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A Procedure for Evaluating Historical Land Use Change and Resilience in Highly Reclaimed Coastal Areas: The Case of the Tavoliere di Puglia (Southern Italy)

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  • Vincenzo De Santis

    (Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Edoardo Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
    Interdepartmental Research Centre for Coastal Dynamics, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Angela Rizzo

    (Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Edoardo Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
    Interdepartmental Research Centre for Coastal Dynamics, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Giovanni Scardino

    (Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Edoardo Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
    Interdepartmental Research Centre for Coastal Dynamics, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Giovanni Scicchitano

    (Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Edoardo Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy
    Interdepartmental Research Centre for Coastal Dynamics, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via E. Orabona, 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

  • Massimo Caldara

    (Department of Earth and Geoenvironmental Sciences, Campus Universitario, University of Bari Aldo Moro, Via Edoardo Orabona 4, 70125 Bari, Italy)

Abstract

In this research, an operative procedure for the evaluation of land use change that occurred in highly reclaimed coastal areas from the middle of the XIX century up to the present day is proposed. The multitemporal analysis envisages the use of historical maps, aerial photographs, and satellite images, whose interpretation is performed in a GIS environment. The proposed methodological approach starts from the interpretation of the symbols used in the legend of the historical maps. Subsequently, in order to compare historical information with the most recent land use classifications (i.e., CORINE land cover), a set of twenty-two macro-categories is proposed to find a compromise between a highly detailed land use classification and its applicability to both historical and present-day data. The study area is located in the coastal sector of the Tavoliere di Puglia (Apulia region, Southern Italy), the second-largest coastal plain in Italy. In this area, environmental changes were mostly driven by extensive reclamation and drainage works, which allowed more than 170 km 2 of land to be removed from coastal marshes and wetlands. The results show a strong increase in the surface occupied by arable land, urban areas, and saltwork, which today occupy about 57%, 3%, and 23% of the total investigated area, respectively. In contrast, the total surface occupied by grassland, pasture, meadow, and shrubland decreased from 59.6% in 1869 to 4.6% in the present-day setting. It is worth noting that although fluvial sediments were trapped and used to fill the marshy areas, the coastline prograded up to the first half of the XX century, favouring the formation of wide coastal dune systems. Nevertheless, the natural coastal resilience of the investigated system has been reduced since the second half of the XX century, probably as a consequence of the construction of numerous dams in the Ofanto River catchment, which represents the main river in the investigated area.

Suggested Citation

  • Vincenzo De Santis & Angela Rizzo & Giovanni Scardino & Giovanni Scicchitano & Massimo Caldara, 2023. "A Procedure for Evaluating Historical Land Use Change and Resilience in Highly Reclaimed Coastal Areas: The Case of the Tavoliere di Puglia (Southern Italy)," Land, MDPI, vol. 12(4), pages 1-26, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:12:y:2023:i:4:p:775-:d:1110695
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Dina Statuto & Giuseppe Cillis & Pietro Picuno, 2017. "Using Historical Maps within a GIS to Analyze Two Centuries of Rural Landscape Changes in Southern Italy," Land, MDPI, vol. 6(3), pages 1-15, September.
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