Assessment of ecotone changes over the last six decades in two cultural landscapes: The case of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene UNESCO site and of the Olive Groves of the Slopes between Assisi and Spoleto GIAHS site

A study reveals that land use changes over the past six decades have differently impacted ecotone characteristics and biodiversity in two Italian cultural landscapes: the UNESCO World Heritage Site, Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene, and the FAO GIAHS site, Olive Groves of the Slopes between Assisi and Spoleto. While both sites experienced a decrease in agricultural areas and an increase in forests and shrublands, the Prosecco Hills saw a 6.4% reduction in ecotone total length due to forest recolonization and agricultural mosaic simplification, whereas the Olive Groves site showed a significant increase in first (+53.7%) and second level ecotones (+13.5%). The research highlights that the relationship between land use changes and ecotones is site-specific, emphasizing the importance of preserving traditional cultural landscapes for biodiversity conservation. The study applied a GIS-based methodology to assess these changes effectively.

Piras, F., Bazzurro, A., Fiore, B., Romano, F., & Santoro, A. (2023). Assessment of ecotone changes over the last six decades in two cultural landscapes: The case of the Prosecco Hills of Conegliano and Valdobbiadene UNESCO site and of the Olive Groves of the Slopes between Assisi and Spoleto GIAHS site. Biodiversity and Conservation, 34(9), 3193–3210. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-023-02725-5