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ELSEVIER
Florence "Sustainability of Well-Being International Forum". 2015: Food for Sustainability and
not just food, FlorenceSWIF2015
Landscape quality and sustainability indicators
Doriana Bruni*
AIQUAVFlorence, Italy
ScienceDirect
Agriculture and Agricultural Science
Procedía
Agriculture and Agricultural Science Procedia 8 (2016) 698 - 705
Abstract
Landscape is the result of the way that different components - the natural component of a territory and human activity - interact over time, giving landscape a specific identity. The landscape forms a link between a geographical area and the social aspects of the population. The gastronomic tradition and typical products give landscape its value of uniqueness. Landscape, however, is subject to considerable pressure due to both natural and human activity. The goal is to limit, if not stem, the risk or damage. Landscape indicators are very important tools . They identify resources, qualities, and criticalities of a particular area.
©2016 The Authors. PublishedbyElsevier B.V This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-reviewunderresponsibilityofFondazioneSimoneCesaretti
Keywords: Landscape, environment, territory, indicators, population, heritage, sustainability, resilience.
1. European Landscape Convention
The European Landscape Convention has defined landscape as follows:"an area, as perceived by people, whose character is the result of the action and interaction of natural and/or human factors" (art.1 point a).This definition emphasizes the fact that landscapes change over time, as a result of nature and man's actions. The population takes an active role in the management and planning of landscape, which has an important role as element of the environment and, therefore, of life. Landscape evolves over time due to human activity: as this implies "cultural" influences, landscape can be identified as a combination of natural and cultural assets. Enhancing diversity is the desirable goal: diversities should be safeguarded and enhanced by not freezing the landscape that continuously
* Corresponding author. Tel.: +39- 3385855146 E-mail address: brunidoriana@yahoo.it
2210-7843 © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license
(http://creativecommons.Org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/).
Peer-review under responsibility of Fondazione Simone Cesaretti
doi:10.1016/j.aaspro.2016.02.047
changes but preserving and enriching them, thus maintaining their historical memory as their essential component. The European Landscape Convention applies to the entire territory of the Parties and covers natural, rural, urban and peri-urban areas. It includes land, inland water, and marine areas. It also includes landscapes that might be considered outstanding as well as everyday or degraded landscapes (art.2). Therefore, landscape is no longer seen from a purely aesthetic point of view, as a synonym of natural beauty, but it takes on a deeper meaning at a cultural perception level, becoming the symbol of a population's identity. Feeding the world with an eye to the future is a prerogative of our society; this means to meet the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to satisfy their own needs.
2. Landscape indicators
Morphological, environmental, and cultural characteristics of a territory constitute the base of a series of indicators that can help choose and implement local politics for the safeguard of landscape quality.
Landscape indicators are very important as they identify resources, qualities, and criticalities of a particular area and act within the four (ecological, social, cultural, and institutional) contexts of sustainability: they should not be used alone but in a broader context. They are a wonderful tool of assessment and monitoring, mirroring the model DSIR (Driving force- State- Impact- Response). (Vallega 2009)
Benchmark indicators, proposed by Adalberto Vallega concern tangible and intangible aspects of the landscape and are grouped in chains. (Vallega 2009)
The table below summarizes the nine Vallega's chains and describes their function.
fig. 1
1 chain indicators characteristics function
biological quality 1. loss of species 2. richness of species 3. endangered species 4. protected species 5. environmentally sensitive areas environmental indicators to use in introductory phase risk evaluation
environmental quality 1. transparency air 2. transparency of water bodies 3. protection of the caves 4. forest fires quality estimation risk evaluation
urban quality 1. wellness acoustic 2. spaces rural pedestrian 3. revitalization historic spaces 4. enhancement urban green indicators to evaluate how urban sprawl has contributed to the transformation of the territory risk evaluation
Culture tangible 1. protection of the Archaeological Heritage 2. enhancement of industrial 3. creating cultural trails 4. protection UNESCO sites include indicators that relate to the material signs that culture imprints on the territory connoting the landscape • richness • valuing • development
intangible culture 1. viewpoints 2. places of Taste 3. places heterotopic 4. places of events 5. places of personality indicators that lead to the symbolic value of places • membership • richness • enhancement • development
aesthetic quality 1. value of the skyline landscape 2. safeguarding the terraced landscape 3. landscapes injured 4. pressure of parking indicators to monitor the extent to which the infrastructure as a pressure factor risk evaluation
institutional action 1. efficiency of the measures referred to landscape planning indicators to monitor the extent to which • planning • development
2. effectiveness of planning in relation to the landscape the infrastructure as a
3. effectiveness of landscape management pressure factor
4. efficiency of planning in relation to the landscape
5. efficiency of landscape management
didactics 1. efficiency of education, education and training role of education and • share
2. position of the landscape in university teaching training • foresight
3. position of the landscape in compulsory education
social 1. efficiency of social communication participation practices • share
communication 2. position of the landscape in the print media shared with the • participation
3. position of the landscape in the internet population • membership
3. Landscape resilience
To define resilience is quite difficult. In fact, factors that change the landscape are not only brought about by human activity: they can also be random, and therefore more difficult to foresee. It is very important to distinguish between natural resilience - the time required for an ecosystem to return to its natural state - and social resilience, which is the population ability to face and react to difficulties, adversities and negative events. We should use tools for environmental risk assessment and territorial along with tools that include the human ability to adapt to environmental changes and socio-economic. To assess resilience we must divide the landscape into environment, territory and man, and create macro- areas that should be analyzed singularly at first, then together.
Environment is simply defined as a portion of space in which living beings interact but the concept of environment is much more complex and we should study it paying particular attention to its natural, social, and economic aspects Russo (2003.) It includes physical, chemical, and biological factors as well as anthropic actions, which implies social and economic dimensions Banini (2009). Usually we associate, and confuse, environment with ecosystem, but these two concepts are not synonyms. As we have already pointed out, the first concept may have different meanings that refer to both the natural and social context, whereas the second is exclusively associated with natural phenomena. To perform a deeper analysis, we must subdivide the environment into biotic - the living world - and abiotic - the non-living world: lithosphere, the solid outer component, hydrosphere, the watery component, and atmosphere, the gaseous component, of a planet (Bagliani M. Dansero E. 2011).
fig. 2 biotic environment
fig. 3 abiotic environment
The term "territory" comes from Latin "territorium", the land under the jurisdiction of a town, and refers to a "comprehensive set of objects, relations organized and organizers" Doccioli (2010- 2011). Therefore we can state that this term refers to a precise area delimitation that, through a series of infrastructures, constitutes a territory with its own judicial and administrative units.
fig. 4 territory
" Landscape is born out of territory" Rombai (2002), implying a bond between a geographical area and the social aspects of the population living in that area. In this way geographical areas are associated with specific territorial identities with their typical food production, traditional farming, trades and activities that will contribute to the growth of the landscape as a cultural asset Turri (1998).
fig. 5 social aspects
Men adapt and change the territory in which they live according to their needs. Those whose task is to build and organize settlements in an area must necessarily take into account natural conditions and morphology of that area. We can state, therefore, that the natural environment strongly influences the way men act on it Turri (1998).
fig. 6 men act
The concept of cultural landscape is based on the relationship between man and nature. In fact, man, as being the
main protagonist, influences both the tangible and intangible aspects by shaping the territory according to his needs and conferring specific values to places, respectively. The landscape is "global expression of a particular kind of culture, history, and relationship between man and nature", thus bearing material testimony to man's culture and civilization Zerbi (1993).
fig. 7 cultural landscape
The role of cultural heritage, seen as a promoter of socioeconomic development, is becoming increasingly important in the context of the cognitive and evolutionary paths of both territory and landscape and in the choice of economic strategies and development Mautone (2009). It is also a strong element of identity whose foundations are established on the past of entire generations and on social relations that confer to it the meaning of cultural heritage De Matteis (1998).
The term cultural heritage does not apply only to material objects but also to historical, cultural, environmental values, use and exchange values, identity and symbolic values.
Therefore we talk about "milieu", that is a non-static reality but a dynamic reality resulting from the fusion of various elements from the past with a specific collective identity and its future perspectives. The identity values have a high potential that needs to be recognized and developed through projects of rehabilitation and recovery strategies Governa (1998).
fig. 9 symbolic values
Analysis of the three macro areas helps identify Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities and Threats (SWOT analysis).
The following table summarizes the issues related to the three macro- areas.
fig. 10 macro- areas
I landscape 1
territory environment man
population air quality : education
• air pollution
• noise pollution
density of infrastructures water: environmental education
• road transport • quality of drinking water • energy saving
• rail transport • water availability • water conservation
• quality sea water • waste separation
quality of the urban environment waste management: sense of belonging
• spaces footpaths • domestic • traditions
• revitalization of historic urban • toxic • local Products
spaces • ancient crafts
• enhancement urban green
• pressure of parking
green areas : energy savings shared ownership
• ecologically protected areas
• deforestation
• forest fires
mapping of territorial and
hydrographic changes_
agricultural area
• total agricultural area
• utilized agricultural area_
As regards territory, it is possible to assess all the factors influencing land use, with particular attention to human impact. We should calculate total and utilized agricultural land to identify the conditions for productive reconversion, determine land damages through accurate mapping of criticalities, monitor risks as prevention, and know where and how to intervene in case of random events. Environmental quality is profoundly associated with resilience as nature recovers more quickly in a healthy environment. Last but not least, Man "macro area", where man should not be considered as a factor influencing the land but as intangible legacy. The stronger his sense of belonging and education, the greater his capability to face emergencies. Starting a policy of cooperation between the population and public administrations is of utmost importance to undertake far-sighted actions leading to sustainable development.
A resilient land, able to properly adapt to external changes, is therefore to be considered as a sustainable land. References
Bagliani M. Dansero E., Politche per l'ambiente: dalla natura al territorio, UTET, Torino 2011, p. 1
Dematteis G., "La geografia dei beni culturali come sapere progettuale", in Rivista geografica Italiana, 1998 pp. 25- 35, p. 25 Doccioli P., notes from University lesson, Folrence, Economic Geography Advanced year, 2010 2011 European Landscape Convention Strasbourg 2000
Governa F., " IIMileau come insieme dei beni culturali e ambientali", in Rivista geografica italiana, 1998, pp. 85- 93, p. 89 Mautone M., Ronza M. (a cura), Patrimonio culturale e paesaggio un approccio di fileraper la progettualita territoriale, Gangemi, Roma, 2009, pp. 7- 8
Rombai L., Paesaggi culturali, analisi storico- geografica e pianificazione, in http://www.storiaeiuturo.com/arretrati/2002/pdf/0101001.pdf p.16 Russo R. in Ambiente, in Le parole chiave della geografia, De Vecchis G., Palagiano G. (a cura), Carocci, Roma, 2003, p. 148 The Report of the Brundtland Commission, Our Common Future, 1987
Tiziana Banini in Ecosistema, in Le parole chiave della geografia, De Vecchis G., Palagiano G. (a cura), Carocci , Roma, 2003. p. 153 Turri E. , Il paesaggio come teatro. Dal territorio vissuto al territorio rappresentato, Marsilio, Venezia, 1998, p. 40, p. 96, Vallega A., Indicatori per il paesaggio, FrancoAngeli, Milano, 2009 Zerbi M. C., Paesaggi della geografia, Giappichelli, Torino, 1993, p.64
