System Map of the Nature of the Umbria region: cartography and habitat assessment
This report describes the products developed under the System Map of the Nature of the Umbria region:
1) Charter of Habitat scale of 1: 50,000.
For the realization of the Map of Habitat at the scale of 1: 50,000 were employed satellite remote sensing images and images from aerial platform. The habitat mapped are refered to a Legend valid for all national territory, specially structured for the Nature Map System and based on European systems of nomenclature CORINE Biotopes and EUNIS (APAT, 2004; ISPRA, 2009b).
2) Assessment of the Ecological Value and Environmental Fragility.
The mapping of habitat is the basis for the next phase of implementation of the Protocol provided by Nature Map System. This second objective is to calculate, for each habitat present in the Map of Habitat, some synthetic "Indexes" for the estimation of Ecological Value, Ecological Sensitivity, Anthropic Pressure and Environmental Fragility.
The process has been standardized by the application of procedures that ensure uniformity in the calculations and in the treatment of basic data.
The system constitutes an informative system of knowledge at regional scale, which connected in a synthetic vision the physical, biotic and anthropogenic characteristics of studied land.
It’s useful for multiple purposes, particularly in all cases where qualitative and quantitative information is needed about habitats, their natural value and the risk of deterioration or loss of the heritage they represent.