From quantitative to qualitative analysis of Land-Take. The application of a Composite Indicator for targeted policies of Land Take reduction

The processes of land take and soil sealing tend to receive more attention as threats to soil resources and Ecosystem Services (ES) provided by soil grow. The objectives of this paper are: 1) to assess the extent of land take (intended as the of artificial surfaces) in the Province of Lodi (Northern Italy) by evaluating the accuracy associated to the different scales of the cartography used; 2) to assess the effects of land take on the selected ES (in particular, supporting and regulating services). In case of study the ES assessed was the potential agricultural productivity, evaluated the Land Capability Classification1 as proxy and integrated with additional information regarding the increase of impervious surfaces. Thus, the construction of an experimental Composite Indicator on Land Take has been provided. The results have shown that important underestimation of land take occurs when Corine Land Cover2 (CLC) is used at local level in Italy but, at the same time, when used in Country, CLC seems to be sufficient to assess the general amount of Land Take. Moreover, when a shift from the neutral assessment to practical policy orientation of Land Take reduction is requested, a higher degree of additional qualitative information necessary to steer planning options. The Composite Indicator is aimed to help policy makers and planners to adopt suitable measures by applying European guidelines and protocols for Land Take government.