Mosaic : application of landscape ecology in the analysis of Ir-Ramla Valley, Gozo

Abstract

The state of the environment is a much debated issue in the light of planning policies and development in Malta. The encroachment of building on the remaining rural landscape also as a result of the expanding tourist industry and the improved standard of living are important issues on the national agenda. Various factors influence the landscape mosaic to varying degrees. Through the application of landscape ecology, this dissertation attempts at identifying the interrelation between the physical and the social factors leading to changes in the rural landscape with a detriment to the local resources and the cultural landscape identity typical of the Mediterranean. The elaborate mosaic of the landscape pattern requires a holistic methodology in order to take into consideration all the variables influencing the state of the environment in a particular space and time, which includes ecological, gee-physical and anthropic elements. The approach is addressed by field investigation and laboratory experiments in a study of Ramla Valley, Gozo. The variety of land use and land cover patterns in the research area requires a broad approach as determined by the holistic landscape ecological approach. A mosaic of variables were considered in the investigation namely land-use and land cover, vegetative cover, physical factors that include soil pH and conductivity, soil granulometric analysis, field size, slope and orientation. The social aspect was addressed through extensive interviews held with various stakeholders of the site and an analysis of agricultural land fragmentation as a result of inheritance laws leading to changes in the social behavioral pattern. Detailed landcover/land-use, and vegetative cover field surveys were first conducted, followed by further surveys within three selected belt transects. Two experimental investigations were also conducted on 26 soil samples and 75 soil samples respectively. Experimentation Part I included in-situ soil testing namely porosity and pH. Moreover, soil cores are also extracted for a laboratory granulometric investigation. In the second investigation pH and conductivity tests were conducted in the laboratory on 75 soil samples. The data obtained was first interpreted in relation to field observation then analysed in detail through further statistical investigations that included Multi Regression Analysis and Cluster Analysis. Finally proposals of planning alternatives were discussed in the light of the sustainable development of the Maltese landscape as a means to safeguard the rural cultural, ecological and physical identity. This is a mosaic approach through landscape ecology in the appraisal of the Ramla Valley mosaic.