Biodiversity monitoring

The analyses are focused on monitoring coastal sand dunes landscape (mapping) of the central Adriatic area, which are representative of Mediterranean dune ecosystems and are partially included in the long-term ecological monitoring network (LTER - site code: LTER_EU_IT_081). Based on the use of specific GIS software and integrating photo-interpretation and classification of remotely sensed data, the study depict multi-temporal changes by mapping and updating land cover and vegetation information (1954- to date) of the cast of south Abruzzo and Molise regions. Specific attention is given to the identification of the seashore, dune habitats (coastal plant communities) and land cover types at a detailed spatial scale (1:5000).