Mediterranean Island Landscapes Natural and Cultural Approaches

About this book

Mediterranean islands exhibit many similarities in their biotic ecological, physical and environmental characteristics. There are also many differences in terms of their human colonization and current anthropogenic pressures.

This book addresses in three sections these characteristics and examines the major environmental changes that the islands experienced during the Quaternary period. The first section provides details on natural and cultural factors which have shaped island landscapes. It describes the environmental and cultural changes of the Holocene and their effects on biota, as well as on the current human pressures that are now threats to the sustainability of the island communities. The second section focuses on the landscapes of the largest islands namely Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Cyprus, Crete, Malta and the Balearics.

Each island chapter includes a special topic reflecting a particular characteristic of the island. Part three presents strategies for action towards sustainability in Mediterranean islands and concludes with a comparison between the largest islands.

Contents

About the contributors. Preface. Acknowledgements. Section I: Nature and culture in Mediterranean islands. 1. Introduction to Mediterranean island landscapes.- 2. Tertiary-quaternary environmental history of the Mediterranean basin.- 3. Holocene history of Mediterranean islands. 4. Mediterranean islands: Biogeography and landscape ecology.- 5. Cultural landscapes of Mediterranean islands.- 6. Political landscapes of Mediterranean islands.- Section II: Mediterranean island landscapes. 7. Sicily.- 8. Sardinia.- 9. Cyprus.- 10. Corsica.- 11. Crete.- 12. Balearic Islands.- 13. Maltese Archipelago.- Section III: Future perspectives. 14. Strategies for action.- 15. Conclusion.- References. Index

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