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Article

Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events

Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Systems Management (GESAAF), University of Florence, Via San Bonaventura 13, 50145 Firenze, Italy
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Sustainability 2019, 11(1), 235; https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010235
Received: 30 November 2018 / Revised: 21 December 2018 / Accepted: 28 December 2018 / Published: 4 January 2019
During 25 October 2011, an extremely intense rainfall event occurred in Eastern Liguria and Northern Tuscany. Severe damages were registered in the Monterosso and Vernazza basins, located in the famous area of Cinque Terre, which have been affected by hundreds of landslides, mud flows, and erosions. The main feature of the Cinque Terre landscape is the presence of terraced cultivations on steep slopes facing the sea. The area represents a remarkable cultural landscape, is a National Park, and is included in the World Heritage List of the UNESCO. This work aims to analyze the effect of abandoned terraced land on hydrogeological risks and in landslide prevention, by comparing what happened in Cinque Terre to other experiences presented in scientific literature. The cessation of maintenance of dry stone terraces due to the crisis of traditional agriculture was identified as the main cause of failure during the heavy rainfall event. However, we found some contrasting and, in some cases, unexpected results in the literature regarding the effects of the vegetation that develops on abandoned terraces. This paper compares different results in order to better understand what the future of terraced landscapes is and which are the best management strategies for such complex and fragile territories. In particular, where they represent a cultural heritage and a resource for the rural economy. View Full-Text
Keywords: terraced landscape; slope failure; hydrogeological risk; Cinque Terre terraced landscape; slope failure; hydrogeological risk; Cinque Terre
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MDPI and ACS Style

Agnoletti, M.; Errico, A.; Santoro, A.; Dani, A.; Preti, F. Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events. Sustainability 2019, 11, 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010235

AMA Style

Agnoletti M, Errico A, Santoro A, Dani A, Preti F. Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events. Sustainability. 2019; 11(1):235. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010235

Chicago/Turabian Style

Agnoletti, Mauro, Alessandro Errico, Antonio Santoro, Andrea Dani, and Federico Preti. 2019. "Terraced Landscapes and Hydrogeological Risk. Effects of Land Abandonment in Cinque Terre (Italy) during Severe Rainfall Events" Sustainability 11, no. 1: 235. https://doi.org/10.3390/su11010235

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