An applied methodology for assessing predisposition to recovery of ligurian agricultural terraces

Terraces, distinctive feature of agriculture in the Liguria Region, are valuable historical and cultural assets, which, if not properly maintained, may represent a hydrogeological risk factor. To handle the abandonment of terraces means acting to secure the territory, but they recovery is subordinate to the economic sustainability of the intervention. To identify the most effective actions, it is important to consider the factors influencing the use of the areas and to evaluate the different intervention strategies (recovery, security, renaturalization). If many factors concern economical, management and social aspects, others depend on objective territorial characteristics, which can be quantified. In this sense, a methodology has been set up and tested on a study area to define propensity to recovery and intervention priorities and to identify terraced systems where recovery could be desirable or sustainable and those where a different management strategy would be preferable. The proposed methodology, based on GIS Open Source, allows to identify terraced areas with the highest chance of being reused for agricultural purposes and to define the most suitable crop to be used. The methodology could be a support to local authorities, as well as to small businesses or individuals who intend to operate with direct and practical actions.