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Island Landscape Dynamics: Examples from the Mediterranean Island Landscape Dynamics: Examples from the Mediterranean A.M. Mannion I.N. Vogiatzakis Geographical Paper No.183 Island Landscape Dynamics: Examples from the Mediterranean A.M. Mannion and I.N. Vogiatzakis Geographical Paper No.183 August 2007 Series Editor: A. M. Mannion Department of Geography, SHES University of Reading Whiteknights Reading Berks, RG6 6AB Email: [email protected] UK [email protected] Acknowledgement This discussion paper is a summary of Mediterranean Island Landscapes: Natural and Cultural Approaches (2007) edited by Vogiatzakis, I.N., Pungetti, G. and Mannion, A.M., published by Springer: Dordrecht. Those who contributed to this book have made this GP possible. They are: Marie-Cécile Andrei-Ruiz: Office de l’Environnement de la Corse, Av. Jean Nicoli, 20250 Corte, France Gaetano Benedetto: Ministry of Environment, Via Cristoforo Colombo 44, 147 Rome. Louis Cassar: International Environment Institute, Foundation for International Studies, Old University Building, St. Paul Street, Valletta VLT 07, Malta. Elisabeth Conrad: International Environment Institute, Foundation for International Studies, Old University Building, St. Paul Street, Valletta VLT 07, Malta. Penelope Delipetrou: Department of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens, GR-15784, Greece Panayiotis Dimopoulos: Department of Environmental and Natural Resources Management, University of Ioannina, Seferi 2, GR-30100, Agrinio, Greece Kyriakos Georghiou: Department of Botany, Faculty of Biology, University of Athens, Panepistimiopolis, Athens, Greece Anna Giordano: WWF Italy, Via Po 25/c, 00198 Rome, Italy Geoffrey Griffiths: Department of Geography, School of Human and Environmental Sciences, University of Reading, Whiteknights RG6 6AB, Reading, UK Jala Makhzoumi: Landscape Design and Eco-Management, Faculty of Agricultural and Food Sciences, The American University of Beirut, P.O. Box 11-0236, Beirut. Alberto Marini: Department of Earth Sciences, University of Cagliari, Via Trentino 51, 09100 Cagliari, Italy Miguel Morey Andreu: Department of Biology, Universitat de les Illes Balears, Carretera Valldemossa, km 7.5, C.P. 07122 - Palma de Mallorca, Balearics, Spain Florent Mouillot: IRD UR060, CEFE/CNRS (DREAM), 1919 Route de Mende, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France Thymio Papayannis: Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (Med-INA), 23 Voucourestiou Street, 10671 Athens, Greece Guilhan Paradis: Association Scientifique de Travaux, Études et Recherches sur l’Environnement (ASTERE), B.P. 846 – 20192, Ajaccio Cedex 4, France Gloria Pungetti: Department of Land Economy, University of Cambridge. Angélique Quilichini: Laboratoire Evolution et Diversité Biologique, Université Paul Sabatier, Bâtiment IVR3 pièce 209, 118 route de Narbonne, 31 062 Toulouse. Oliver Rackham: Corpus Christi College, Trumpington St, Cambridge CB2 1RH, UK Maurici Ruiz Perez: Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados (IMEDEA) C) Miquel Marqués 21, 07190 Esporles, Mallorca, Balearics, Spain Patrick Schembri: Department of Biology, University of Malta, Msida Malta Aphrodite Sorotou: Mediterranean Institute for Nature and Anthropos (Med-INA), 23 Voucourestiou Street, 10671 Athens, Greece N.B. This Geographical Paper is produced by the Department of Geography, University of Reading, with the approval of Springer, Dordrecht, the publisher of Mediterranean Island Landscapes: Natural and Cultural Approaches (2007) edited by Vogiatzakis, I.N., Pungetti, G. and Mannion, A.M. Copyright is reserved. Introduction All islands resemble each other; each island is different in its own way. This is the case globally and no less so in the Mediterranean. These ‘pieces of land surrounded by water’, as defined in the Oxford Dictionary, are bound by their common isolation, or insularity, which is a major limiting factor in relation to resources and which creates the nearest naturally- defined unit to a closed system. This contrasts with the contiguity of the continents and means that islands can be regarded as self-contained microcosms and natural laboratories of quantifiable proportions. Island size is also important because it is a major, but not the sole, determinant of the extent of resources. Since the work of Darwin in the mid-1800s natural scientists have been fascinated by islands, culminating in the seminal work of MacArthur and Wilson entitled The Theory of Island Biogeography which was published in 1967. This has spawned a raft of studies (e.g. Whittaker, 1998 and Patton, 1996) examining all aspects of island dynamics including natural and cultural developments well as the issue of carrying capacity and population growth and regulation. Despite this volume of research there has been no text which brings together the natural and cultural aspects of Mediterranean islands, a situation now redressed by the publication of an edited collection of papers entitled Mediterranean Island Landscapes: Natural and Cultural Approaches (Vogiatzakis, Pungetti and Mannion, 2007) in December 2007 and of which this paper is an introduction and synopsis. While insularity is a condition common to all islands it varies in intensity depending on proximity to the mainland. Thus Mediterranean islands contrast with the isolated islands of the Pacific insofar as they located in a basin which is at the crossroads of three continents and with which they share environmental and cultural characteristics. There are more than 5000 Mediterranean islands of varying sizes and with unique characteristics; all are considered to be hotspots of biodiversity at the global scale (Médail and Quézel, 1997; Davis et al., 1994). All have diverse prehistories and histories ranging from initial human settlement in the first half of the Holocene, through recorded history to their roles as members of the European Union (EU). This paper is concerned with the largest Mediterranean islands, notably Sicily, Sardinia, Cyprus, Corsica, Crete, the Balearics and the Maltese Archipelago (referred to hereafter as the Mediterranean Islands). Their location and general relief is shown in Figure 1. Of these islands, Cyprus and Malta are island nations while the others are so- called island regions of mainland EU nations. Sicily and Sardinia belong to Italy, Corsica belongs to France, Crete belongs to Greece, and the Balearic Islands belong to Spain. There is considerable variation in size (Figure 1) and population; Malta is the most densely populated while Corsica is the least densely populated. There is also considerable variation in topography, as shown in Figure 1; most islands, except Malta, have mountain topography and all have attractive cliff, beach and sometimes lagoonal coastal areas. Each has a distinctive biogeography, prehistory and history, cultural and economic development and degree of conservation/landscape protection and planning. Agriculture, and to some degree industry in a broad sense, have helped shape island landscapes though today tourism is a primary economic force in all these islands. In the medium term climatic change and associated sea-level rise as well as changing tourist aspirations and conservation programmes will primarily dictate landscape character. Figure 1. The Mediterranean Basin http://www.lib.utexas.edu/maps/europe.html The first part of this paper focuses on the generalities and commonalities which have affected the natural and cultural development of all the islands. These include the long-term geological evolution of the Mediterranean basin, environmental changes of the postglacial period/Holocene (beginning c. 12,000 -10,000 years ago to present) which provide a backdrop for the islands’ settlement history, land transformation and cultural development as well as their biogeographical characteristics. Reference is made to the impact of the rises and declines of the many civilisations/cultures which have influenced the islands through past millennia and whose heritage remains a vital component of the modern tourist industry as well as a testament to the individuality of island cultures. The political shaping of island landscapes is just as important now as in the past and the impact of modern pressures and on sustainable development and traditional genres de vie is considered. Such pressures include tourism which has been highly significant in the socio-economic development of the islands, and the Mediterranean basin in general, since World War II. Its embrace has led to improved standards of living, economic viability and a reduction in emigration but at a cost of traditional activities associated with agriculture, abandonment of agricultural land and a shift of population to the tourist resorts as well as increased pressures on water supplies, waste disposal and cultural sites. Reconciling future tourist demands and sustainability is a major challenge facing all the islands referred to herein. Membership of the EU has also influenced political decision-making which in turn has contributed to landscape change. Subsequently, in the second part of this paper, the specifics of each island/island group are examined briefly. Reference is made to the factors listed above and those which contribute to the individuality of island landscapes are highlighted. Finally, particular issues likely to be important in the future are discussed in the context of strategies for landscape development for which holistic and trans-disciplinary approaches are advocated. Generalities: Background to environmental, cultural and socio-economic development In geological
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