LABORATORY OF LANDSCAPE DESIGN AND REHABILITATION

Module RESTORATION OF DEGRADED AREAS TO GREEN

Training objectives: Provide the necessary knowledge to restoration of degraded areas in view to establish new “landscape design” in Mediterranean” region. Will analysed the causes of landscape degradation, the biological characteristics of the Mediterranean crops and wild species and the sustainable growing methods and techniques in view to restore degraded areas finalizing their environmental roles. Several degraded areas typologies will be analysed in view to individuate technical solution to rehabilitate them by the choice of the wild species in relation to their functional traits and of the sustainable techniques to use for establishing and for maintaining along the time the new green areas and the landscape design in Mediterranean region. 

Expected Learning Outcomes according to the Dublin Descriptors:

a. Knowledge and understanding: Provide skills and basic knowledge about the criteria for choosing the most suitable plant species in environmental restoration projects in the Mediterranean environment.

b. Applied knowledge and understanding: acquire skills by using all the above knowledge in order to be able to identify the most suitable agronomic interventions for the care of green areas in degraded sites.

c. Autonomy of judgment: to be able to give an interpretation and a relative weight to all the single aspects of botany, plant physiology and agronomy; to be able to draw information on the management problems of green areas in degraded sites starting from the known aspects, to be able to elaborate judgments in full autonomy on design problems and choices of botanical species.

d. Communication skills: communicate and describe in detail the aspects related to the response of plants to abiotic stress, adopting a correct technical terminology.

e. Ability to learn: understand the topics both in groups and independently, be able to connect not only the topics covered during the course with each other both in the general and in the special part, but also to grasp connections between the topics covered in this discipline and in others disciplines.

Lectures (21 hours) and exercises in laboratory and outdoor (42 hours).

Should teaching be carried out in mixed mode or remotely, it may be necessary to introduce changes with respect to previous statements, in line with the programme planned and outlined in the syllabus.

As a guarantee of equal opportunities and in compliance with current laws, interested students can ask for a personal interview in order to plan any compensatory and/or dispensatory measures, based on their specific needs and on teaching objectives of the discipline. It is also possible to ask the departmental contacts of CInAP (Center for Active and Participatory Integration - Services for Disabilities and/or DSAs), in the persons of professor Anna De Angelis.

Reception hours: https://www.di3a.unict.it/docenti/rosario.mauro 

Recommended. Contact the instructor during the course to coordinate effectively with the project activities agreed upon with colleagues.

1.      Introduction to the course: analysis of the potential and limits of the Mediterranean environment

2.      Autochthonous and allochthonous plant species

3.      Degraded sites: main typologies and regulatory references

4.      Classification criteria for higher plants: Cronquist system and functional classification

5.      Major abiotic stresses for plants: water stress

6.      Principles and techniques of dry farming

7.      Xeriscaping: an integrated design approach for water resource optimization

8.      Major abiotic stresses on plants: saline stress

9.      Major abiotic stresses on plants: acid precipitations and particulate stress

10.   General criteria for selecting plant species

11.   Mediterranean plant species for urban greenery and degraded areas

12.   Aromatic plants

13.   Succulent plants

14.   Cover crops

15.   Plants for phytoremediation

16.   Wildflowers

17.   Urban, social, and therapeutic horticulture

18. Palms and palm-like

1. Autori vari 2009. Le piante mediterranee autoctone nel settore ornamentale e paesaggistico. A cura di Claudio Carvelli, Edizioni ACE2, 192 pp.

2. Lecture Handouts

3. Publications Provided by the Instructor

Discussion about the main environmental problems in Mediterranean anvironment and on the general part of the course. Presentation of the individual study of a critical issue.

Learning assessment may also be carried out on line, should the conditions require it.

Verification of learning takes place through an oral interview. The evaluation of the student's preparation will take place on the basis of the following criteria: learning ability and level of depth of the topics covered, properties of synthesis and presentation, and the student's ability to reason. The vote follows the following scheme:

Unsuitable

Knowledge and understanding of the topic: Important shortcomings. Significant inaccuracies

Ability to analyze and synthesize: Irrelevant. Frequent generalizations. Inability to synthesize

Use of references: Completely inappropriate

18-20

Knowledge and understanding of the topic: At the threshold level. Obvious imperfections

Ability to analyze and synthesize: Just sufficient

Use of references: sufficient

21-23

Knowledge and understanding of the topic: Routine knowledge Analysis and synthesis skills: the student is capable of correct analysis and synthesis. Argue logically and consistently

Use of references: the student use standard references

24-26

Knowledge and understanding of the topic: Good knowledge

Analysis and synthesis skills: the student has good analysis and synthesis skills. The arguments are consistently expressed 

Use of references: the student use standard references

27-29

Knowledge and understanding of the topic: Knowledge more than good

Ability to analyze and synthesize: the student has considerable abilities of analysis and synthesis

Use of references: the student has an in-depth knowldge of the topics

30-30L

Knowledge and understanding of the topic: Excellent knowledge

Ability to analyze and synthesize: the student has considerable abilities of analysis and synthesis.

Use of references: Important insights.

1. 1. 1. Plant species for environmental remediation 

       

       

      3. Systems and methods for phytoremediation of water and contaminated soils

       

      4. Agronomic interventions for the management of specific abiotic stresses

       

      5. Cover crops

       

      6. Xeriscaping

   2. 2. Functional classification of ornamental plant species

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