Multi-Temporal Satellite Imagery for Monitoring Productivity Trend in Mediterranean Coastal Forest Ecosystems: The Study Case of the State Natural Reserve "Duna Feniglia" (Italy)

Abstract

Health forests are recognized as a strategic solution for climate change mitigation and biodiversity conservation, allowing to achieve the goals of sustainable development (2030 Agenda). Those within protected areas represent a natural and cultural landscape asset and learning opportunity in many areas of the Mediterranean basin, especially in the coastal zones. Other than the transformations made by humans in the past, many factors influence the ecological dynamics of these forest ecosystems, such as an increase in the pressure of wild animals or the impact of global warming. This study aims to detect the changes in the Mediterranean vegetation growth rate over 21 years, from 2000 to 2020, by a satellite remote sensing multi-temporal monitoring approach. The proposed framework was applied in the state natural reserve “Duna Feniglia” in the province of Grosseto (central Italy), a restored forest ecosystem dominated by the stone pine (Pinus pinea L.), a forest type characteristic of the Italian coastal landscape. A multispectral vegetation index was evaluated as a proxy of forest productivity by means of trend curves analysis. Forest functionality (vigor) was also evaluated by developing a productivity state indicator, allowing for the detection of current changes in primary productivity as compared to a medium-term baseline period. The presented monitoring data can support decision-making tool for an ecological management of the reserve, identifying potential areas of high vulnerability where to conduct new restoration action aimed to stop or prevent ecosystem degradation.