Environmental Sustainability and Global Change: Forests, Agriculture, and Soils vis à vis Human Disturbance offers an integrated approach to the socio-environmental dynamics of the ecological-economic nexus characteristic of Mediterranean landscapes. Evidencing the role of policies targeting sustainable development goals in Southern Europe, case studies from Italy, Spain, and Greece confirm the need of place-specific approaches to socio-ecological complexity and the partial effectiveness of generalized, top-down measures. Authored by leading scholars in Southern Europe – with eminent contributions from Eastern Europe – the book identifies the intrinsic peculiarity of the environmental-economic nexus characteristic of the Northern Mediterranean basin, along with important regional differences.
Stimulating a spatial planning for rural areas, the book proposes a dynamic image of Mediterranean rural landscapes, providing novel interpretations, conceptual definitions, and operational tools designed to reduce ecological fragility and economic vulnerability.
1. Environmental Sustainability and Global Change - p. i 2. Cover - p. i 3. Title Page - p. iii 4. Copyright Page - p. iv 5. Table of Contents - p. v 6. List of contributors - p. xi 7. Chapter 1 A new “sustainability thinking” for land resources, economic growth, and global change in Southern Europe - p. 1 8. Chapter 2 Sustainable development and integrated soil management: tools and keys for surveying the landscape evolution and degradation processes in Mediterranean mountainous regions - p. 19 9. Chapter 3 Toward unsustainable grazing? The influence of topography on soil compaction at the farm scale in Iberian dehesas/montados - p. 33 10. Chapter 4 Natural resources, economic dynamics, and the renewed quest for ‘rural development’: a multistep statistical framework to complexity analysis of land quality - p. 43 11. Chapter 5 Climate-driven dynamics in the Mediterranean agroecosystems: a pre-2007 economic crisis satellite-based sustainability analysis - p. 57 12. Chapter 6 A brief outlook at the environmental consequences of rural development: Evidence from a Southern European country - p. 69 13. Chapter 7 Environmental-economic dimensions of land-use transformations: exploring the Mediterranean rural sustainable development - p. 81 14. Chapter 8 Spending for the environment: the long-term evolution of Italian agriculture from a (concise) historical perspective - p. 95 15. Chapter 9 Contextual differences, contrasting trends? Sustainable development, economic performances, and divergence in land resource depletion - p. 107 16. Chapter 10 Rural development and sustainable agriculture in advanced economies: socioeconomic realities—environmental efficiency nexus - p. 115 17. Chapter 11 Toward a 'Mediterranean model' of rural development? Land degradation, agricultural intensification, spatial planning, and the evolving socio-demographic pressure in Italy - p. 131 18. Chapter 12 Mediterranean environments, rural development, and local communities: toward a zero-net degradation perspective? - p. 147 19. Chapter 13 Toward a socio-environmental disadvantaged region? The case of Western Macedonia, Greece - p. 157 20. Chapter 14 Rural development, economic growth, and the acceptance of immigrants: the quest for a comprehensive framework - p. 193 21. Chapter 15 Demographic change and beliefs toward marriage: exploring the associated factors in urban and rural Greece before and during recession - p. 205 22. Chapter 16 In-between costs and benefits: the evolving paradigm of forest management planning - p. 237 23. Chapter 17 Biodiversity loss, climate change, and Nature Restoration Law in the modern legal system of the European Union - p. 245 24. Chapter 18 Economic resilience and sustainability in the European Union: a comparative analysis of pre- and posteconomic crisis - p. 257 25. Chapter 19 Sustainability, resilience, and disparities in regional value chains: reframing hegemonic concepts from the ‘rural’ perspective of Greek agro-food sector - p. 275 26. Chapter 20 Policy and planning for “zero-net energy” real estate development in rural and exurban districts - p. 291 27. Chapter 21 Regional competitiveness and tourism growth: a “latent” issue in rural development - p. 305 28. Chapter 22 In the fight against climate change: the importance of environmental, social, and governance initiatives - p. 313 29. Chapter 23 Ecological sustainability and socioeconomic resilience: forest management and natural conservation practices in a long-term planning vision - p. 323 30. Chapter 24 Economic–environmental convergence and the quest for sustainable development - p. 331 31. Index - p. 345
Environmental Sustainability and Global Change: Forests, Agriculture, and Soils vis à vis Human Disturbance offers an integrated approach to the socio-environmental dynamics of the ecological-economic nexus characteristic of Mediterranean landscapes. Evidencing the role of policies targeting sustainable development goals in Southern Europe, case studies from Italy, Spain, and Greece confirm the need of place-specific approaches to socio-ecological complexity and the partial effectiveness of generalized, top-down measures. Authored by leading scholars in Southern Europe – with eminent contributions from Eastern Europe – the book identifies the intrinsic peculiarity of the environmental-economic nexus characteristic of the Northern Mediterranean basin, along with important regional differences.
Stimulating a spatial planning for rural areas, the book proposes a dynamic image of Mediterranean rural landscapes, providing novel interpretations, conceptual definitions, and operational tools designed to reduce ecological fragility and economic vulnerability.
1. Environmental Sustainability and Global Change - p. i 2. Cover - p. i 3. Title Page - p. iii 4. Copyright Page - p. iv 5. Table of Contents - p. v 6. List of contributors - p. xi 7. Chapter 1 A new “sustainability thinking” for land resources, economic growth, and global change in Southern Europe - p. 1 8. Chapter 2 Sustainable development and integrated soil management: tools and keys for surveying the landscape evolution and degradation processes in Mediterranean mountainous regions - p. 19 9. Chapter 3 Toward unsustainable grazing? The influence of topography on soil compaction at the farm scale in Iberian dehesas/montados - p. 33 10. Chapter 4 Natural resources, economic dynamics, and the renewed quest for ‘rural development’: a multistep statistical framework to complexity analysis of land quality - p. 43 11. Chapter 5 Climate-driven dynamics in the Mediterranean agroecosystems: a pre-2007 economic crisis satellite-based sustainability analysis - p. 57 12. Chapter 6 A brief outlook at the environmental consequences of rural development: Evidence from a Southern European country - p. 69 13. Chapter 7 Environmental-economic dimensions of land-use transformations: exploring the Mediterranean rural sustainable development - p. 81 14. Chapter 8 Spending for the environment: the long-term evolution of Italian agriculture from a (concise) historical perspective - p. 95 15. Chapter 9 Contextual differences, contrasting trends? Sustainable development, economic performances, and divergence in land resource depletion - p. 107 16. Chapter 10 Rural development and sustainable agriculture in advanced economies: socioeconomic realities—environmental efficiency nexus - p. 115 17. Chapter 11 Toward a 'Mediterranean model' of rural development? Land degradation, agricultural intensification, spatial planning, and the evolving socio-demographic pressure in Italy - p. 131 18. Chapter 12 Mediterranean environments, rural development, and local communities: toward a zero-net degradation perspective? - p. 147 19. Chapter 13 Toward a socio-environmental disadvantaged region? The case of Western Macedonia, Greece - p. 157 20. Chapter 14 Rural development, economic growth, and the acceptance of immigrants: the quest for a comprehensive framework - p. 193 21. Chapter 15 Demographic change and beliefs toward marriage: exploring the associated factors in urban and rural Greece before and during recession - p. 205 22. Chapter 16 In-between costs and benefits: the evolving paradigm of forest management planning - p. 237 23. Chapter 17 Biodiversity loss, climate change, and Nature Restoration Law in the modern legal system of the European Union - p. 245 24. Chapter 18 Economic resilience and sustainability in the European Union: a comparative analysis of pre- and posteconomic crisis - p. 257 25. Chapter 19 Sustainability, resilience, and disparities in regional value chains: reframing hegemonic concepts from the ‘rural’ perspective of Greek agro-food sector - p. 275 26. Chapter 20 Policy and planning for “zero-net energy” real estate development in rural and exurban districts - p. 291 27. Chapter 21 Regional competitiveness and tourism growth: a “latent” issue in rural development - p. 305 28. Chapter 22 In the fight against climate change: the importance of environmental, social, and governance initiatives - p. 313 29. Chapter 23 Ecological sustainability and socioeconomic resilience: forest management and natural conservation practices in a long-term planning vision - p. 323 30. Chapter 24 Economic–environmental convergence and the quest for sustainable development - p. 331 31. Index - p. 345
