Sensitivity to desertification of a high productivity area in Southern Italy

Calabria (Southern Italy) is one of the Italian regions most affected by desertification phenomena. This study presents a detailed analysis of the sensitivity to desertification of an economically important agricultural area in the province of Crotone. The Environmentally Sensitive Areas methodology, developed during the European Union MEDALUS project, has been applied by means of a consistent set of pedological, vegetation, climatic and management data of the study area. Analysis of 15 biophysical and social-economic indicators and an evaluation of 4 Quality Indices allowed the classification of the study area into potential, fragile and critical areas in relation to desertification. The main result is a pronounced sensitivity to desertification of the area: about 46% of the land emerges as being already affected by degradation phenomena, falling within the worst class ('critical'), while about 39% of the area belongs to the 'fragile' class.