Mediterranean desertification and land use impacts - Project 4 - Research and policy interfacing in selected regions

Objective

To demonstrate the practical utility in specific cases, of the
scientific investigations of MEDALUS I through integrated
application of desertification research directly into regional
problem solving at local, catchment and regional level, and to
build on the practical experiences of government and commercial
agencies, through the interfacing of science and policy, in
mitigating the effects of desertification in the specific
regions.


The Project will examine the desertification problem in three
areas: at the local level in the Agri valley in Basilicata, at
the medium catchment level in the Guadalentin valley in
south-east Spain, and at the regional level in the Abruzzo,
eastern Italy.

Plans for desertification mitigation will be developed involving
the following steps:

Assembly of climatic, geological, soils and topographic
information from existing sources, including satellite imagery
and the creation of Geographical Information Systems for the
three areas.

Field data collection for model calibration and ground truthing,
especially of dynamic soil and vegetation cover properties.

Establishment of the contemporary and historical land use
patterns and practices in relation to local, regional, national
and Community policy and in relation to climatic hazards and
basic physiographic conditions.

The identification and mapping of desertification response units
at the three scales, through field and satellite mapping of
desertification indicators.

Implementation of physical models developed under Project 1 of
MEDALUS II to determine, under various climatic scenarios, the
risks of further deterioration in the DRUs and the identification
of critical areas, the erosion and runoff hazards as they vary
spatially, seasonally and through time, and the likely impact on
water resources.

Assessment of the appropriate measures to mitigate existing and
predicted impacts on land use, water resources and physical
environmental hazards (including water quality) through the
development of complex systems models of land-use and water
resource allocation for the selected areas.

Programme(s)

• FP3-ENV 1C - Specific research and technological development programme (EEC) in the field of the environment, 1990-1994

Topic(s)

• 0403 - Desertification in the Mediterranean area

Funding Scheme

CSC - Cost-sharing contracts

Coordinator

KING'S COLLEGE LONDON

Address

Strand
WC2R 2LS London
United Kingdom

Participants (16)

Accademia Economico Agraria dei Georgofili

Italy

Address

8,Via Giovanni Caproni 8
50122 Firenze

Alenia - Aeritalia & Selenia SpA

Italy

Address

Via Vitorchiano 81
00189 Roma

Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche (CNR)

Italy

Address

Strada Provinciale La Crucca 5
07100 Sassari

Consorzio Redat

Italy

Address

Via Luigi Roncinotto 1
00154 Roma

Ente Regionale di Sviluppo Agricolo della Lombardia

Italy

Address

Milano 2
20090 Segrate Milano

Ente Toscano di Sviluppo Agricolo Forestale

Italy

Address

Via Verdi 16
50122 Firenze

Fondazione Scienza per l'Ambiente

Italy

Address

Via Galileo 32
50125 Firenze

Fundacion Universidad Empresa de Murcia

Spain

Address

1,Plaza De Fontes
30001 Murcia

ICONA - Instituto Nacional para la Conservacion de la Naturaleza

Spain

Address

6,Avenida Alfonso X El Sabio
30008 Murcia

Regione Veneto

Italy

Address

Via G. Marconi 55
35037 Teolo Padova

Società di Informatica per l'Agricoltura SpA Agrisel

Italy

Address

Via G. Vincenzo Bona 65
00156 Roma

TELESPAZIO S.P.A.

Italy

Address

Via Tiburtina 965
00156 Roma

UNIVERSIT DEGLI STUDI DELLA BASILICATA

Italy

Address

Via Nazario Sauro 85
85100 Potenza

Università degli Studi di Genova

Italy

Address

11 A,via Opera Pia 11/A
16145 Genova

Università degli Studi di Milano

Italy

Address

Via Celoria 2
20133 Milano

Università degli Studi di Sassari

Italy

Address

Piazza Universitá
07100 Sassari