Land use dynamics and soil quality in agro-forest systems: a country-scale assessment in Italy

The present study compares the spatial distribution of selected rural land use classes in Italy with two soil indicators (a Soil Quality Index [SQI] and the Maximum potential Water Capacity of the soil [MWC]) at three points in time (1960, 1990 and 2006). Results of the analysis showed that landscape changes reflect a ‘migration’ of both semi-natural (forests, pastures) and agricultural (arable land, vineyards) uses towards areas with lower-quality soils. In particular, the agricultural ‘mosaic’ and shrubland-pasture classes that occupied land in 2006 had significant lower values of both the SQI and MWC compared to 1960. These processes may have implications for the stability of agro-forest ecosystems in the medium term. Due to its versatility, the procedure illustrated represents a monitoring tool for sustainable land management at the regional and country scales.