Uso e degradazione del suolo in area agropastorale della Sardegna

In recent decades the clearing of Mediterranean maquis along with the creation of new pastures has been a major factor of land degradation in Sardinia (Italy). Consequently, tillage and water erosion intensified over a wide area. The present work assesses the impacts of land use change on soil properties in a representative area of central-eastern Sardinia. Paired forest and pasture sampling sites were selected in relation to present land use, land suitability and land use history. Different soil properties were considered: physical (sand, silt, clay, soil thickness, bulk density, penetration resistance), chemical (pH, OC, N, C/N, Ca, Mg, Na, K, CEC, BS), biological (BQI), micromorphological (microporosity and microstructure). The comparison of forest and pasture soils showed a significant soil loss (in terms of soil thickness, -22 %), and a clear decrease in organic carbon storage (-64 % on average). An increase in bulk density (+44 %) and a change in microporosity and its vertical distribution were also observed.