sustainability Article The Monumental Olive Trees as Biocultural Heritage of Mediterranean Landscapes: The Case Study of Sicily Rosario Schicchi 1, Claudia Speciale 2,*, Filippo Amato 1, Giuseppe Bazan 3 , Giuseppe Di Noto 1, Pasquale Marino 4 , Pippo Ricciardo 5 and Anna Geraci 3 1 Department of Agricultural, Food and Forest Sciences (SAAF), University of Palermo, 90128 Palermo, Italy;
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[email protected] (G.D.N.) 2 Departamento de Ciencias Históricas, Facultad de Geografía e Historia, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, 35004 Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, Spain 3 Department of Biological, Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences and Technologies (STEBICEF), University of Palermo, 90123 Palermo, Italy;
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[email protected] Abstract: Monumental olive trees, with their longevity and their remarkable size, represent an important information source for the comprehension of the territory where they grow and the human societies that have kept them through time. Across the centuries, olive trees are the only cultivated plants that tell the story of Mediterranean landscapes. The same as stone monuments, these green monuments represent a real Mediterranean natural and cultural heritage. The aim of this paper is to discuss the value of monumental trees as “biocultural heritage” elements and the role they play in Citation: Schicchi, R.; Speciale, C.; the interpretation of the historical stratification of the landscape.