In-between Environment and Socio-economics: Land-Use Changes on Mediterranean Depressed Areas

Urbanization is closely linked to economic development and demographic variations. However, models and processes of regional growth are very heterogeneous, highlighting the significant impact of demographic dynamics and their repercussions on land management and environmental sustainability. Differences in growth patterns and urban change in economically advanced economies, often masked by statistics illustrating a considerable increase in urban population, correspond to regional variations in socio-economic, demographic, and ecological parameters. To fully capture the impacts of changes in land use, interdisciplinary research is essential to enhance the connection between socio-demographic and economic models, landscape dynamics, urbanization, and regional/local change processes. There is an urgent need to combine ecology, demography, human behavior, and socio-economics to comprehend and manage ecological models and processes. Additionally, perspectives are provided for further integration across disciplines, considering ecological, demographic, social, and economic variables. Focusing on Mediterranean regions, the article encourages multidisciplinary studies, inviting literature reviews that propose new theoretical frameworks, empirical approaches, comparative works, and case studies to inform both science and policy.