EFFETTI DEI “MIGLIORAMENTI FONDIARI” NELLE MURGE ALTE (PUGLIA): L'IMPATTO ANTROPICO SUL PAESAGGIO CARSICO E COSTIERO

Abstract

Moretti M. et al., The effects of “soil improvement” operations in the Murge Alte area (Southern Italy): the impact on the
karstic and coastal landscape. (IT ISSN 0394-3356, 2004).
The Murge area (Puglia, southern Italy) is a morpho-structural high which is located in the intermediate sector of the emerged Apulian
foreland. The higher part of the Murge area (Murge alte sector) is characterized both by the absence of post-cretaceous marine deposits and by a mature karstic landscape. The soils in the Murge Alte region are the result of a series of complex pedogenetic processes that started on the residual products of cretaceous limestones. These soils tendentially have a clayey granulometric composition with an high content in fragments and blocks of limestones: often they are shallow, less than 20 cm, originating from the emerging calcareous rocks. Historically, in this area, the presence of thin soils and the scarsity of water prevented a massive development of agricultural activities and, typicallly it was mainly a grazing land. Nevertheless, recently (last 20 years) the action of public financing (mainly UE founds) has promoted the introduction of soil improvement operations. These operations are characterised by massive ploughing and crushing of the carbonate bedrock and have induced some important effects both in the karstic landscape and in the hydrogeological balance. This paper is focused on the analysis of these effects both in the higher and coastal zones of the Murge area. In particular, in a very short period of time (only 20 years), the analysed soil improvement operations have produced the following irremediable effects:
- the breaking up of the soil-rocky substratum complex; - alteration of the granulometric range size of the soil (massive increase in finer particles); - increase in soil loss; - alteration of the superficial and deep karstic system; - increase in flood risk.