Fig 1.
A look at the vegetation of Albarella and Caleri.
On the left: The Caleri reserve with semi-natural vegetation in bands that respond to a micro-climate and salinity gradient that differs from the sea to the mainland; On the right: Albarella with fragmented vegetation (in the central gray part occupied by houses, the small white areas correspond to inaccessible private gardens), more suited to welcoming tourists; Middle: Mapping of the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) from satellite images, with a spatial resolution of 10 m. The higher the index (blue), the more complex/layered the vegetation and the more solar energy is retained by the ecosystem. One of the objectives of this research was also to increase the organic carbon storage capacity of the Albarella ecosystems, also by opting for a more natural composition of the vegetation. In meadows and wooded areas, the density of trees will be increased, with preference for Mediterranean species; in the golf green, the non-herbaceous parts will be treated to improve the consistency of the current Mediterranean shrub. Compatible with CC-BY 4.0 license.
Fig 2.
Four decision (circles) and 13 input (rectangles) variables influencing the 6 main determinants (fossil fuels, electricity, diet, transport, waste and ecosystem storage) reported with different colors.
Table 1.
Percentage use of resources in As Usual and optimistic scenarios, linked to the main 6 determinants of the Vensim model.
Table 2.
Organic carbon storage in the public semi-natural ecosystems of Albarella.
Fig 3.
Albarella As Usual scenario, emissions and carbon storage.
Histograms of the change over time of the emissions of the 6 budget drivers, plus the whole annual amount of these emissions and the carbon storages accumulated by the ecosystems at the end of the 10-year assay; these are the 9 variables shown below the graph with the colored values written vertically on the left (2023) and right (2032) of the graph.
Table 3.
As Usual scenario, Vensim estimations.
Emissions, Storage, Balance (kilo tons).
Fig 4.
Albarella Optimistic scenario, emissions and carbon storage.
Histograms of the change over time of the emissions of the 6 determinants, balance between the annual amount of these emissions and storage of the ecosystems; these are the 9 variables shown below the graph with the colored values written vertically on the left (2023) and right (2032) of the graph. The range corresponds to the maximum that can be foreseen as a technological improvement of the island, using techniques already existing on the market, maintaining the tourist-recreational land use in today’s values and for the next 10 years. Note the zeroing of the use of fossil energy (dark blue) to the advantage of photovoltaics (orange) and the abandonment of the continental diet, in favour of Mediterranean, vegetarian, or vegan diets (light grey).
Table 4.
Optimistic scenario, Vensim estimations.
Emissions, Storage, Balance (kilo tons).
Fig 5.
Upper part of the figure by Karine Bonneval, left: “Eating the Soil” where a human couple finds an eatable magical soil that takes them to a higher stage and transforms them into half-plant-half-human hybrid; right: “Se planter”, “plant yourself”, which in French also means “to make mistakes”. This is an invitation to imagine yourself rooted in the soil. Lower part, photographs by Augusto Zanella: the Po River transports woody materials which are then deposited on the banks of the river delta by sea waves. This phenomenon concerns the beach of Albarella and Caleri. From an ecological point of view, this is energy which gradually nourishes the dune system (underneath this wood, the soil becomes relatively dark and rich in organic matter, photo on the right). We would like to leave these dead woods in place in areas of the island with a more natural use.
Fig 6.
Left: “White Sea” by Nils Udo, German artist. Carrara marble eggs in a nest surrounded by an artificial hill 27 meters long and 4 meters high, covered with pampas grass, which shows a white panicle that resembles the foaming of a sea wave. Right: “The Big Ear”, a sound installation by Officinadidue, the art collective Vera Bonaventura & Roberto Mainardi, Italian artists. Lengh min. 5.11”. Performing every day at 10 am and 7 pm, on Albarella lake Palancana. Sound here: https://www.officinadidue.it/the-big-ear, visited on March 25 2024. Bottom: Environmental Audit, Historical balance, resources used and cultural good. How the effects and costs of human culture can be measured? More information in a graphical publication about the project in Ihlein 2010 [55].