Land Abandonment and Its Impact on the Landscape Character of Val Borbera (Northern Apennines)

The Northern Apennines are characterized by a long history of local land management, adapted to limited environmental conditions without causing ecological degradation. These agro-silvo-pastoral land use systems resulted in land covers such as meadows, chestnuts, vineyards and woodland interspersed with mercantile trails. Since 1950s, its local actors started emigrating the Apennine valleys causing an abandonment and marginalization of the land and an extensification of the landscape. The research is focusing on two cases in the valley ‘Val Borbera’ (NE of Italy). For both cases, an historical analytical approach was executed based on the combination of interdisciplinary sources like historical maps, land register maps, aerial photographs, topographic maps and field survey. Through the regressive cartographic analysis, the landscape changes and dynamics since the 19th century and the relationships between the land cover and land use are being mapped. These insights can benefit to a better understanding of the spatial character of the cultural rural mountain landscape.