of biomass to stem volume significantly depended upon age and planting density, with decreasing trends for total, stem and crown compartments. Our results indicated that total above-ground biomass production is not influenced by different tree density if considered over a long period. If cutting cycles are short, planting density on average of 2000 trees per hectare may ensure high biomass production rates; if cutting cycles are longer, 1000-1200 trees per hectare could also be a valid choice.

In the present study, an analysis of precipitation and temperature data has been performed over 67 series observed in a region of southern Italy (Calabria). At first, to detect possible trends in the time series, an analysis was performed with the Mann-Kendall non-parametric test applied at monthly and seasonal scale. An additional investigation, useful for checking the climate change effects on vegetation, has also been included analysing bioclimatic indicators. In particular, Emberger, Rivas-Martinez and De Martonne indices were calculated by using monthly temperature and precipitation data in the period 1916-2010. The spatial pattern of the indices has been evaluated and, in order to link the vegetation and the indices, different indices maps have been intersected with the land cover data, given by the Corine Land Cover (CLC) map. Moreover, the temporal evolution of the indices and of the vegetation has been analysed. Results suggest that climate change may be responsible for the forest cover change, but, given also the good relationship between the various types of bioclimate and forest formations, human activities must be considered.

Gender mainstreaming first appeared on 1985 during the 3rd UN World Conference on Women in Nairobi; in 1995 the study on this subject was reopened in Beijing 4th during UN World Conference on Women and one year later the European Commission emphasized its importance in terms of new policies. Since then, gender mainstreaming has turned out to be an innovative tool to equal opportunity strategies (tinkering-tailoring-transforming the mainstream, Rees 1995) that could put the basis for a "substantial" gender parity through a reconsideration of systems. Women -as widely proved by literature - are often penalized in academic career processes and are also sub-represented in top positions. According to many gender-equality studies, the "Leaky Pipeline" and the "Glass Ceiling" are two of the most well-established phenomena. The former is a metaphor of the progressive women's exit from the academic career paths once finished the period of education, whereas the latter is a metaphor of the invisible barrier measured by a specific index that expresses women's difficulty in accessing to key positions. This paper focuses on data - provided by Universities both in Italy and in Europe - about women's careers from 2006 to 2016, and compares them with a qualitative and quantitative survey as well as a focus on the University of Calabria. The data show that changes are irrelevant and not such as to alter the general trend in Italy and Europe. The reasons of this persistent disproportion can be found in literature - at micro, macro and meso levels - and are confirmed by the survey: a too competitive scientific environment that encourages women to "exclude themselves"; a discriminatory behaviors in academic selections, promotions and career that aren't gender-oriented; an absent or with little impact "Welfare State". This resistance towards change needs to implement "follow-up systems" in order to assess the impact or effectiveness of legislative measures and good gender-oriented practices.

Ecosystem services in forests of Calabria: stakeholders' perception. In the last decades, the ecological, economic and social analysis of benefits provided by ecosystem to society has coved a great importance in the scientific international literature. The main studies focuses on three aspects: ecosystem services potential supply, demand and use. The potential supply is defined as the ecosystem biophysical capacity to supply services, while the demand represents the amount of service desired by the society. The third aspect considers the current use of a ecosystem service in order to satisfy the social demand. This study focused on the evaluation of social demand on ecosystem services provided by forests at local level (Calabria region) under the project "ALForLab". The main objective of the present study is to analyze the stakeholders' opinions and preferences of forest sector in Calabria Region about relevance of forest ecosystem services and categories of ecosystem services. The study, conducted in four areas (Pollino, Sila, Catena Costiera and Serre Calabre), was structured in three steps: (i) identification and classification of stakeholders (stakeholder analysis); (ii) administration of a questionnaire to the previously identified stakeholders; (iii) statistical analysis of the data collected by questionnaire. Stakeholders' opinions and preferences were analyzed in order to highlight the differences between study areas and groups of stakeholders. At the end of the stakeholder analysis, 320 stakeholders were identified and contacted, 71 of whom filled in the questionnaire (response rate of 22%). The results show that the two main categories of ecosystem services are the supporting services and regulating services. According to the stakeholders' opinions the three most important forest ecosystem services are: biodiversity, landscape and hydrogeological protection. Landscape is particularly important because it is stric - tly linked to the cultural value and social identity of a territory. This survey show that the characteristics and peculiarities of each study area are the main factors that influence the stakeholders' preferences on single elements of the landscape. In the study areas characterized by a high natural value (Pollino, Sila and Serre Calabre) the stakeholders consider the natural elements of the landscape (forests and water bodies) as the most important, while in the most urbanized study area (Catena Costiera) the anthropic and cultural elements have a key importance. Finally, the stakeholders consider the forest fires, the illegal cuttings and the forest management abandonment the three main important threat factors to forests functionality in Calabria.

Il Progetto Ambi.Tec.Fil.Legno, cofinanziato nell'ambito del Programma PON R&C 2007-2013 - Avviso 713/10 MIUR - per l'avvio di nuovi Laboratori pubblico-privati, fa parte del Cluster MEA (Materiali Energia Ambiente) per la Regione Calabria. Il Laboratorio, denominato ALForLab, punta a sviluppare in Calabria un programma integrato di coinvolgimento e di ricerca per le imprese finalizzato a conoscere, inventariare, pianificare/gestire e utilizzare in modo innovativo le risorse forestali, le biomasse legnose e i servizi ambientali. L'obiettivo del Laboratorio è sviluppare metodologie avanzate e coerenti per il monitoraggio, l'inventariazione e la costruzione di scenari in tempo reale sulla produttività delle risorse forestali e sulla fornitura di "servizi ambientali" da parte degli ecosistemi forestali e naturali della Calabria e di ambienti mediterranei in generale. Il Laboratorio individua, progetta e implementa le più idonee e avanzate innovazioni tecnologiche di processo e di prodotto per aumentare la disponibilità, la qualità e le trasformazioni della materia prima legno per l'impiego nell'edilizia, nella bioarchitettura, per usi non strutturali e per la bioenergia. Inoltre, si impegna a definire percorsi e innovazioni tecnologiche per la certificazione delle risorse forestali e la quantificazione del ruolo dell'intera filiera foresta-legno-ambiente ai fini della mitigazione ambientale (Life Cycle Assessment).

We investigated the effects of a long-term thinning experiment on the distribution of above-ground biomass of Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii [Mirb.] Franco var. menziesii) in a plantation in southern Italy. Allometric equations were used to estimate biomass and partitioning to stem and crown compartments. Variation in biomass stock estimated with allometric equations were evaluated according to seven thinning treatments: geometric-systematic (1 row every 3), selective (light-moderate-heavy), mixed systematic-selective (1 row every 4, 1 row every 5), unthinned (control). Over the experimental period of 13 years, current annual increments of carbon were lower (3.4 Mg ha−1 year−1) in control plots than in treated plots. At age 30, plots subjected to light selective thinning showed higher values of above-ground biomass (249.7 Mg ha−1). The biomass harvested with this treatment was 29.3 Mg ha−1, and the mean annual increment of carbon over 13 years was 4.8 Mg ha−1. Our results showed that light thinning stimulated increase in carbon stock, with a minimal loss of carbon during the treatment and a current annual increment of carbon higher than in control sub-plots and sub-plots thinned using systematic methods. This treatment yielded least carbon emissions and we affirm it has discrete global warming mitigation potential.

Forested watersheds offer a wide array of benefits. In fact, forest cover affects the hydrological response of a basin, regulating the volumes of water content in the soil through processes of interception, infiltration and evapotranspiration. Altering forest cover can significantly influence water balances at both site and watershed scale. Understanding the relationship between vegetation and streamflow is vital to assess the effects of forest disturbance on hydrologic response, and to identify best management practices in a watershed. The aim of the present research was to evaluate the role of forests in the hydrological processes which occur in a headwater basin draining a Calabrian pine forest (Pinus laricio Poiret). Moreover, the analysis also involved studies of forest carbon uptake. Since 1986 the Bonis watershed has been instrumented and precipitation, runoff, throughfall, stemflow and some climatic parameters have been measured. Recently, in order to study carbon and water cycle dynamics (for climate change mitigation assessment) and to give information about the amount of water used by plants, a tower with Eddy covariance technique was installed. The study concerned the analysis of precipitation and the interaction between forest cover and throughfall, stemflow and runoff after a thinning treatment. Investigation on CO2 and evapotranspiration with the Eddy covariance methodology has also been performed. Results have shown an increase (more than 50%) of the runoff in the basin after the forest thinning (50% of the stems corresponding to 30% of the basal area) while no significant differences in rainfall have been detected before and after the forest thinning. In particular, after the thinning, the runoff coefficient increased from 0.21 to 0.29 during the autumn-winter period, while in the summer season it shifted from 0.16 to 0.41. The results of this study evidenced the effect of a silvicultural practice on the runoff response thus showing that an appropriate forest management can have a key role in water management at basin scale.

Sostenibilità e resilienza sono concetti e paradigmi "ponte", che uniscono due momenti temporalmente separati e sono abitati temporaneamente. Esistono parole ponte e parole territorio. Queste ultime le usiamo solo con chi abita il nostro stesso luogo simbolico. Nutrono l'appartenenza, sono come le abitudini: ci servono a vivere bene con noi stesse e con chi è accanto quotidianamente. Sostenibilità e resilienza sono parole ponte che voglio utilizzare per dare il senso della temporaneità, del transito da...a...

During the last decades, forest management systems involving multifunctionality were developed and implemented at a local level all over Europe. Recently, the international scientific literature focused on the concept of ecosystem services. The substantial difference between forest functions and ecosystem services is that the former implies the capacity of forest ecosystem to supply goods and services to society, the latter focuses on the benefits that people obtain from the ecosystems. The aim of this paper is to analyse the social perception of the importance of forest functions and threats to forest multifunctionality in four case studies in the south of Italy, in the Calabria Region (Pollino, Sila, Catena Costiera and Serre Calabre). The study was structured in four steps: (i) stakeholder analysis, (ii) questionnaire survey, (iii) statistical analysis of the collected data, (iv) development of importance-threat matrices. At the end of the analysis, 71 representative stakeholders were identified and involved in the survey. Besides, the representative stakeholders were classified into four groups of interest according to their characteristics: public administrations, associations-non-governmental organizations, academia and research institutes, professional associations of the forest-wood-energy chain. The stakeholders assigned a level of importance to nine forest functions and to ten threats to multifunctionality using a 5-point Likert scale. The data analysis was elaborated distinguishing between groups of interest and case study areas. The overall results show that the two forest functions perceived as the most important by the involved stakeholders are biodiversity and landscape conservation, while a low importance was assigned to the productive forest functions. Regarding the threats, the overall results show that the most relevant threats are the forest fires that affect all functions followed by illegal cuttings and forest abandonment. The ranking of forest functions is similar in all four case studies, while the threat evaluations are more linked to local contexts.

Le utilizzazioni dei cedui di castagno interessano spesso superfici considerevoli, causando alterazioni nei processi idrici ed effetti sull’erosione e sull’idrologia dei versanti. Inoltre, l’alternanza delle tagliate di diversa dimensione ed eta dei soprassuoli determina un mosaico di aree che contribuiscono in maniera diversa ai processi idrologici ed erosivi dei bacini idrografici. Nell’ambito di queste problematiche, in un bacino boscato del versante orientale della Catena Costiera Cosentina, in Calabria, sono state quantificate le perdite di erosione mediante l’applicazione della USLE in ambiente GIS. Inoltre, sono state analizzate le caratteristiche di distribuzione spaziale e temporale dei processi erosivi, al fine di valutare la compatibilita fra le attuali modalita di utilizzazione dei cedui e la conservazione del suolo. I risultati hanno mostrato che il tipo ed il grado di copertura forestale hanno un ruolo centrale nella determinazione del rischio di erosione. Tuttavia, a scala di bacino le periodiche variazioni di copertura, legate all’attuale regime di utilizzazione, non sembrano alterare significativamente l’efficacia antierosiva delle formazioni indagate. Oltretutto, l’effetto della brusca scopertura del suolo e temporaneo e di breve durata, poiche nell’arco di tre stagioni vegetative la copertura vegetale appare in grado di recuperare le condizioni pregresse in termini di efficienza nei confronti dei processi erosivi.

L'abete bianco (Abies alba, Miller), specie arborea strutturante dell'habitat prioritario 9220*, nell'ambito della fitocenosi abete-faggio, è in uno stato di evidente regressione in numerose regioni europee. Il graduale e progressivo declino della specie si osserva anche in Italia ed in particolare nella regione Calabria dove è stato avviato dall'Istituto per i Sistemi Agricoli e Forestali del Mediterraneo (ISAFOM) di Rende (Cs) del Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR), una campagna di misure finalizzata a seguire nel tempo il processo di affermazione della rinnovazione di Abies alba per la ricostituzione del bosco misto abete-faggio. In questa nota si presentano alcune micro-aree sperimentali, nelle Serre Calabresi (VV), dove è in corso di realizzazione il monitoraggio delle piantine di abete bianco (Abies alba, Miller) e di faggio (Fagus sylvatica, L.). Il recupero e la successiva evoluzione del sistema verso tale fitocenosi diviene, la forza trainante per ricomporre l'efficienza ecologica di questo originario ecosistema climax del piano forestale calabrese.

The most well-known and vast Calabrian pine forests are in the Sila mountain range, southern Italy. In this paper, present-day distribution of Calabrian pine in the Sila district was analyzed and compared with forest maps dating back to 1935 in order to assess the changes in land use. Main ecological and anthropogenic factors affecting Calabrian pine forest distribution were investigated by logistic regression models to identify the most important predictors of Calabrian pine persistence, expansion, and transition over the period 1935-2006. In 2006, the area covered by Calabrian pine forests and mixed Calabrian pine-beech forests was 36 100 ha and 20 221 ha, respectively. Overall, pine forest area increased by 38% between 1935 and 2006. Logistic regression revealed that Calabrian pine distribution in the Sila district was affected by both ecological (bioclimate, soil, and elevation) and anthropogenic factors (management, fire). Based on our results, four different potential dynamics of Calabrian pine stands are discussed in the perspective of the sustainable management and conservation of this important mountain forest habitat.

This study updates Pavari's phytoclimatic map in a region of southern Italy, Calabria (between 37° 50' and 40° 10' N and 15° 30' and 17° 20' E). A set of homogeneous monthly precipitation and temperature series registered in Calabria and relative to the period 1916-2010 were used. First, temperature data from 28 thermometric stations, over a 30-year period, were homogenized and processed. A multiple regression analysis was carried out between temperature data (annual average temperature, average of minimum temperature and average temperature of the coldest month of the year) as dependent variables and some geographical variables (altitude of the station, continentality and solar radiation) as independent variables. Then, temperature maps of the region were calculated and, finally, temperature and rainfall maps were intersected to define Pavari's phytoclimatic map. The results obtained in this study allow the identification and the localization of three phytoclimatic belts.

Questo studio si propone di valutare lo stato di salute ecologica e la funzionalità ecosistemica del bacino idrografico del fiume Crati attraverso l'applicazione della nuova versione dell'Indice di Funzionalità Fluviale (Siligardi et al., 2007) ai sensi del D.Lgs.152/99 e della Direttiva Quadro sulle acque 2000/60/CE. I risultati evidenziano il buon grado di funzionalità fluviale del bacino idrografico in esame sebbene alcuni tratti nella zona di deposito siano compromessi nelle loro componenti biotiche ed abiotiche a causa della presenza di numerose captazioni e derivazioni idriche utilizzate anche a scopo irriguo ed agricolo. L'applicazione del metodo consente di individuare le criticità ambientali emergenti alle quali la sensibilità politico-amministrativa può porre rimedio se interviene in una direzione non più antropocentrica ma ecosistemica, così come suggerito nel metodo proposto. Questa sperimentazione, in forma estesa, del metodo IFF in Calabria conferma la notevole versatilità del nuovo indice e la grande valenza territoriale nell'ottica di una visione globale e sintetica degli ecosistemi fluviali.

The availability of water resources is one of the major drivers affecting forest and agricultural productivity. The sensitivity of Mediterranean forest species to water shortage is becoming even more relevant in relation to climate changes, that for Southern Europe could lead to an increase in temperature of 2 to 3 °C, paralleled by a decrease of 5 to 15% of summer rainfall. It is then important to study the relationship between water balance and productivity of important forest tree species such as beech and mountain pines that represent the upper limit of forest vegetation in almost all the Apennines range. In the present paper, the measurements of water balance, evapotranspiration, carbon exchange and productivity in beech and pine forests of central-southern Italy (Abruzzo and Calabria regions) are reported. The results are obtained in the course of several years of experimentation with innovative techniques and integrated at the canopy level.

Calabrian pine forests are the peculiar feature of the landscape of many Italian mountain areas: Etna, Aspromonte and, especially, Sila. Sila landscape conservation is important not only for cultural and historical heritage value, but also for environmental and socioeconomic aspects. This is particularly relevant as most Calabrian pine forests are now included in the Sila National Park. The authors analyze the structure of an old growth pine forest. The main structural characters are compared with those of small group selection pine forests. Results show that small group selection felling, a tradidional silvicultural system peculiar to this area for Calabrian pine, is the best silvicultural approach for the conservation of Calabrian pine forests.

In this paper sediment yield data, measured from 1978 to 1997 in a small experimental Calabrian basin reafforested with Eucalyptus trees (Eucalyptus occidentalis Engl.), and RUSLE (Revised Universal Soil Loss Equation) coupled with a sediment delivery distributed model are used to evaluate the antierosive effects of this forest cover. At first, the soil loss measureinents carried out in two experimental plots, located in the basin, are used to evaluate the crop and management factor C of RUSLE far Eucalyptus coppice. The reliability of the selected C factor value is verified by comparing, at an event scale, the measured and the calculated sediment yield values at the basin outlet. Then, a Monte Carlo technique is used far evaluating the effects of the klowledge uncertainty and the stochastic variability of the model parameters on calculated sediment yield. Finally, at basin scale, the spatial variability of the crop cover is considered in order to estimate the sediment yield corresponding to scenarios having different percentages of the crop cover.

A study on the impact of silvicultural practices on the water balance was carried out in a watershed in Calabria, southern Italy, the prevalent cover of which is Calabrian pine stands. A thinning was carried out in 1993, which removed 50% of the total number of trees (about 30% of the basal area), and the catchment hydrological response before and after the intervention was compared. After thinning, differences were observed in yearly runoff, with a significant increase in groundwater flow during spring and summer. In light of this evidence, we assume that silvicultural interventions can contribute significantly to improve water resources management, particularly in regions with a long dry season, as in the Mediterranean area. Key words: Pinus laricio, runoff, small catchment, thinning, water resources management