170,287 research outputs found

    The contribution of the Framework to achieving and disclosing the Sustainable Development Goals

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    This chapter examines the contribution of the Framework published by the International Integrated Reporting Council (IIRC) to the achievement and disclosure of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Framework, promoting Integrated reporting and integrated thinking, can serve as an effective communication and management tool to assist organisations in aligning their business approaches and long-term value creation process with SDGs challenges. In particular, the chapter identifies the links among the 17 SDGs and the six capitals of the Framework. These links highlight how the achievement of SDGs impacts the six capitals, transforming and modifying them over time, and can support the implementation of a comprehensive and impactful sustainable development strategy. Moreover, a four-step procedure to contribute to SDGs through the Framework is illustrated based on prior research. With reporting as the end goal, this procedure allows users to address strategy and business models effectively, going beyond the simple linking between capital and SDGs

    Assessing trends in climate aridity and vulnerability to soil degradation in Italy

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    The present study illustrates a framework to analyze changes in climate aridity and soil degradation on a country scale in Italy. The spatial distribution of an indicator of soil vulnerability to degradation (the SQI, soil quality index) was compared with an aridity index (the ratio of annual rainfall to annual reference evapotranspiration) estimated on a decadal basis during 1951–2010. The aridity index decreased by 0.38% per year indicating increased aridity and a non-uniform spatial distribution of soil vulnerability to degradation. Changes in the aridity index were found associated with the lowest SQI classes, suggesting that the largest increase in climate aridity affects land with high-quality soils. Territorial disparities in the aridity index between high-quality and low-quality soils decreased over time indicating a more homogeneous and dry climate regime prevailing in the more recent decades. Results may inform sustainable land management policies and National Action Plans to combat desertification in the Mediterranean region. Areas classified at increased aridity and high vulnerability to soil degradation should be identified as a key target for climate change mitigation policies. Sustainable land management strategies are required to address the dependency between climate variations, land-use changes and soil degradation processes

    In-between Sprawl and Fires: long-term Forest Expansion and Settlement Dynamics at the Wildland-Urban Interface in Rome, Italy

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    Understanding the intimate dynamics of urban–wildland interfaces in Mediterranean landscapes is particularly challenging because of multiple biophysical factors (dry or arid climate, low-quality soils, poor vegetation cover) determining an increased environmental sensitivity to human pressure. Although dense and compact cities were sprawling rapidly in the most recent decades, many suburban areas in southern Europe still preserve biodiversity-rich habitats, traditional crop mosaics and high-quality relict forest stands. Diachronic forest and settlement maps were analysed over two time intervals (1936–1974 and 1974–2006) representing different socio-economic contexts on a local scale with the aim to assess trends in forest land cover vis à vis urban growth in Rome, central Italy. Forests expanded into agricultural land during the whole time period following cropland abandonment and benefiting from a higher level of land protection from urbanisation, especially during the most recent decades. Although the broadleaved wood dominated the composition of forest fragments at the wildland–urban interface at both the beginning and the end of the study period, coniferous stands showed a slower decrease compared to other wood types, such as those dominated by chestnut or beech. The observed changes in forest composition are the result of a higher disturbance level, possibly triggered by the increase of fire frequency and severity, a higher fragmentation of natural land, intense soil sealing and a larger occurrence of invasive species. Forest diversity increased especially in areas with medium-density settlements, indicating a tendency towards more heterogeneous forest structures at the urban–wildland interface compared to natural landscapes. A long-term monitoring of settlement dynamics and woodland expansion is required to inform a sustainable management of Mediterranean suburban forests
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