Chapter A methodological approach to assessing the conservation status of coastal habitats: the case study of Calabria (Southern Italy)

Overview & Synopsis

The Mediterranean coasts are threatened by human activities that cause changes and alterations in the vegetation. This study aims to assess the impact of urbanisation on the conservation status of EEC Directive 43/92 habitats. We used all polygons in the range 0-200 m above sea level. Using QGIS, we calculated the distance in metres between the vegetation relevés of the habitats and the centre of the polygons coded as urban. A total of 73 vegetation relevés were carried out, which allowed us to recognise 13 revealing habitats. The total diversity of plant species per habitat was measured with the H-index used to assess naturalness (N), considering native, alien and disturbance species differently. The analysis showed that the highest values of H⁺ were found in habitats 1430, 2110 and 2240 while lower values were observed in habitats 2270*, 2250*,2210. The results showed that habitats 2270* and 2250*, which are closer to urban centres, show a lower naturalness value than habitats 1210, 1240, 2110 and 2240, with higher naturalness values and therefore a low disturbance. This methodology can be used by managers to identify the most sensitive coastal dunes and implement a conservation strategy.