Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Spatial scale-dependent policy planning for land management in southern Europe

  • Global Framework
  • Published:
Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This study outlines and original tool for rural policy planning in southern Europe. This new tool is a process-based, scale-dependent, rural policy-making approach, which is designed to address increasing land degradation problems in southern Europe. Seven important processes are identified (land abandonment, devegetation, intensification in agriculture, global climate change, accelerated soil erosion, increasing water demands, urbanisation) and plotted on a space-time diagram, which clearly shows the spatial and temporal scales for which these processes are significant for landscape change in southern Europe. Conclusions are derived concerning, in particular, sustainable (optimal) rural policy-making for southern Europe's problematic land management. An optimal spatial-temporal scale for land management in southern Europe may range spatially from the “farm” (0.5 km2) to “sub-provincial” level (450 km2) and temporally from 7 to 30 years. The study delineates methods and results derivable from such a new policy-planning approach and suggests the usefulness of combining this approach with ecological land classification at the landscape level.

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

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • AllenT.F.H. and StarrT.B.: 1982, Hierarchy: Perspectives for Ecological Complexity, University of Chicago Press, Chicago, 310 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • BaudryJ. and AsselinA.: 1991, ‘Effects of low grazing pressure on some ecological patterns in Normandie, France’, CIHEAM. Options Méditérranéennes, Série Séminaires 15, 103–109.

    Google Scholar 

  • BischoffN.T. and JongmanR.H.G.: 1993, ‘Development of rural areas in Europe: the claim for nature’, Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy, The Hague, Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • deBuruagaG.S.: 1983, ‘Towards a new regional policy in Spain’, In: D.Seers and K.Öström (eds.), The Crises of the European Regions, Saint Martin's Press, New York, pp. 86–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • CarlileD.W., SkalskiJ.R., BatkerJ.E., ThomasJ.M. and CullinamV.I.: 1989, ‘Determination of ecological scale’, Landscape Ecology 2(4), 203–213.

    Google Scholar 

  • deCarvalhoA., Coelho BarrosV., FragataA. and DaRosa PiresA.: 1990, ‘Land resources, agricultural change and economic development: methodological guidelines for a proposed research project’, In: Methods and Socio-Economic Criteria for the Analysis and the Provision of Land Use and Land Evaluation, commission of the European Communities, Agriculture/Report EUR 12340, Luxembourg, pp. 189–196.

    Google Scholar 

  • Commission of the European Communities: 1991, ‘Les régions dans les années 90’, Brussels, Belgium.

  • Commission of the European Communities: 1991, Office des publications officielles des Communautés européennes, CECA-CEE-CEEA, Luxemburg, 114 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • ConwayA.G.: 1990, ‘Identifying significant social situational factors which influence land use: an application of path analysis’, In: Methods and Socio-Economic Criteria for the Analysis and the Provision of Land Use and Land Evaluation, Commission of the European Communities, Agriculture/Report EUR 12340, Luxembourg, pp. 75–92.

    Google Scholar 

  • Crow, T.: 1993, ‘Applying principles of landscape ecology management to natural resources: a North American's view’, In: B. Anko (ed.), The Role of Landscape Ecology in Forestry, Proceedings of the IUFRO W.P. Landscape Ecology (S1.01-05) Conference, September 13–17, 1993, Radovljica, Slovenia, pp. 15–22.

  • DelcourtH.R. and DelcourtP.A.: 1988, ‘Quaternary landscape ecology: relevant scales in space and time’, Landscape Ecology, 2(2), 23–44.

    Google Scholar 

  • FloretC., LeFlocheE. and PontanierR.: 1987, ‘La désertification en Tunisie présaharienne’, In: Desert et Montagne du Magreb: Hommage à Jean Dresch, Rev. de 1 Occident Mussulman et de la Méditerranée, Edisud, Aix-en-Provence (ROMM), pp. 441–442.

    Google Scholar 

  • FrescoL.O. and KroonenbergS.B.: 1992, ‘Time and spatial scales in ecological sustainability’, Land Use Policy 9, 155–168.

    Google Scholar 

  • Gonzales-BernaldezF.: 1991, ‘Ecological consequences of the abandonment of traditional land use systems in central Spain’, Options Méditerranéennes, Série Séminaires 15, 23–29.

    Google Scholar 

  • GrenonM. and BatisseM. (eds.): 1989, Futures for the Mediterranean Basin-Le Plan Bleu-Avenir du Bassin Méditerranéen, Programme des Nations Unis pour l'environnement, Economica, Paris, 442 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • HadjimichalisC.: 1987, Uneven Development and Regionalism: State, Territory and Class in Southern Europe, Croom Helm Publishers, London, UK, 338 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hadjimichalis, C.: 1993, ‘The fringes of Europe and E.C. integration: a view from the south’, Paper presented at the Conference: “Greece 2000”, December, 1993, Athens, Greece, 30 pp.

  • JenkinsT.N.: 1990, ‘Analyzing and forecasting land-use: the role of farm classification’, In: Methods and Socio-Economic Criteria for the Analysis and the Prevision of Land Use and Land Evaluation, Commission of the European Communities, Agriculture/Report EUR 12340, Luxembourg, pp. 119–134.

    Google Scholar 

  • Joffre, R., Hubert, B. and Meuret, M.: 1988, ‘Le rôle des arbres dans le fonctionnement écologique des dehesas, Résultats des études entreprises dans la Sierra Norte de Seville (Andalusie occidentale)’, MAB, Séminaire ‘Dehesas’, April, 1987, Madrid-Seville, Spain, 96 pp.

  • KostrowickiJ.: 1984, ‘Types of agriculture in Europe: a preliminary outline’, Geographia Polonica 50, 131–149.

    Google Scholar 

  • KüchlerA.W.: 1988, ‘The classification of vegetation’, In: A.W.Küchler and I.S.Zonneveld (eds.), Vegetation Mapping, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 67–95.

    Google Scholar 

  • Le Houérou, H.N.: 1992, ‘Ecological guidelines to control land degradation in European Mediterranean countries’, unpublished manuscript.

  • Mairota, P.: 1993, ‘Landscape ecology in forestry: a case study from Apulia (Southern Italy)’, In: B. Anko (ed.), The Role of Landscape Ecology in Forestry, Proceedings of the IUFRO W.P. Landscape Ecology (S1.01-05) Conference, September 13–17, 1993, Radovljica, Slovenia, pp. 47–59.

  • MorrisD.W.: 1984, ‘Patterns and scale of habitat use in two temperate zone small mammal faunas’, Canadian Journal of Zoology 62, 1540–1547.

    Google Scholar 

  • MorrisD.W.: 1987, ‘Patterns and scale of habitat use’, Ecology 68, 362–369.

    Google Scholar 

  • NavehZ. and LiebermanA.S.: 1984, Landscape Ecology: Theory and Application, Springer-Verlag, Heidelberg-Berlin-New York.

    Google Scholar 

  • Netherlands Scientific Council for Government Policy: 1992, ‘Ground for choices-four perspectives for the rural areas in the European Community’, Report 42, The Hague, The Netherlands, 114 pp.

  • OliveiraL.F.V.: 1983, ‘Regional development in Spain’. In: D.Seers and K.Öström (eds.), The Crises of the European Regions, Saint Martin's Press, New York, pp. 68–82.

    Google Scholar 

  • Papadimitriou, F.: 1993, ‘The geographical dimension of the rural policies in some of the O.E.C.D. countries’, In: Proceedings of the 2nd Panhellenic Geographical Conference, Volume A, April, 1993, Athens, Greece, pp. 67–71.

  • Papadimitriou, F.: 1994, ‘Land use change and underdevelopment in southern Europe: the role of the EC policies’, In: P. Mairota and N. Geeson (eds.), EC Policy Strategies for Land Use in the Mediterranean Countries, Workshop, 21 January, 1994, London, MEDALUS II Working Paper Series No. 17, pp. 63–70.

  • SerrasolasI., FerranA. and ValleyoV.R.: 1989, ‘Recostruccion de los horizontes organicos tras el incendio en la garriga del macizo de Garraf (Barcelona)’, Options Méditerranéennes, Série Séminaires 3, 107–110.

    Google Scholar 

  • Spiertz, J.H.J., van Keulen, H. and van der Pouw, B.J.A.: 1993, ‘Land use option and environmental goals: opportunities and limitations of mobilising knowledge’, In: The Future of the Land: Mobilising and Integrating Knowledge for Land Use Options, Proceedings of the Anniversary Conference of the Wageningen Agricultural University, August 22–25, 1993, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

  • TheysJ.: 1986, ‘L'agriculture française et l'environnement dans les 20 prochaines années: vers un équilibre?’, Multi Group de Prospective, Min. de l'Equipement et Min. de l'Environnement, Paris, France.

    Google Scholar 

  • TurnerM.G. and O NeillR.: 1989.‘Effects of changing spatial scale on analysis of landscape pattern’, Landscape Ecology 3(3/4), 153–162.

    Google Scholar 

  • VosW. and StortelderA.: 1992, Vanishing Tuscan Landscapes, Pudoc Scientific Publishers, Wageningen, The Netherlands.

    Google Scholar 

  • ZonneveldI.S.: 1988a, ‘Establishing a floristic classification’, In: A.W.Küchler and I.S.Zonneveld (eds.), Vegetation Mapping, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 81–88.

    Google Scholar 

  • ZonneveldI.S.: 1988b, ‘Basic principles of land evaluation using vegetation and other attributes’, In: A.W.Küchler and I.S.Zonneveld (eds.), Vegetation Mapping, Kluwer Academic Publishers, Dordrecht, The Netherlands, pp. 499–517.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Geography, University of Oxford, OX1 3TB, Oxford, England

    Fivos Papadimitriou

  2. King's College London, Department of Geography, University of London, WC2R 2LS, London, England

    Paola Mairota

Authors
  1. Fivos Papadimitriou
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Paola Mairota
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Papadimitriou, F., Mairota, P. Spatial scale-dependent policy planning for land management in southern Europe. Environ Monit Assess 39, 47–57 (1996). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396135

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00396135

Keywords

Search

Navigation