Evaluating environmental sensitivity at the basin scale through the use of geographic information systems and remotely sensed data: an example covering the Agri basin (Southern Italy)1

The aim of this study is to develop a methodological reference framework, for use at the basin scale, from which environmental sensitivity can be evaluated. In this paper the results of a 3-year investigation into the degradation processes related to desertification in the Agri basin environment (Southern Italy) are presented. Different degradation stages or desertification risks are also evaluated at the plot scale. These data, and the derived results, are integrated into a Geographic Information System (GIS) along with regional scale information layers related to selected environmental and socio-economic factors. The techniques developed at the plot scale are used both to prime and to assess the regional scale measures as they are developed. All data are managed in a GIS which facilitates access to the information and enables it to be updated in a timely fashion. The GIS also enhances data analysis, increasing the interpretability of the data, by enabling cross analysis procedures and various classifications to be performed. As a result, the current landscape genesis can be identified, and appropriate intervention stimulated rapidly. The main aims of the present research are, firstly, to set up an efficient and simple computational structure to evaluate the response of selected thematic layers to degradation phenomena at the basin scale and, secondly, to apply the resulting strategy to a specific situation in the Mediterranean Environment.