The Outstanding Terraced Landscape of the Cinque Terre Coastal Slopes (Eastern Liguria)

Due to a century-old agricultural practice, the coastal landscape of Cinque Terre (eastern Liguria, north-western Italy) has been almost completely modified by slope terracing via reworking of millions of cubic metres of debris cover and the construction of thousands of kilometres of dry stone walls. Given their geomorphological-environmental value, as well as scenic and historical significance, the Cinque Terre represent one of the most outstanding examples of human integration with the natural landscape within the Mediterranean region, and have been recognised since 1997 as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO and included since 1999 within a National Park. Following the abandonment of farming over the last half a century, the terraced slopes have been progressively affected by crumbling of the dry stone walls and mass movements. As dramatically evidenced by the effects of the major rainstorm of October 2011, the Cinque Terre are currently at very high geomorphological risk and thus mitigation measures and conservation policies are urgently needed.