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)

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.