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Context Urbanization and its associated impacts on biodiversity are increasing globally. There is a need to enhance our understanding of species responses to inform strategies for sustainable urbanization. Objectives Three extensive bird monitoring campaigns took place over the last three decades in the city of Naples, Italy, providing a comprehensive longitudinal dataset to analyse occurrence trends of urban birds. We aimed to assess both species-specific and assemblage-level changes in urban birds according to land cover dynamics. Methods We extracted bird data for the periods 1990–95, 2000–05, and 2014–18, and explored the spatial and temporal relationships between bird presence/avian assemblage composition, and land cover variation. Results The species richness of breeding birds remained stable over time, despite a notable species turnover, influenced by changes in the species’ key land cover classes. Species associated with forest and urban land cover tended to colonise the area, while those dependent on abandoned and cultivated areas decreased or went locally extinct. Birds changed their degree of dependence upon their key habitat type over time, as species from marginal and open habitat types needed larger amounts of habitat to persist within the area, while forest species showed an opposite trend. Conclusions Habitat-driven changes in avian assemblages within the urban landscape led to an increase in forest-associated species, and a decrease in birds associated with declining habitat types. Our findings may inform urban planning to promote more wildlife-friendly cities, which for our study area should prioritise open and marginal habitats.

Ailanthus altissima is an aggressive invasive tree worldwide, but the ecological factors that lead to the spread of this species in Mediterranean ecosystems are still unclear. Here we aim to identify such factors, focusing on the interaction of human activity with climatic conditions. We determined the occurrence and abundance of Ailanthus in 240 sites and studied their relationship with 20 variables representing climatic, geographic, and topographic factors, as well as land use, in the region of Campania (southern Italy). Overall, we found that temperature and rainfall in Campania are suitable for Ailanthus, with the only major constraint being the temperature at an altitude exceeding 900 m a.s.l.. We found that Ailanthus is unable to spread where the mean annual temperature is lower than 11.1 °C. By contrast, precipitation variables showed poor correlation with Ailanthus distribution, suggesting that rainfall in the selected study sites is suitable to sustain the growth of this tree. About land use variables, roads were the primary landscape feature along which this species spread and invaded new areas. Roads probably combine high propagule pressure and favorable growing conditions in terms of available resources i.e., light, water, and mineral nutrients, that allow Ailanthus to establish and spread along roadside edges in different ecosystems. In conclusion, we found that climate and human-associated variables are correlated with the current occurrence of Ailanthus, with the temperature being more influential at high elevation sites and road distance playing a prominent role in low elevation areas.

In Mediterranean countries, in the year 2017, extensive surfaces of forests were damaged by wildfires. In the Vesuvius National Park, multiple summer wildfires burned 88% of the Mediterranean forest. This unprecedented event in an environmentally vulnerable area suggests conducting spatial assessment of the mixed-severity fire effects for identifying priority areas and support decision-making in post-fire restoration. The main objective of this study was to compare the ability of the delta Normalized Burn Ratio (dNBR) spectral index obtained from Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A satellites in retrieving burn severity levels. Burn severity levels experienced by the Mediterranean forest communities were defined by using two quali-quantitative field-based composite burn indices (FBIs), namely the Composite Burn Index (CBI), its geometrically modified version CBI (GeoCBI), and the dNBR derived from the two medium-resolution multispectral remote sensors. The accuracy of the burn severity map produced by using the dNBR thresholds developed by Key and Benson (2006) was first evaluated. We found very low agreement (0.15 < K < 0.21) between the burn severity class obtained from field-based indices (CBI and GeoCBI) and satellite-derived metrics (dNBR) from both Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A. Therefore, the most appropriate dNBR thresholds were rebuilt by analyzing the relationships between two field-based (CBI and GeoCBI) and dNBR from Landsat-8 and Sentinel-2A. By regressing alternatively FBIs and dNBRs, a slightly stronger relationship between GeoCBI and dNBR metrics obtained from the Sentinel-2A remote sensor (R2 = 0.69) was found. The regressed dNBR thresholds showed moderately high classification accuracy (K = 0.77, OA = 83%) for Sentinel-2A, suggesting the appropriateness of dNBR-Sentinel 2A in assessing mixed-severity Mediterranean wildfires. Our results suggest that there is no single set of dNBR thresholds that are appropriate for all burnt biomes, especially for the low levels of burn severity, as biotic factors could affect satellite observations.

A methodological approach based on detailed land-use map, high-resolution LiDAR data and field surveys was developed to categorize productive and non-productive mixed forests, both in term of stand attributes and structural diversity. In 2011, leaf-off dedicated airborne LiDAR data were collected in a 20,000 ha inland patchy area which was representative of soil land use in the Apennines mountains of southern Italy. By combining field and LiDAR data in 5574 ha of forests with coexisting evergreen and deciduous species, we modelled common forest stand variables (height, diameter, volume and biomass) with high accuracy (0.60 ≤ Adj.R 2 ≤ 0.89). Moreover, a moderate correlation (0.425 ≤ τ ≤ 0.462) between field- and LiDAR-derived diversity indices was found. About 3393 ha of forests are enclosed in protected areas of the Natura 2000 network, which in turn possesses 77% (~ 576,286 Mg) of total aboveground dry biomass. Overall, eight forest types were identified, one of which, the European beech, is only found in the Natura 2000 sites, while other forest types are also found elsewhere. This is the first study to undertake a LiDAR analysis of Mediterranean forests in the Campania Region and might help better evaluate trade-off, especially in protected areas, in order to enhance multiple benefits and support sustainable management of forests.

There is a current concern that the capacity of urban forests to recover from the effects of climate change may be diminishing. New management options are needed so that they can continue to provide ecosystem services to local communities. After a windstorm occurred on June 2014 pre- and post-disturbance stand conditions (years 2010 and 2015, respectively) of the historical old-growth holm oak forest of Parco Gussone were analysed by combining ground- and satellite-based methodologies. Results highlighted that Parco Gussone was primarily valued for its historical importance and, despite the phytosanitary conditions of the trees, no silvicultural treatments were made since 1986, most probably due to conflicts arisen between different stakeholders. Therefore in 2014, the windstorm damaged 406 trees (8.1% of the total aboveground forest dry biomass) and it was stand-replacing on 1.53 ha (9.3 % of the total forest area). Windthrows, heterogeneously distributed and unequally sized (103 canopy gap ranging between ∼6 to 1632 m2), caused, overall, a significant reduction of LAI (∼19%). The presence of large gaps promoted the invasion of non-native herbaceous species whereas native species of the shrubs and herbaceous layers were favoured when felled trees were left on the ground or removed mechanically during harvest, respectively. In this context, urban forests should be considered as ‘complex adaptive systems’, therefore natural processes can be simulated by applying a ‘close-to-nature’ silviculture (e.g. by opening small gaps), vulnerability assessed (e.g. using a tree-by-tree VTA), biodiversity and ecological resilience improved and short- and long term disturbance effects evaluated (e.g. analysis of disturbance attributes and stand dynamics) so that specific conservation goals can be adapted to a specific landscape and biotic community. By implementing and applying the proposed guidelines in urban forest planning, we are confident that the resilience of those Mediterranean urban forest ecosystems could be effectively restored and improved.

Current strategies for conservation reportedly suffer from an inadequate awareness of the drivers affecting lichen diversity, pointing to the need to fully develop a functional approach to lichen ecology. This study is an attempt to detect the drivers affecting functional diversity in the lichen flora of a volcanic Mediterranean area. Data on epiphytic lichen distribution were correlated with information coming from a GIS analysis. Species richness, functional diversity and indicator values of lichens species were analyzed as a function of altitude, bioclimatic patterns and land use patterns. Both taxonomic and functional diversity were found to increase with altitude, peaking at 600 m a.s.l. and slightly decreasing at higher elevations. A filtering effect of altitude on lichen growth-forms was detected at increasing altitude, with foliose isidiate lichens replacing crustose lichens with sexual reproduction, cyanobacteria replacing Trentepohlia as photobiont, and oligotrophic species linked to partially shaded environments gradually replacing species indicating eutrophic conditions. Forest stations impacted by low impact traditional agriculture tended to express higher lichen diversity compared to either undisturbed broadleaved forests or intensive orchards. These data demonstrate the need to integrate traditional low-impact agricultural practices in protected areas. Moreover, they provide the evidence that reanalyzing past and recent lichenological censuses with the proposed analytical tools may help previewing and driving the evolution of endangered ecosystems.

Le fotografie sono sempre state e sono oggetti complessi. Il loro potere di catturare la nostra attenzione non sta tanto nell’immagine diretta che passa all’interno di un obiettivo fotografico, ma nella capacità di incarnare contenuti accumulati nell’immagine stessa. Le fotografie dei paesaggi contemporanei fanno cogliere l’essenza dell’attuale, ma diventano con il tempo una fonte privilegiata che testimonia il denso patrimonio culturale e storico di una popolazione. L’inventario dei beni storico-artistici e naturali della Campania è un esempio dello sforzo fatto per strutturare una fonte iconografica volta a migliorare la conoscenza e la consapevolezza della profondità culturale e della biodiversità dei paesaggi campani. Si tratta di un archivio prodotto nell’arco di 34 anni (dal 1969 al 2003) da Angerio Filangieri: un archivio di studio e di ricerca riguardante i beni storicoartistici e naturali della regione Campania, costituito da più di 75.000 elementi tra fotografie, negativi fotografici, documenti, mappe e libri. Per rendere l’archivio maggiormente fruibile sia a specialisti che a persone non necessariamente impegnate in studi scientifici, il Centro Museale Musei delle Scienze Agrarie dell'Università di Napoli Federico II (attuale ente custode dell'archivio), ha stretto una collaborazione con il Dipartimento di Scienze Umanistiche (DSU) della stessa Università Federico II, per valorizzare l'archivo all'interno dell'ICARUS-International Centre for Archival Research un Network costituito da 160 istituzioni di 30 paesi europei più Canada e Stati Uniti, che ha come scopo la digitalizzazione, l’interpretazione, e la condivisione on line della documentazione presente negli archivi storici, nelle biblioteche, nei musei scientifici e non. Da questa premessa è stata avviata una proficua collaborazione che ha come scopo la digitalizzazione e la condivisione del materiale presente nell’archivio fotografico e documentale di Angerio Filangieri e la sua pubblicazione sulla Piattaforma WEB Topotheque (https://musa-filangieri.topothek.at/)

In the Mediterranean basin wildfires are becoming increasingly important in scientific and operative context, due to the extent of the burned areas in the last decades, and to the resulting large ecological and socio-economic impacts. Damages assessment, interventions planning to restore burned areas and future fire risks prevention, are some of the implications that affect post-fire landscape management. Vesuvius is known all around the world for its volcanic nature, cultural geological and landscape heritage. In summer 2017, a large wildfire burned about 3.200 ha of forest stands along the volcano slopes. Very-high and high fires severity effects were observed on 374 and 2147 ha, respectively; in both cases tree mortality exceeded 80%. The present work provides results of wildfire impacts assessment, in order to support landscape restoration planning. The framework entails the identification of intervention priority areas with respect to fire severity, safety, and ecosystem services. Moreover, an assessment of environmental damages during the early post-fire stages was conducted in terms of Ecosystem services (ESs) loss. Spatial MultiCriteria Decision Analysis (ILWIS module) with support of panel of experts allowed the identification of priority restoration. These areas were overlapped with the fire severity map in order to identify the most critical areas i.e., land surfaces with high degree of change between pre- and post-fire conditions. Intervention priority areas have been identified by overlapping fire severity map with ESs map. Finally, the ESs monetary value loss was assessed by means of GIS-based approach. About 400 ha, 5% of Vesuvius National Park total area, have been classified as priority intervention areas. For all these areas, the loss of about 50% of the ecosystem services monetary value has been calculated. This work, carried out in cooperation with agro-forestry landscape planners, foresters, agronomists, botanists and ecologists, highlights the importance of an interdisciplinary approach in landscape management and restoration. Indeed, the definition of priority intervention areas becomes strategic in allocating monetary resources to restore burned areas.

The analysis of the historical series 1990-2018 of the European territorial data base Corine Land Cover suggests new interpretative keys for the understanding of land cover dynamics in Italian landscapes. A new evolutionary phase of the Italian landscapes is outlined, characterized by the lack of guiding processes, and by a complex territorial metabolism, which requires new and appropriate landscape policies.

Recent advances in fire management led landscape managers to adopt an integrated fire fighting strategy in which fire suppression is supported by prevention actions and by knowledge of local fire history and ecology. In this framework, an accurate evaluation of fire ignition risk and its environmental drivers constitutes a basic step toward the optimization of fire management measures. In this paper, we propose a multivariate method for identifying and spatially portraying fire ignition risk across a complex and heterogeneous landscape such as the National Park of Cilento, Vallo di Diano, and Alburni (southern Italy). The proposed approach consists first in calculating the fire selectivity of several landscape features that are usually related to fire ignition, such as land cover or topography. Next, the fire selectivity values of single landscape features are combined with multivariate segmentation tools. The resulting fire risk map may constitute a valuable tool for optimizing fire prevention strategies and for efficiently allocating fire fighting resources.

Fire is a major disturbance that affects ecological communities, and when fire events increase in frequency or extent, they may jeopardise biodiversity. Although long-term studies are irreplaceable to understand how biological communities respond to wildfires, a rapid, efficient assessment of the consequences of wildfire is paramount to inform habitat management and restoration. Although Species Distribution Models (SDMs) may be applied to achieve this goal, they have not yet been used in that way. In summer 2017, during an extended drought that affected Italy, a severe wildfire occurred in the Vesuvius National Park (southern Italy). We applied SDMs to assess how much potential habitat was lost by the 12 bat species occurring in the area because of the wildfire, and whether habitat fragmentation increased following the event. Our analysis supported the hypotheses we tested (i.e. that the fire event potentially affected all species through habitat reduction and fragmentation) and that the bat species potentially most affected were those adapted to foraging in cluttered habitat (forest). We show that SDMs are a valuable tool for a first, rapid assessment of the effects of large-scale wildfires, and that they may help identify the areas that need to be monitored for animal activity and phenology, and to assist in saving human and financial resources.

This paper presents a study case focused on the dynamics of the structural components of the Sorrentine Peninsula/Amalfi Coast land-scape, from 1958 to 2014, a multi-functional area unique and full of history. Like most of the coastal areas of the Campania region, this landscape has been profoundly altered by human action within just 60 years. From 1958 to 2014 urban areas, despite the small space available (in less than 2 km you go from the coastline to the top of the rise at 1400 m asl), increased by an average of 200%, with a trend that records progressive and almost continuous sprawl of small housing units in rural areas. The latter, once fragmented and incorporated into the urban fabric, tend quickly to lose their primary function arranging in this way, to an higher degree of urbanization. It is quite interesting to note that despite such uncontrolled urban-ization, the rural areas still account for over 83% of the territory. They keep also at least 50% of high value environmental quality indexes such as the HNVFF (High Nature Value Farmland Forestry). The characterization of high nature value farmland and forestry in terms of biodiversity, high-quality products and cultural stratification, offers the legislator a powerful planning tool inclusive of both socio-economic and ecological components. HNVFF indexes can be used in the contingent valuation procedures in which, by a participatory mech-anism based on interviews, it is possible to assess the perception and degree of appreciation of a specific landscape, to take actions to manage and enhance rural activities in areas with a very high aesthetic value.

Decomposition of plant debris is a critical process during the filling phase of water reservoir. Here we investigated the impact of decomposition of the plant species (Cytisus scoparius, Pteridium aquilinum and Juncus effusus) in the Alaco reservoir (southern Italy). To simulate lake ecological conditions, a microcosm experiment was carried-out for 100 days with litters incubated in water lake in aerobic conditions in the light at two temperatures (+12 °C and +24 °C). Litter types were characterized by classic proximate chemical analyses (total C and N, labile C, cellulose and lignin content, C/N and lignin/N ratios) and, at molecular level, by solid-state 13C CPMAS NMR. Water quality was monitored through pH, electrolytic conductivity, DOC, BOD5 and dissolved oxygen. Decomposition was more rapid for C. scoparius, intermediate for J. effusus and slower for P. aquilinum. After 100 days of decomposition for all litter type the O-alkyl-C region, associated with sugars and polysaccharides, decreased and the aliphatic alkyl-C region increased for C. scoparius and P. aquilinum. Immediately after litter submergence, DOC and BOD5 dramatically increased, reaching high values for P. aquilinum and C. scoparius. However, after 100 days of incubation, DOC concentration sharply decreased reaching values usually below 50 mg l−1, and after 10 days of incubation BOD5 values dropped to values close to zero. Although carried out in laboratory, the experiment showed that submerged plant litter during decomposition produces a short-term changes of water quality that rapidly returns to background level.

We used a Cellular Automata (CA) modeling framework to simulate the evolution of two small-size wildland fires that broke up in Sardinia, Italy in the summer of 2010. The CA model is based on our established detailed model that has been shown to approximate adequately the evolution of large-scale wildfires in Greece. The modified simplified model takes into account the landscape characteristics, the distribution of flammability and detailed wind field data. Simulation results over an ensemble of lattice realizations show that the model captures qualitatively the actual data; however, significant quantitative differences between simulations and real patterns do exist for very small sizes of burned area. Comparing model results with data obtained from Greece, where simulations succeeded to approximate quite well the spatio-temporal evolution of the fires, we suggest that the obtained discrepancies are due to the small size of the fires.We used a Cellular Automata (CA) modeling framework to simulate the evolution of two small-size wildland fires that broke up in Sardinia, Italy in the summer of 2010. The CA model is based on our established detailed model that has been shown to approximate adequately the evolution of large-scale wildfires in Greece. The modified simplified model takes into account the landscape characteristics, the distribution of flammability and detailed wind field data. Simulation results over an ensemble of lattice realizations show that the model captures qualitatively the actual data; however, significant quantitative differences between simulations and real patterns do exist for very small sizes of burned area. Comparing model results with data obtained from Greece, where simulations succeeded to approximate quite well the spatio-temporal evolution of the fires, we suggest that the obtained discrepancies are due to the small size of the fires.

Intra-sexual segregation is a form of social segregation widespread among vertebrates. In the bat Myotis daubentonii, males are disproportionately abundant at higher elevations, while females are restricted to lower altitude. Intra-male segregation is also known to occur yet its ecological and behavioural determinants are unclear. We studied male segregation along a river in Central Italy where we tested the following predictions: 1. Upstream ( > 1000 m a.s.l.) males will rely on scarcer prey; 2. To deal with this limitation and exploit a cooler roosting environment, they will employ more prolonged and deeper torpor than downstream (< 900 m a.s.l.) males; 3. Body condition will be better in downstream males as they forage in more productive areas; 4. To cope with less predictable foraging opportunities, upstream males will use more habitat types. Consistent with our predictions, we found that prey were less common at higher altitudes, where bats exhibited prolonged and deeper torpor. Body condition was better in downstream males than in upstream males but not in all summer months. This result reflected a decrease in downstream males’ body condition over the season, perhaps due to the energy costs of reduced opportunities to use torpor and/or intraspecific competition. Downstream males mainly foraged over selected riparian vegetation whereas upstream males used a greater variety of habitats. One controversial issue is whether upstream males are excluded from lower elevations by resident bats. We tested this by translocating 10 upstream males to a downstream roost: eight returned to the high elevation site in 1-2 nights, two persisted at low altitude but did not roost with resident bats. These results are consistent with the idea of segregation due to competition. Living at high altitude allows for more effective heterothermy and may thus be not detrimental for survival, but by staying at lower altitude males increase proximity to females and potentially benefit from summer mating opportunities.

We studied habitat selection by Rhinolophus euryale in a rural area of southern Italy in 1998–2000 by radio-tracking. Two comparisons were carried out, one between habitat occurrence within individual home ranges and within the study area, the other between time spent in each foraging habitat and habitat occurrence within the home range. The first analysis showed that olive groves and conifer plantations were, respectively, the most and the least important habitats. The second analysis highlighted the importance of woodland for R.euryale , while urban sites, open areas and conifer plantations were avoided. We recommend that clearing of continuous, large areas of woodland for tree harvesting should be avoided. Conifers should not be used for reforestation. Urbanisation should be limited in the areas of greatest importance for the species, and linear landscape elements such as tree lines and hedgerows should be maintained. # 2002 Elsevier Science Ltd. All rights reserved.

This paper presents an innovative methodological framework – Landscape Preferences Spatial Framework (LPSF) – which is able to translate landscape preferences, as expressed by various users, concerning possible land cover pattern compositions into land cover pattern preference maps. The innovative potential of the contribution lies in the exploration of a comprehensive methodical framework that facilitates the spatial representations of landscape demands by relevant user groups thus bridging the gap between landscape preference research and landscape planning. The LPSF developed here goes beyond the state of the art in translating local scale preference by people into regional scale planning settings. Throughout the paper the development and testing of the LPSF is described and explained. Although the paper focuses on the conceptual framework of the method, it also shows the results of its application in a case study.

Different land cover types are related to different levels of fire hazard through their vegetation structure and fuel load composition. Therefore, understanding the relationships between landscape changes and fire behavior is of crucial importance for developing adequate fire fighting and fire prevention strategies for a changing world. In the last decades the abandonment of agricultural lands and pastoral activities has been the major driver of landscape transformations in Mediterranean Europe. As agricultural land abandonment typically promotes an increase in plant biomass (fuel load), a number of authors argue that vegetation succession in abandoned fields and pastures is expected to increase fire hazard. In this short paper, based on 28 493 fires in Sardinia (Italy) in the period 2001–2010, we show that there is no evidence of increased probability of fire ignition in abandoned rural areas. To the contrary, in Sardinia the decreased human impact associated with agricultural land abandonment leads to a statistically significant decrease of fire ignition probability.

Physical and chemical properties and the total content of potentially toxic metals (PTMs) in waters and soils were studied from the High Moulouya Valley (Morocco) in order to assess the impact of the past mining activity on their quality and to lay the foundations of a potential reclamation of the area. Surface water and groundwater samples were collected from the Moulouya River and mine pit lakes; tailings and soils were sampled inside and outside the mine sites of Ze < da, Mibladen, and Aouli. Both waters and soils were alkaline, due to the limestone environment, and contained Pb and Zn as main metallic contaminants. Pollution levels were highest within the Mibladen mining site, and soil pollution was mainly restricted to the areas where activities of metal concentration were carried out. Tailings and soils from these areas besides Pb and Zn were also polluted by As, Cd, and Cu showing clay fraction highly enriched in metal contaminants. At the time of study, all soils and wastes (including the highly polluted tailings) were in advanced stage of spontaneous herbaceous and arbustive revegetation. It is concluded that, in the High Moulouya Valley, the processes governing PTM transfer from the element-rich sites to the nearby environment are strongly influenced by pH, carbonate content, and semi-arid climate reducing metal mobility from the mining waste impoundments by dissolution. The transfer by wind and water erosion of metal-enriched fine waste particles is likely to be a much more important vector for metal dispersion. In this perspective, among a range of land remediation techniques available, natural and oriented revegetation could represent a low-cost and possible permanent solution.

Bio-monitoring of air pollution, i.e. monitoring environmental pollution through the use of living organisms (Nimis & Skert, 1999), may be based either on the tendency of some organism to accumulate pollutants in their tissues (bio-accumulation) or on the changes that occur in the composition of animal and plant communities after exposure to pollutants (bioindication). Compared to instrumental monitoring, the use of bio-monitors allows to measure as a whole the global effect that abiotic and biotic factors exert on biota, what is not possible by just analyzing the concentrations of single selected pollutants in the environment. Bio-monitoring provides useful information about the global conditions affecting the environment over a given area. Of course it should not be considered as a substitute of instrumental monitoring, but rather, a necessary complement of it. It may also be suited to screen areas subjected to any risk of contamination, so helping to plan landscape policies and to set land nets of air quality (ANPA, 2001). Bio-monitoring of air pollutants can be passive or active. Passive methods observe organisms growing naturally within the area of interest. Active methods detect the presence of air pollutants by placing test organisms of known response and genotype into the study area (Szczepaniak & Biziuk, 2003). In this study, lichen distribution was examined in a district of Campania region to monitor the evolution of air quality at landscape scale. A new methodological approach was tried by overlapping the results of bio-monitoring samplings to land cover maps, in order to highlight the relations between air pollution and land use patterns (Pinho et al., 2004; Paoli et al., 2006; Pinho et al., 2008). The main objectives of this work were the following: to evaluate air quality on the studied area with the aid of IBL index, and reporting geo-referenced data on a thematic map; to relate lichen distribution and biodiversity to land use spatial patterns; to put the basis for a comparative analysis focused on changes induced by the present socio-economic evolution of the plain, from agriculture to industrial and tertiary; to provide a reproducible protocol for monitoring air quality, identifying clusters of lichen species linked to particular land use models and formulating previsions about environmental quality on areas characterized by similar dynamics. measuring lichen biodiversity through the IBL index allowed us to characterize the state of environment on the studied area. This method put the basis for a wider study on the dynamic evolution of a district interested by a process of industrial reconversion very close to a natural reserve. A good responsiveness of statistical clustering towards geo-statistical features of lands was found, confirming the reliability of IBL index as an indicator of environmental quality has been confirmed by statistical clustering towards geostatistical features of LC/LU (Land cover/Land Use). Moreover, the arrangement of lichen species is indicative not only of the environmental quality on a local scale, but also of the complex set of variables related to land use patterns at landscape level.

This article presents a comparative analysis of three Late Roman sites located at the northern outskirts of the Kharga Oasis in Egypt's Western Desert: Umm al-Dabadib, Ayn al-Labakha, and the Gib/Sumayra Complex. These were part of the district of the Oasis Magna, which included the oases of Dakhla and Kharga. An analysis of their layout, including both shape and extent, is followed by an evaluation of their absolute and relative positions. These data are then compared to the administrative and historical contexts within which the three sites flourished. Both administrative and economic aspects are considered, as well as the presence of the army. The complex picture that emerges suggests that these three sites played several roles at the same time and were part of a large-scale strategic design that encompassed not only the Kharga Oasis but the entire Western Desert.