DIS4ME DIS4ME Homepage | DESERTLINKS Homepage | © DESERTLINKS 2004
English-EN | Español-ES | Italiano-I | Ελληνικά-GR | Portuguese-PT
Desertification Indicator System for Mediterranean Europe


Indicators and NAPs

Return to the introduction
Italy
Author: Nichola Geeson <desertlinks@medalus.demon.co.uk>

The report from Italy prepared for UNCCP COP 6, in the document Repères et Indicateurs [1], gives comprehensive information about the current application and use of benchmarks and indicators in Italy. Environmental benchmarks and indicators in Italy are based on the observation and monitoring system of National (APAT) and Regional Environmental Protection Agencies (ARPAs). The National Topic Centers (NTC) system supports APAT in gathering, managing and monitoring data and information. Desertification data and indicators are the responsibility of the NTC TES (Territory and Soil).

Carta nazionale delle aree sensibili alla desertificazione
Source: Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio, Comitato Nazionale per la Lotta alla Desertificazione.

Objectives Actions Proposed Indicators used
1. The support necessary for Italian regions and watershed authorities to identify "areas vulnerable to desertification".
2. The adoption of standards and methods better suited to understanding, preventing and alleviating desertification phenomena in "vulnerable areas".
3. The preparation of the Italian contribution to the Northern Mediterranean Regional Action Programme aimed at ensuring adequate participation in the coordination works with the Annex IV partners.
4. The gathering of uniform soil data for all of Italy based on the activities of the National Soil Monitoring Centre, the regional Soil Services and other offices with similar duties, in close working relationship with the European Soil Office.		 1. Soil protection, including forest management, slope protection and flood control.
2. Sustainable management of water resources, identification of water requirements and control of water demand.
3. Reduction of the impact of productive activities; prevention of physical, chemical and biological damage to the soil; production and use of compost.
4. Territorial rebalance, including reclamation and re-naturalisation; re-evaluation of traditional knowledge; integrated planning policies		 1. Aridity index (2), defined as the relationship between the average yearly precipitation and the average yearly potential evapo-transpiration;
2. Soil characteristics index, related to the pedo-climatic classification of the Italian territory (dependent on soil and its biotic cover);
3. Land use index, obtained by means of a reclassification of the original Corine Land Cover classes;
4. Demographic variation index, defined as the percentage of population variation between 1981 and 1991, at the municipal scale.
5. A final index of sensitivity to desertification was developed on the basis of the four indexes above
Source: [13] Source: [3] Sources: [4], [5]

Indicators used for mapping at other scales: Under the auspices of the MEDALUS III project [6], the University of Basilicata developed a map of the environmentally sensitive areas of the Agri Basin. After the preliminary identification of the Italian areas sensitive to desertification carried out in 1999, in December 2001 the Italian Ministry for the Environmental Protection and the Territory funded a project aiming to build an Italian "Desertification Atlas", to both formulate and fill in a set of specific indicators: chemical - physical, biological, and socio-economic. According to the provisions of the guidelines for NAP implementation, Regions and River Basin Authorities formulated their programmes using environmental and socio-economic indicators. Most affected regions also complemented their programmes with sensitivity maps in order to support decision-makers in understanding ongoing processes, planning interventions of mitigation and in the monitoring of their effectiveness.

Sensitivity has been assessed on the basis of parameters and indicators within broad categories: soil, climate, vegetation and land management.

MAP YEAR SCALE INSTITUTION
Vulnerability areas to the desertification risk in Sardinia Region 2000 1:250,000 Regional Agro-Meteorological Service (SAR s.r.l)
Vulnerability areas to the desertification risk in Sicily Region (1) 2001 1:250,000 Sicily Region-Territory and Environment Department
Desertification sensitivity map of Sicily Region (2) 2001 1:250,000 ENEA-INEA
Desertification sensitivity map of Puglia Region (1) 2001 1:350,000 Puglia Region-CNR (Research National Committee)
Desertification and drought vulnerability map of Puglia Region (2) 2001 1:250,000 European Soil Bureau; Space Application Institute and Puglia Region
Map of desertification and drought sensitivity areas of Basilicata Region 2001 1:250,000 Basilicata Region- CNR (Research National Committee)
Vulnerability areas to the desertification for the groundwater salinity in the Magra River Basin Authority 2001 1:25,000 Magra River Basin Authority
Desertification and drought vulnerability preliminary map of Sarno River Basin Authority 2001 1:1,200,000 Sarno River Basin Authority
Desertification and drought vulnerability preliminary map of Left Sele River Basin Authority 2001 1:1,200,000 Left Side of Sele River Basin Authority
Desertification and drought vulnerability preliminary map of Right Sele River Basin Authority 2001 1:1,100,000 Right Side of Sele River Basin Authority

Collaboration with research and international cooperation programmes: The implementation of the National Action Programme requires the development of monitoring techniques, and of systems of indicators and benchmarks addressing bio-physical and socio-economic issues also involving stakeholders. The main scientific projects addressing the issue of development and of the use of indicators of desertification are DESERTLINKS, RIADE, DESERTNET and DISMED.

The "Desertification Information System to support National Action Programmes in the Mediterranean (DISMED)" project is a jointly managed by the European Environment Agency (EEA), the Applied Meteorology Foundation FMA of Italy and the UNCCD secretariat with the participation of affected northern and southern Mediterranean countries. The purpose of the DISMED project is to improve the capacity of national administrations of Mediterranean countries, to effectively programme measures and policies to combat desertification and the effects of drought. This aim will be pursued by reinforcing the communication amongst them, facilitating the exchange of information and establishing a common information system to monitor the physical and socio-economic conditions of areas at risk, assess the extent, severity and the trend of land degradation.

The DESERTNET and RIADE projects will contribute to the identification of indicators and are also expected to be a significant test for the use of indicators for the implementation of NAPs in affected areas. DESERTNET is working in ten regions within Italy (Liguria, Campania, Calabria, Toscana, Sicilia, Romagna, Sardegna, Basilicata) and Spain (Murcia, Andalucia) establishing a network of pilot actions.

All research projects are working with the extensive collaboration with local stakeholders in desertification affected areas of southern Italy in order to identify: impact indicators relating to perceptions of land function; driving force and pressure indicators relating to decision making; response indicators relating to land management measures taken to combat desertification. A conceptual and database framework is under development for these and the other indicators identified.

References

[1] pp 29 to 36 Repères et indicateurs. UNCCD, CST, May 2003. ICCDCOP(6)CST5.pdf
[2] p4 National Action Programme to combat desertification, Rome, December 1999. www.unccd.int/actionprogrammes/northmed/national/2000/italy-eng.pdf
[3] p14 National report of Italy on the implementation of the UNCCD, 2000. www.unccd.int/cop/reports/northmed/national/2000/italy-eng.pdf
[4] p31 Italy National Report, CRIC, November 2002. http://unccd.int/cop/reports.northmed/national/2002/italy-eng.pdf
[5] p29 Repères et indicateurs. UNCCD, CST, May 2003. ICCDCOP(6)CST5.pdf
[6] Kosmas C, Kirkby M and Geeson N, 1999. The MEDALUS project. Mediterranean Desertification and Land Use. Manual on key indicators of desertification and mapping environmentally sensitive areas to desertification. European Commission, Brussels.

5 top