Mapas históricos y los recursos ambientales. La filtración cartográfica de área y el caso de Riomaggiore (Cinque Terre, Italia)

This paper aims to illustrate a particular method of analysis of current and historical maps called «cartografic filtration of area», showing its potential use for studies on changes in land use and vegetation cover. This method was specially developed by the Laboratory of Environmental Archaeology and History (LASA - University of Genoa), in the frame of researches on the historical transformations of environmental resources management systems, and on the identification of sites of historical and environmental interest (with special reference to historical grasslands). The»cartografic filtration» method considers, in the ‘long term’, changes in land cover to relate them to those happened in local systems of environmental management. The proposed case study regards the Cinque Terre (SP, Italy) area and is an example of application of this type of analysis in the investigation of the historical areas of coastal grasslands and of the post-cultural dynamics related to its abandonment.