Lost in space? Using geo-narratives to interpret land use changes in a rural landscape of inner Sicily

Abstract

Intercropping landscapes characterised by the presence of certain plant features (i.e. old-century olive trees) are usually considered traditional landscapes, extremely important for their biocultural heritage. Olive agroforestry systems were widespread in the past throughout Sicily. Recent evolution processes involving intensification have switched to olive grove monocultures. Here we present ongoing work on the application of geo-narratives to interpret transformation dynamics of land use practices in a rural landscape of inner Sicily. Based on the assumption that spatial patterns are the expression of transformation processes, where the spatial variation of human activities is a significant element in driving different temporal trajectories of change in a landscape, we applied geo-narratives to interpret results from change detection analysis of aerial images spanning over 65 years. As georeferenced oral histories, geo-narratives open a window on the spatial relationality of people and places over time, allowing us to interpret contemporary observations of spatial patterns in light of past practices. The result is a deeper understanding of landscape change processes, in which the apparent progression from agroforestry spatial arrangements to nearly monoculture, followed by a reduction or even loss of high nature value features, hides ecological drivers and social motivations that only from the ground could be understood. We conclude advancing new conceptualisation of what traditional cultural landscapes could be, and proposing new integrated methodological approaches for their investigation