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GeoRange
Test Sites - Sardinia
Location
Physical environment
Land cover / use
Socio-economic background / management objectives
Image
Gallery
Location
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The
Sardinia test site is predominantly characterized by rangelands.
Inside the study area, two different sites have been selected, which
show a diverse fire history and are subjected to diverse management
rules and legislation bonds. The
first site is a cork oak stand closer to the coast, recently partially
damaged by a forest fires and periodically used for grazing. The
second site is grassland with sparse trees in the inner part of
the study area commonly used for grazing, surrounded by one of Sardinia's
most important forestry areas.
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The
GEORANGE project will consider for each site specific management
situations such as traditional multi-purpose utilisation of cork-oak
stands and the management of grazing and silvo-cultural activities
in environmental sensitive areas. The test site covers an area of
approximately 4000 km2 in Central-W Sardinia, mainly in the provinces
of Oristano and Nuoro with minor areas in the province of Sassari.
It extents from the West coast, roughly between the towns of Bosa
and Oristano, about 60 km NE towards the towns of Burgos and Ottano
in the northern centre of the island. The major settlement in the
test site is the village of Macomer with 11.000 inhabitants.
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Physical
environment
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The
study area is characterized geomorphologically by an alternation
of smooth mountains and wide valleys, with a NE-SW direction. The
elevation range oscillates between the sea level and 1000 m a.s.l..
Major mountain ranges are the Montiferru in the SW, the Marghine-Goceano
in the NE and the foothills of the Gennargentu in the SE. The central
part of the study area is formed by the plains of the Planargia.
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Geologically, the test site is formed by volcanic processes, the most
recent ones in the Montiferru range, which is a volcano from the Pliocene-pleistocene
volcanic cycle. On this volcanic geology cambisols in association with
andosols and fluvisols are common. The climate is typical Mediterranean
climate with hot and dry summers and rain during winter.
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Land
cover / use
The
island of Sardinia is among the regions in the Mediterranean where the
landscape is predominantly characterised by rangelands (>50% of the total
24,000 km2) of which approx. 30% are public land. A good deal of the land
is left to common use by rural communities. Fire setting for shrub removal
by shepherds is still common practice, although illegal, leading to high
fire frequency. Although significant forest stands and reforested areas
are present, pastoral activities are by far the most important land use
imposing heavy grazing pressure mainly through sheep, but also cows, goats
and locally pigs. The degradation of the native sclerophyllous evergreen
forest have lead to the formation of huge areas where the landscape is
characterised by grasslands with sparse trees (Quercus ilex, Quercus suber,
Quercus pubescens) and macchia (shrubland) in a composite sequence of
patterns and stages. Most native plant species in these rangelands are
well adapted to fire because of the long evolutionary history of burning
and human disturbance. Many woody species sprout from adventitious buds,
other species recolonise by both resprouting and germinating from seed,
while still others reproduce only by seed.
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Socio-economic
background / management issues
The management
objectives to be pursued in the Sardinia test site can be summarized in
the following points:
- Control
of grazing in terms of quantitative and qualitative parameters
- Control
of forestry interventions
- Fire Prevention
actions in relation to the Plan developed by the Sardinian CFVA, which
includes management prescriptions such as selective fuel control measures
by clearing or controlled grazing
- Restoration
actions in the prescribed land units will be deployed in the landscape
according to the environmental variables, to soil conservation, fire-hazard
and prevention criteria, and to landscape ecology considerations
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Image
gallery
Montiferru
Area
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Marghine
Area
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