An analysis of regional drivers of land take over a 50-year time span: The case of Sardinia, Italy

Abstract

Land take is a significant issue in the European Union (EU), where, according to the Communication of the European Commission no. 571 of 2011, no net land take should be achieved by 2050 and impacts on land take should be taken under strict control. It is therefore vital not only to understand what the main drivers of land takes are, but also whether they act similarly over time. To this end we analyze land-taking processes over two time periods, 1960-1990 and 1990-2008,and take the region of Sardinia as a case study so as to investigate if the main drivers of land take identified in previous studies bring about similar, or different, effects in the two periods.