Main analysis scales

Two main study and representation scales were chosen:

• 1:250,000
• 1:50,000 

For each scale, homogeneous territorial environments were identified, on which Environmental Quality and Territorial Vulnerability evaluations were to be carried out. These were identified on the basis of the emerging aspect describing the natural environment to that scale.

Scale of 1:250,000: the homogeneous basic units are Landscape Units (in accordance with Landscape Ecology) classified according to Type; for every Unit evaluations are made as to environmental quality, risk of fragmentation, anthropic disturbance and territorial vulnerability.
Each mapped “polygon” in the Unit Map represents a physiographic landscape unit belonging to one of the types of landscape identified for the entire country:

• Evaluations are carried out for each mapped polygon (unit);
• The indicators used take into account institutional, ecological and structural aspects.

Scale of 1:50,000: The homogeneous basic units are Habitat (according to the CORINE Biotopes classification); suitable ecological-environmental indicators were used to define the following values: environmental quality, sensitivity, anthropic pressure and territorial vulnerability.
In the habitat map each mapped “polygon” represents a biotope to which a CORINE Biotopes code identifying the habitat has been attributed:

• In order to obtain a normalised product for the entire Country, only indicators available throughout the entire national territory were used;
• each of the indicators used was calculated for each mapped biotope in the habitat map;
• the indicators used take into account institutional, ecological and structural aspects.