Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential Estate
Abstract Coastal dunes are dynamic ecosystems vulnerable to human impact. Traditional monitoring relies on costly field surveys, but high‐resolution satellite imagery offers an efficient alternative. This study integrates remote sensing (RS) and field data to analyze vegetation and landscape changes...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Wiley
2025-08-01
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| Series: | Conservation Science and Practice |
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| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70101 |
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| author | Elena Cini Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta Marco Malavasi Simona Sarmati Silvia Del Vecchio Daniela Ciccarelli Flavio Marzialetti |
| author_facet | Elena Cini Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta Marco Malavasi Simona Sarmati Silvia Del Vecchio Daniela Ciccarelli Flavio Marzialetti |
| author_sort | Elena Cini |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Coastal dunes are dynamic ecosystems vulnerable to human impact. Traditional monitoring relies on costly field surveys, but high‐resolution satellite imagery offers an efficient alternative. This study integrates remote sensing (RS) and field data to analyze vegetation and landscape changes over 25 years in the highly protected Castelporziano Presidential Estate. We examined three habitat groups—Herbaceous Dune Vegetation (HDV), Woody Dune Vegetation (WDV), and Broadleaf Mixed Forest (BMF)—using 58 resurveyed plots and land cover maps. Landscape dynamics and vegetation compositional changes were assessed, and temporal patterns were calculated for three buffer sizes (25, 75, and 125 m), using Bray–Curtis dissimilarity and differences in landscape metrics. Random forest models evaluated the relationship between landscape and vegetation compositional changes. The results revealed a reduction in artificial surfaces, greater vegetation encroachment, and clear signs of natural succession. HDV exhibited a shift toward grassland species, reflecting ongoing changes in vegetation composition. WDV experienced the most pronounced compositional change, while BMF showed signs of structural homogenization. Habitat proportion emerged as the strongest predictor of compositional changes, especially at the finest scale. These findings confirm the value of combining RS and field data for long‐term monitoring and provide useful insights for managing coastal dune habitats. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-6a9fb84442214723bb894304a09ea4aa |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2578-4854 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-08-01 |
| publisher | Wiley |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Conservation Science and Practice |
| spelling | doaj-art-6a9fb84442214723bb894304a09ea4aa2025-08-20T03:05:39ZengWileyConservation Science and Practice2578-48542025-08-0178n/an/a10.1111/csp2.70101Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential EstateElena Cini0Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta1Marco Malavasi2Simona Sarmati3Silvia Del Vecchio4Daniela Ciccarelli5Flavio Marzialetti6Department of Science Roma Tre University Rome ItalyDepartment of Science Roma Tre University Rome ItalyDepartment of Chemistry, Physics, Mathematics and Natural Sciences University of Sassari Sassari ItalyDepartment of Science Roma Tre University Rome ItalyDepartment of Biological, Geological and Environmental Sciences University of Bologna Bologna ItalyDepartment of Biology University of Pisa Pisa ItalyDepartment of Agricultural Sciences University of Sassari Sassari ItalyAbstract Coastal dunes are dynamic ecosystems vulnerable to human impact. Traditional monitoring relies on costly field surveys, but high‐resolution satellite imagery offers an efficient alternative. This study integrates remote sensing (RS) and field data to analyze vegetation and landscape changes over 25 years in the highly protected Castelporziano Presidential Estate. We examined three habitat groups—Herbaceous Dune Vegetation (HDV), Woody Dune Vegetation (WDV), and Broadleaf Mixed Forest (BMF)—using 58 resurveyed plots and land cover maps. Landscape dynamics and vegetation compositional changes were assessed, and temporal patterns were calculated for three buffer sizes (25, 75, and 125 m), using Bray–Curtis dissimilarity and differences in landscape metrics. Random forest models evaluated the relationship between landscape and vegetation compositional changes. The results revealed a reduction in artificial surfaces, greater vegetation encroachment, and clear signs of natural succession. HDV exhibited a shift toward grassland species, reflecting ongoing changes in vegetation composition. WDV experienced the most pronounced compositional change, while BMF showed signs of structural homogenization. Habitat proportion emerged as the strongest predictor of compositional changes, especially at the finest scale. These findings confirm the value of combining RS and field data for long‐term monitoring and provide useful insights for managing coastal dune habitats.https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70101coastal habitatsconservation status monitoringhistorical vegetation plot resurveylandscape ecologylong‐term changesmachine learning |
| spellingShingle | Elena Cini Alicia Teresa Rosario Acosta Marco Malavasi Simona Sarmati Silvia Del Vecchio Daniela Ciccarelli Flavio Marzialetti Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential Estate Conservation Science and Practice coastal habitats conservation status monitoring historical vegetation plot resurvey landscape ecology long‐term changes machine learning |
| title | Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential Estate |
| title_full | Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential Estate |
| title_fullStr | Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential Estate |
| title_full_unstemmed | Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential Estate |
| title_short | Long‐term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity: Insights from a quarter century of resurveys in Castelporziano Presidential Estate |
| title_sort | long term dynamics of coastal dune landscapes and habitat diversity insights from a quarter century of resurveys in castelporziano presidential estate |
| topic | coastal habitats conservation status monitoring historical vegetation plot resurvey landscape ecology long‐term changes machine learning |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1111/csp2.70101 |
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