Landscape planning and fragmentation: a method for classifying rural landscapes

In the last decades, safeguard and management of environment and landscape have been acknowledged as priority to recover degraded habitats and reduce bi-odiversity loss. Anthropogenic landscape fragmentation (LF) -due to settlements and transport and mobility infrastructures- leads to smaller and more isolated habitat patches and can jeopardize both ecosystem continuity and quality. Scientific literature and Italian regional landscape planning practice show a certain lack of quali-quantitative methods -with specific focus on LF- to identify, describe, classify, assess, and monitor rural landscapes. This research aims at proposing and applying a quali-quantitative method to fill such a research gap. The method is based on the use of landscape fact sheets (LFSs) and focuses on landscapes spatial setting, habitat type, target species, Natura 2000 sites, quantitative assessment of LF and defragmentation measures, at sub-regional level, i.e., at landscape unit (LU) scale. The method allowed us to draft LFSs that characterize eleven LUs set by the regional landscape plan adopted in Sardinia (Italy) in 2006. This methodological approach is exportable in similar contexts and provide planners and policy makers with an overview on regional areas affected by LF.