Landscape design / Biomass exploitation and land conservation
Claudia Arcidiacono
University of Catania, Catania, Italy
: J Plant Physiol Pathol
Abstract
Design of landscape is the process of the arrangement of spatial features with the objective of sustaining ecosystem services, and maintaining ecological functionality to meet societal needs. Along a gradient of cultivation intensity, the functional quality of agricultural landscape has to be explored and the relationships between landscape metrics and functional quality analyzed, in order to make effective recommendations for landscape design aimed at sustainable land use schemes. Energy exploitation of biomass sources is possible so long as the actions are sustainable. In particular the critical factors related to the interaction between exploitation and land conservation should be considered. In both productive systems, industrial plants may produce large quantities of waste (wood processing, food processing, etc.). The reuse of these residues may be an optimal solution for the environment and for the benefit of various production chains. Bioenergy in general, and agro-energy in particular, as with other renewable energy sources, is not necessarily “positive” in environmental terms. A bad system of production and use of renewable sources can be just harmful to the environment as a fossil fuel.
Biography
