The VASA (historical and environmental evaluation) multitemporal approach for the analysis and assessment of rural landscape transformations

Abstract Context The study of landscape over different years through the analysis of different sources (cadasters, aerophotos, orthophotos, satellite images) is commonly used in landscape planning and in researches focusing on landscape and land use changes and transformations. Most of these studies, despite the scale and the period analyzed, tend to apply different methodologies, making it difficult to compare results and trends among different landscapes. The aim of the paper is to present the details of the Historical and Environmental Evaluation (VASA) methodology, highlighting the possible applications for landscape changes assessment, by presenting a specific study case as well as its use across different situations. VASA has been developed within the Department of Agricultural, Food, Environmental and Forestry Science and Technology (DAGRI) of the University of Florence to create a standard methodology for the monitoring of landscape transformations, and it was initially applied for the Regional Government of Tuscany (Italy). In 2012, VASA has been chosen by the Italian Ministry of Agriculture, Food Sovereignty and Forests for the assessment of the rural landscapes to be included in the official list of the National Register of Rural Landscapes of Historical Interest often representing the first step for rural landscapes to be proposed for the recognition by international programmes such as the UNESCO WHL (cultural landscapes) and the FAO GIAHS (Globally Important Agricultural Heritage Systems). Results This methodology is based on the photointerpretation of the same area in different years through the Geographic Information Systems (GIS) software, for creating detailed maps and databases of land uses. In addition, various metrics are calculated for evaluating the structure of the landscape mosaic and its transformations. Conclusions Compared to other multitemporal analyses, the VASA methodology is capable of providing reliable, measurable, and comparable data regarding land use characteristics, land use changes, landscape mosaic structure, main vulnerabilities, landscape trends, linear features presence and changes. This approach can be applied to different geographical contexts and for different aims, allowing to compare the results more accurately in different environmental and cultural situations, or for establishing landscape monitoring systems.