Filippo Russo

In Southern Italy, studies dealing with the analysis of multidecadal land-use/land-cover (LULC) changes at the basin scale are scarce. This is an important gap, considering the deep interrelationships between LULC, soil erosion, and river and coastal dynamics. This study provides a contribution in filling this gap by analyzing the LULC patterns and changes in an area of southern Italy, i.e., the Fortore River basin, which occurred between 1960 and 2018. To this end, we conducted a GIS-aided comparison and analysis of LULC data from 1960, 1990, and 2018, respectively. The LULC changes were analyzed at both the basin and the physiographic unit scale. The results showed that most of the LULC changes occurred between the 1960s and 1990s, while from the 1990s onward, great stability in LULC was evident in the basin. The obtained data were mostly coherent with national-, regional-, and basin-scale trends, although some scale-dependent discrepancies were noted. The river and shoreline dynamics fully reflected the duration and the amount of phases of the changes in LULC stability at the basin scale.

For about 15 years, Italian universities have been experiencing a shortage in the choice of degree programs concerning Earth Sciences, in accordance with the national trend of disaffection to STEM disciplines, both for educational reasons and because of problems in the labor market. To counter this phenomenon, in 2016, the Ministry launched the National Geology Plan (NGP) through which universities interacted directly with educational institutions in their territory. Although the numbers were small, the increase in enrollment was encouraging until the 2018/2019 academic year, before the COVID-19 pandemic. The local project “GEOLAB-UNISANNIO” of the University of Sannio in Benevento is trying to implement an educational program related to STEM fields. The authors believe that either all undergraduates or the public in general would benefit from improved Geoscience education. Accordingly, the authors, as the scientific leaders of an educational program (“Career in Geology”) under the GEOLAB–UNISANNIO project, foresee the positive effects on students’ basic scientific knowledge and academic careers of this type of approach in students’ retaining. This educational program is illustrated in its articulations with the results obtained (field experiences, production of scientific reports and posters, documentaries, general satisfaction).