RR3 South Tuscany Region, Grosseto (Italy)

Current status

The Province of Grosseto occupies the southern end of Tuscany, in Central Italy. The whole territory consists of 4,504 km2 and it is one of the least dense in population in Italy and, in parallel, one of the less urbanised. The province includes 28 Municipalities with a total population of 217000 residents. 

Cork oak stands are present in this area that is currently the northern/eastern end of Quercus suber distribution. Formerly used for cork production, they were almost abandoned in the last 30 years. Most of them have been historically used in agro-forestry and agro-silvo-pastoral arrangements, then abandoned in the second half of last century. Fragments of cork oak stands tend to be substituted by other mediterranean forest types. 

A major issue to address concerns future forest sustainable management and the interaction with agroforestry practices. This aspect is very linked with the increase of drought and the recurrent water scarcity of the region that severely affects oak stands. The choice falls between conservation of cork oak sparse stands by implementing dedicated NbS and introducing agroforestry, agrosilvopastoral, and silvicultural arrangements to conserve biodiversity and cultural landscape features, or to leave them to a definitive substitution with other type of mediterranean forests. 

Reference farms declared their interest in activating innovative agroforestry and forest management interventions, to be monitored in DRYAD to evaluate the interest in implementing NbS and contributing to climate adaptive plans. 

 

Leader:
ALBERITALIA

Regional authority:
N/A

Key stakeholders to engage:

  • Community of the Municipalities of the Colline Metallifere (Unione di Comuni montana Colline Metallifere): the cluster of 4 municipalities deliver integrated services in planning, land protection, monitoring, and environmental assessment. 
  • Tenuta di Pietratonda is a large agrosilvopastoral farm located in the Monte Leoni (GR) area. It hosts significant fragments of cork oak stands and is engaged in a partnership with Fondazione AlberItalia to test Nature-Based Solutions to support Sustainable Forest Management. These efforts aim to monitor and enhance the resilience of Mediterranean agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystems and landscapes.
  • CoopERA, SME of professionals specialised in Destination Management, Archaeology, Environmental Hiking Guide, Technical Management, Tour Operating. 
  • Tuscany Regional Administration, Service Agriculture and Food, section Forest and Woodlands. 
  • Legambiente Toscana: an environmental association very active in forest conservation and sustainable management, environmental education, communication and training. 
  • Forest Stewardship Council Italy (DRYAD Partner)

Actions to be implemented: 

    • Forest, soil, and micrometeorological monitoring and characterization
    • Evaluation of the water issues as related to various degrees of cork oak productive stands abandonment and former practices
    • Coupling to Earth Observation monitoring of the state of forests by testing innovative indicators and models
    • Implementation of NBSs, inspired by the PDAs to improve water retention, forest health, and ES (ecosystem services), among which particular interest will be given to cultural services and innovative business models (e.g. forest therapy settings; nonwood forest products and relative value chain, ecotourism) 
    • Capacity building initiatives and actions for farmers, professionals, decision makers, and youth and women associations and SMEs
    • Regulation action to propose better solutions for the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) regulations to favour the MAEs (Mediterranean Agro-silvo-pastoral ecosystem) 

    Specific Key Performance Indicators:

    • Stakeholders and end-users attending workshops
    • Policy recommendations and guidelines for agroforestry and forest sustainable management
    • Social media communications for public awareness about climate change’s risks and agroforestry system resilience
    • Stakeholder groups interested in the NBSs 

     

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