Table 2 General and specific key questions which PLKP can answer for an enhanced understanding of ecological dynamics and processes and better-informed landscape management. General questions (1–3 g) are centered on Holocene and Anthropocene; specific questions (1–3 s) focus on central Mediterranean and ‘localAanthropocene’. The answers to these latter questions are particularly related to each place studied and therefore offer to policy-makers tools for proposing targeted interventions.
General (g) questions on Holocene and Anthropocene PLKP support | |
|---|---|
1g) What level of complexity has typically existed? How has the dynamic relationship between humans and the environment changed over the millennia? | Long-term ecosystems traits and complexity |
2g) What environmental features/transformations have had a key influence on cultural choices or adaptations? Conversely, what human actions played major roles in environmental transformations? | Long-term ecological dynamics; Environment-human interactions |
3g) What lessons should we learn from the past to ensure sustainable development for the future? | Past nature-based solutions |
Specific (s) questions pointing to central Mediterranean and ‘local Anthropocene’ PLKP support | |
1s) When did land-use changes and human adaptations leave permanent marks in the site? Can we detect trace of the inception of the local Anthropocene from such marks? | Human marks on the site, from low influence to strong impact |
2s) What is the role of climate change and human impact in ecosystems in each site (e.g., mountain-plain system over time)? What processes control the stability/variability of the relationships in this system? | Local agents of changes and their dynamic system (flora, vegetation, landform and soil dynamics) |
3s) Can we distinguish between the human impact and the natural triggers of the uniqueness of the site? | Geological and biological markers of land specificity |
