Title:
Are Energy Crops a Real Opportunity for Marginal Lands Enhancement? Land Use Change Scenarios Building in Southern Italy
Author(s):
Cervelli, E., Scotto di Perta, E., Mautone, A., Faugno, S., Pindozzi, S.
Document(s):
Paper
Poster
Abstract:
As result of a strong anthropic pressure, all European landscape is increasingly becoming a complex entity, implying the need for specific management and planning approaches based on a specific knowledge. “Marginal lands” usually present socio-economic and geographic disadvantages, but often are also important environmental and natural reserves. Energy crops cultivation in marginal lands can be considered a useful opportunity for farmers, against the progressive risk of under-utilization or abandonment. The aim of this work is to support land-use and landscape planning to guarantee development opportunities, preserving and enhancing the natural heritage. Inside the study area (an interregional context between Molise and Campania regions - Southern Italy) marginal lands were identified starting from regulatory tools and a spatial multicriteria analysis. Three different scenarios were built: 1) No changes in land use; 2) energy crops cultivation in “fringe areas”, 3) land-use abandonment. The results show about 15% of the study area is identifiable as “Fringe areas”, identified by means of S-MCDA. Results validate the LUC scenarios built by means of S-MCDA approach and highlight the close connection and the utility of integration among ecological indicators, in landscape planning and LUC scenarios building and assessment in the ex-ante evaluation stage.
Keywords:
energy crops, land use, sustainability criteria, marginal land, spatial-multicriteria decision analysis
Topic:
Bioeconomy Sustainability, Impacts and Policies
Subtopic:
Environmental impacts
Event:
28th European Biomass Conference and Exhibition
Session:
4AV.2.1
Pages:
805 - 811
ISBN:
978-88-89407-20-2
Paper DOI:
10.5071/28thEUBCE2020-4AV.2.1
Price:
FREE
