Testing effectiveness in nature reserve management using GIS-based tools: a 25-years monitoring of land use change in a Mediterranean coastal wetland

Abstract

Abstract Land-cover change dynamics were investigated in a Mediterranean coastal wetland to evaluate long-term effectiveness in nature reserve management. A multitemporal analysis of land cover maps was derived from visual interpretation of aerial orthophotos in the 1996, 2008, 2015 and 2021 summer seasons. Landscape changes were evaluated by transition matrices and chord diagrams. Maps were classified in accordance with CORINE land cover types at a fourth level of detail. Multitemporal analyses provided a description of the reserve landscape changes occurred in the last 25 years. The most notable changes are the increase of wetland areas and the reduction of agricultural and artificial areas. Moreover, the extension of seminatural vegetation constantly increased over time. The landscape change was the result of a constant management activity of the nature reserve such as agreement for water supply, restoration projects and actions to combat illegality. These operational actions induced fine-grained ecological changes (outcomes at ecosystem level). This study highlighted the importance of remote sensing and landscape analysis matched with fine-grained management data as tool for long-term monitoring as a support to evaluate effectiveness of strategies promoted in nature reserves hosting wet coastal ecosystems of high conservation concern.