Abstract
In the last decades, safeguard and management of environment and landscape have been acknowledged as priority to recover degraded habitats and reduce biodiversity loss. Anthropogenic landscape fragmentation (LF) -due to settlements and transport and mobility infrastructures- leads to smaller and more isolated habitat patches and can jeopardize both ecosystem continuity and quality.
Scientific literature and Italian regional landscape planning practice show a certain lack of quali-quantitative methods -with specific focus on LF- to identify, describe, classify, assess, and monitor rural landscapes. This research aims at proposing and applying a quali-quantitative method to fill such a research gap.
The method is based on the use of landscape fact sheets (LFSs) and focuses on landscapes spatial setting, habitat type, target species, Natura 2000 sites, quantitative assessment of LF and defragmentation measures, at sub-regional level, i.e., at landscape unit (LU) scale. The method allowed us to draft LFSs that characterize eleven LUs set by the regional landscape plan adopted in Sardinia (Italy) in 2006.
This methodological approach is exportable in similar contexts and provide planners and policy makers with an overview on regional areas affected by LF.
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Acknowledgements
The Authors are supported by the research project “Paesaggi rurali della Sardegna: pianificazione di infrastrutture verdi e blu e di reti territoriali complesse [Rural landscapes of Sardinia: planning green and blue infrastructures and spatial complex networks]”, Regional Law n. 7/2007, Fund for Development and Cohesion, Autonomous Region of Sardinia. The Authors are supported by the Agritech National Research Center (CN00000022, Concession Decree 1032 of 17/06/2022,) and the National Biodiversity Future Center - NBFC (CN00000033, Concession Decree 1034 of 17/06/2022 adopted by the Italian Ministry of University and Research, CUP J83C22000870007), European Union Next-GenerationEU, Projects funded under the National Recovery and Resilience Plan (NRRP; Piano Nazionale di Ripresa e Resilienza), Mission 4 Component 2 Investment 1.4. This manuscript reflects only the authors’ views and opinions, neither the European Union nor the European Commission can be considered responsible for them.
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Ledda, A., Serra, V., Calia, G., De Montis, A. (2024). Landscape Planning and Fragmentation: A Method for Classifying Rural Landscapes. In: Marucci, A., Zullo, F., Fiorini, L., Saganeiti, L. (eds) Innovation in Urban and Regional Planning. INPUT 2023. Lecture Notes in Civil Engineering, vol 463. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-54096-7_5
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