Assessment of landscape degradation in Emilia- Romagna Region, Italy

The paper presents an integrated approach to landscape analysis and planning by describing the application of a new assessment method of landscape degradation in the case of Emilia-Romagna Region, in Italy. Landscape degradation is intended as a change in the landscape charac- ter and quality, namely in the configuration of separate, identifiable and consistent set of elements that make each landscape different from another in perceptual and functional terms. The identification of the major degradation phenomena of the regional landscape and their mapping is assumed as a necessary knowledge base for the definition of restoration and rehabilitation of significantly damaged or degraded areas. The joint analysis of land use covers at different dates has provided a first indication of those landscapes that may potentially be more exposed to different types of degradation and it permitted to identify the main causes that have produced the degradation phenomena and a few major reasons, underlying landscape changes. Although the different phenomena have been investigated separately, the results show that they are not mutually in- dependent and they provide an important clues to design future approaches and guidelines for the rehabilitation or regeneration of degraded land- scapes, in compliance with the European Landscape Convention and the New Italian Code of Cultural and Landscape Heritage.