Evaluating environmental sensitivity at the basin scale through the use ofgeographic information systems and remotely sensed data: an example covering the Agri basin (Southern Italy)
F. Basso et al., Evaluating environmental sensitivity at the basin scale through the use ofgeographic information systems and remotely sensed data: an example covering the Agri basin (Southern Italy), CATENA, 40(1), 2000, pp. 19-35
The aim of this study is to develop a methodological reference framework, f
or use at the basin scale, from which environmental sensitivity can be eval
uated. In this paper the results of a 3-year investigation into the degrada
tion processes related to desertification in the Agri basin environment (So
uthern Italy) are presented. Different degradation stages or desertificatio
n risks are also evaluated at the plot scale. These data. and the derived r
esults, are integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) along wit
h regional scale information layers related to selected environmental and s
ocio-economic factors. The techniques developed at the plot scale are used
both to prime and to assess the regional scale measures as they are develop
ed. All data are managed in a GIS which facilitates access to the informati
on and enables it to be updated in a timely fashion. The GIS also enhances
data analysis, increasing the interpretability of the data, by enabling cro
ss analysis procedures and various classifications to be performed. As a re
sult, the current landscape genesis can be identified, and appropriate inte
rvention stimulated rapidly. The main aims of the present research are, fir
stly, to set up an efficient and simple computational structure to evaluate
the response of selected thematic layers to degradation phenomena at the b
asin scale and, secondly, to apply the resulting strategy to a specific sit
uation in the Mediterranean Environment. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. Ail
rights reserved.