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Sustainability
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Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity
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Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity

A special issue of Sustainability (ISSN 2071-1050). This special issue belongs to the section "Tourism, Culture, and Heritage".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: closed (31 October 2022) | Viewed by 14681

Special Issue Editors

Dr. Flavia Bartoli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
National Research Council (CNR), 00185 Roma, Italy
Interests: biology applied to the conservation and valorization of cultural heritage and cultural landscape; iconography, management and planning of vegetation in archaeological sites and historical gardens; urban ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Seyedh Zohreh Hosseini

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor Assistant
Department of Science, University of Roma Tre, 00146 Roma, Italy
Interests: biodeterioration and biodegradation of cultural heritage; cultural and natural landscape; conservation, valorization, and revitalization of ancient/historical gardens; ancient lost gardens; natural value of archaeological areas
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Dr. Emanuela Cicinelli

E-Mail Website
Guest Editor
Department of Science, Roma Tre University, 00146 Rome, Italy
Interests: biology applied to the conservation and valorization of cultural heritage and cultural landscape; management and planning of vegetation in archaeological sites and historical gardens; urban ecology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

I am serving as Guest Editor for the Special Issue entitled “Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity” of the open-access journal Sustainability by MDPI.

The aim of this Special Issue is to give an updated view of the state of the art in botany and cultural heritage, highlighting the main aspects related to the positive and negative roles that vegetation plays in archaeological areas, as dangerous, historic, ornamental, and symbolic, but also natural, components. In this way, we seek papers on topics including but not limited to:

  • On the vegetation management problem;
  • On the botanical planning of archaeological sites;
  • On the valorization of plant biodiversity as present species, iconographic representations, and as historical remains;
  • On the study, reconstruction, and restoration of historical gardens;
  • On the natural value of the vegetation growing in archaeological areas;
  • On cultural landscapes;

In this way, the Special Issue can help to improve this conservation topic, paying attention to the ecological, and in particular the botanical, approaches applied to the conservation and valorization of historical and natural cultural heritage. This aspect often is treated separately and in a dispersive way; instead, this Special Issue will represent one collection that is easy to find and to consult, which could become a point of reference in the future.

Dr. Flavia Bartoli
Ms. Seyedh Zohreh Hosseini
Dr. Emanuela Cicinelli
Guest Editors

Manuscript Submission Information

Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.

Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a single-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Sustainability is an international peer-reviewed open access semimonthly journal published by MDPI.

Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 2400 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.

Keywords

  • archaeological site
  • cultural landscape
  • archaeobotany
  • paleobotany
  • iconography
  • biodeterioration
  • ruderal vegetation
  • natural monument
  • preventive conservation
  • wall flora

Published Papers (5 papers)

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Research

19 pages, 10131 KiB  
Article
A Study on the Implicit Structure of Historical Environment in Urban Space of Xuzhou
by Yan Lin and Pingjia Luo
Sustainability 2022, 14(11), 6837; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14116837 - 2 Jun 2022
Cited by 4 | Viewed by 1946
Abstract
Since the 1980s, China has experienced an unprecedentedly rapid urbanization process, during which the historical environment of many cities has been damaged to some extent. Accordingly, the fragmented historical environment poses great challenges to the protection of the city’s overall historical form and [...] Read more.
Since the 1980s, China has experienced an unprecedentedly rapid urbanization process, during which the historical environment of many cities has been damaged to some extent. Accordingly, the fragmented historical environment poses great challenges to the protection of the city’s overall historical form and inheritance of cultural context. The interactive relationship between man and nature formed in the process of urban evolution and the form of life supported by it constitute the implicit structure of historical environment. However, as a means by which historical culture influences urban construction, the implicit structure of historical environment has been easily neglected in previous studies. Taking Xuzhou as a case study, this paper studies how the concept of “the Harmony Between Man and Nature” influences the formation of urban historical environment structure. The research methods employed are literature analysis, field investigation, mapping analysis, classified statistical analysis, and schema analysis. From the three dimensions of natural landscape, underground space, and age-old historical buildings, this paper reveals the form and characteristics of implicit structure of historical environment formed in the interaction between urban construction and natural environment. The results show that the natural landscapes of Xuzhou serve as the foundation and core characteristics of the formation of Xuzhou’s historical environment; underground space and age-old historical architecture can trace the long history of city development and reflect the overlapping spatial marks of different ages. Based on the characteristics of Xuzhou’s implicit structure of historical environment, the paper explores the possibility of guiding urban renewal based on such aspects as form control, resource integration, and multi-cultural display. Hopefully, this study is of some help to achieve the balance between and fusion of modern construction and historical inheritance in urban renewal. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity)
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20 pages, 6019 KiB  
Article
Lost Gardens: From Knowledge to Revitalization and Cultural Valorization of Natural Elements
by Zohreh Hosseini and Giulia Caneva
Sustainability 2022, 14(5), 2956; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14052956 - 3 Mar 2022
Cited by 10 | Viewed by 2997
Abstract
Gardens constantly change during their lifetime due to the growth and death of plants and to the effects (or lack) of management activities. The loss of garden areas, as well as the building’s collapse, can drastically impact the view and understanding of archaeological [...] Read more.
Gardens constantly change during their lifetime due to the growth and death of plants and to the effects (or lack) of management activities. The loss of garden areas, as well as the building’s collapse, can drastically impact the view and understanding of archaeological areas. The study and reconstruction of ancient lost gardens is a complex topic, and it seems that there is a lack of a general methodological approach for assessing the revitalization and valorization activities of these gardens, especially when considering the floristic features. Here, we discuss the required steps for developing the various intervention components for achieving a deep knowledge and understanding of natural, historical, and philosophical features of the place and its culture, from the past to the current conditions. Considering this knowledge, we propose a revitalization and a cultural valorization approach of the natural elements, and we discuss the limitations and issues arising in lost garden studies. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity)
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18 pages, 3270 KiB  
Article
Linking Man and Nature: Relictual Forest Coenosis with Laurus nobilis L. and Celtis australis L. in Antica Lavinium, Italy
by Giulia Albani Rocchetti, Flavia Bartoli, Emanuela Cicinelli, Fernando Lucchese and Giulia Caneva
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 56; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010056 - 21 Dec 2021
Cited by 5 | Viewed by 2697
Abstract
The Mediterranean basin has been a refugium for relict plant taxa and native laurophyllic forests. The Latium coasts and, especially, the Antica Lavinium site, host relict forest communities, whose natural importance is enriched by their cultural value. Here, we aim at investigating the [...] Read more.
The Mediterranean basin has been a refugium for relict plant taxa and native laurophyllic forests. The Latium coasts and, especially, the Antica Lavinium site, host relict forest communities, whose natural importance is enriched by their cultural value. Here, we aim at investigating the ecological framework, cultural and historical values, and management over time, of relict communities that have Laurus nobilis and Celtis australis as their priority habitats. To achieve this, we performed vegetation surveys and we conducted statistical analyses (PCA, NMDS). Among the 45 vegetation surveys, 25 were characterized by the two target species. The PCA analysis highlighted how the L. nobilis formations and the mixed formations with C. australis present some differences but are not sufficient to describe different coenosis. The comparison among similar forests in central and southern Italy confirmed the wide coenological amplitude of L. nobilis with respect to other laurophyllic species. Antica Lavinium has an overall good preservation of laurel forest formations, but also of mixed formation with C. australis. In the area, historical, cultural, and natural characteristics mutually contributed to the development of human civilizations and plant communities, highlighting their deep linkage. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity)
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17 pages, 2309 KiB  
Article
Analysis of Biodeteriogens on Architectural Heritage. An Approach of Applied Botany on a Gothic Building in Southern Italy
by Maria Emanuela Mascaro, Giuseppe Pellegrino and Anna Maria Palermo
Sustainability 2022, 14(1), 34; https://doi.org/10.3390/su14010034 - 21 Dec 2021
Cited by 9 | Viewed by 3636
Abstract
The degradation of stone materials depends on several interlinked factors. The effects caused by biodeteriogens on mineral-based substrates are now increasingly considered in the field of cultural heritage conservation from different experimental approaches. In this study, biodeteriogenic micro- and macroflora within the gothic [...] Read more.
The degradation of stone materials depends on several interlinked factors. The effects caused by biodeteriogens on mineral-based substrates are now increasingly considered in the field of cultural heritage conservation from different experimental approaches. In this study, biodeteriogenic micro- and macroflora within the gothic building of Santa Maria della Pietà, Squillace, Calabria, have been analyzed using multiple approaches, such as optical microscopy and molecular techniques. All 17 plant species detected are usually widespread in Mediterranean regions and some of these, such as Ailanthus altissima and Ficus carica, showed a very high hazard index, which is potentially dangerous for masonry stability. Fungi, cyanobacteria, and green algae were identified within biofilm compositions in a total of 23 different taxa, showing many similarities with microbial associations commonly found in cave and hypogean environments. All of the 11 fungal taxa detected belong to Ascomycota phylum, with Penicillium as the most represented genus. Photoautotrophic organisms are mostly represented by filamentous genera, with widespread presence of Leptolyngbya as the most abundant genus. The results highlighted how the singular environmental conditions of the study site, combined with the architectural features and the building materials, determined all the degradation phenomena affecting the building’s internal surfaces, compromising over time the structural integrity. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity)
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15 pages, 2719 KiB  
Article
Substrate Preferences of Ruderal Plants in Colonizing Stone Monuments of the Pasargadae World Heritage Site, Iran
by Zohreh Hosseini, Giulio Zangari, Marta Carboni and Giulia Caneva
Sustainability 2021, 13(16), 9381; https://doi.org/10.3390/su13169381 - 20 Aug 2021
Cited by 7 | Viewed by 2309
Abstract
Plant colonization on archaeological structures is limited by the substrate conditions of stone surfaces. Despite its relevance for ecological studies and the management plans of archaeological sites, the knowledge on monuments substrate (e.g., stones, microhabitats, microsites), which could be suitable sites for plant [...] Read more.
Plant colonization on archaeological structures is limited by the substrate conditions of stone surfaces. Despite its relevance for ecological studies and the management plans of archaeological sites, the knowledge on monuments substrate (e.g., stones, microhabitats, microsites), which could be suitable sites for plant establishment, is an underestimated topic. Here, we aim to identify the substrate preference of plants in colonizing stone surfaces as a first step in evaluating the biodeterioration risk. We selected the Pasargadae World Heritage Site (WHS) for its variety of different conditions, and we assessed the substrate preference of 142 ruderal plants occurring on nine monuments, two types of stones, and eight microsites. Our data indicated that stone typology and microsite conditions affected species composition, diversity, and richness. The porosity of the different limestone and the progressive weathering phenomena resulted as relevant factors in plant colonization. Significantly, microsites as a junction of two stone blocks (M1a) and big fractures covered by soil (M3) hosted the most favorable conditions, which needed periodic monitoring during the maintenance activities of the site. Evaluating the substrate preference of ruderal plants can contribute to the identification of the high-risk areas for plant colonization, which need to be considered in the management plans of archaeological sites. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Vegetation Management, Conservation of Historic Structures and Biodiversity)
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