Italian Historical Rural Landscapes

Sustainable development and rural policies have pursued strategies where farming has been often regarded as a factor deteriorating the ecosystem. But the current economic, social and environmental problems of the Earth probably call for examples of a positive integration between human society and nature. This research work presents more than a hundred case studies where the historical relationships between man and nature have generated, not deterioration, but cultural, environmental, social and economic values. The results show that is not only the economic face of globalization that is negatively affecting the landscape, but also inappropriate environmental policies. The CBD-UNESCO program on biocultural diversity, the FAO Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems and several projects of the International Union of Forest Research Organizations, as well as European rural policies acknowledge the importance of cultural values associated to landscape. This research intends to support these efforts.

1. The Italian historical rural landscapes: dynamics, data analysis and research findings (Mauro Agnoletti). - 2. Assessing the integrity of the historical landscapes. Three case studies in some terraced areas (Mauro Agnoletti, Antonio Santoro, Lorenzo Gardin). - 3. The role of historical rural landscapes in territorial planning (Alberto Magnaghi). - 4. Rural landscapes: the historical roots of biodiversity (Roberta Cevasco, Diego Moreno). - 5. Landscape and economy (Tiziano Tempesta). - 6. Valle d Aosta. - 7. Piedmont. - 8. Liguria. - 9. Lombardy. - 10. Trentino Alto Adige. -11. Friuli Venezia Giulia. - 12. Veneto. - 13. Emilia Romagna. - 14. Tuscany. - 15. Marche. - 16. Umbria. - 17. Lazio. - 18. Abruzzo. - 19. Molise. - 20. Campania. - 21. Basilicata . - 22. Puglia. - 23. Calabria. - 24. Sicily. - 25. Sardinia.