Assessment of the Ecosystem Services of Steep Slope Agriculture using GIS

Global agriculture is facing enormous challenges related to population growth, increased demand for food, fiber and biofuels, soil degradation and climate change. In the coming decades, these processes will have a serious impact on soil and water resources, which, in turn, will affect many vital ecosystem services that depend on soil and water resources, such as food, fiber and fuel production, drinking and irrigation water supply, erosion and flood prevention, and climate regulation. Agriculture on steep slopes represents a special and complex aspect of global food production due to the diversity of climatic zones. The interest of its landscapes is undeniable, some of them are included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. They are also highly effective in preserving soil and water by controlling runoff and erosion, and provide important ecosystem services to farmers and society. The purpose of this thesis work is to contribute to the comprehensive understanding of ecosystem services of steep slope agriculture within the Soave district (Verona, Italy), based on the processing of spatial data from open sources using Geographic Information System (GIS) technology and the Analytical Hierarchy Process (AHP) methodology. This approach combines land use and land cover maps with other data to obtain a comprehensive assessment of ES. An extensive literature review was conducted to select representative indicators. The EU conceptual framework developed by the International General Classification of Ecosystem Services (CICES) was used, as it has proven effective in understanding how ecosystems support human well-being. EU indicators were selected based on data already available in the region on the benefits of agriculture on steep slopes. This indicator was chosen to get the best score. Results show that the most important ES provided by agriculture on steep slopes are related to provision of services such as food and fiber. In addition, steep slopes contribute to the regulatory services like erosion control, as well as cultural services through the preservation of cultural landscapes. It also examines the ecological and geomorphological functions of steep slopes and the quality of life of the local population. Our assessment highlights the importance of protecting and restoring agriculture on steep slopes as part of regenerative agriculture, which has numerous benefits for the cultural functions of the landscape and society.