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Developing a Synthetic Index of Land Vulnerability to Drought and Desertification
Author(s) -
SALVATI LUCA,
ZITTI MARCO,
CECCARELLI TOMASO,
PERINI LUIGI
Publication year - 2009
Publication title -
geographical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.695
H-Index - 47
eISSN - 1745-5871
pISSN - 1745-5863
DOI - 10.1111/j.1745-5871.2009.00590.x
Subject(s) - desertification , vulnerability (computing) , land degradation , vulnerability index , geography , land cover , land use , index (typography) , population , vegetation (pathology) , agriculture , environmental resource management , climate change , environmental science , water resource management , ecology , medicine , demography , computer security , archaeology , pathology , sociology , world wide web , computer science , biology
This paper develops an index of the vulnerability of land to drought and desertification (LVI) for Italy. The index takes into account changes in climate, land use, vegetation cover, soil properties, and population during the period 1990–2000. The LVI was built up through a multivariate approach aimed at assessing the importance of the various indicators included in the synthetic index. Increasing land vulnerability was observed during this time, especially in dry areas of the southern regions. This is interpreted as a consequence of land management practices, agricultural intensification, population pressure, and bio‐physical degradation. The LVI can be used in an integrated, decision‐support system to evaluate the impact of mitigation policies in rural environments.