The impact of human constructions on the areal extent of Italian Tuscany forests

Abstract Trying to preserve the forest is an important issue considering its tremendous impact on the ecosystem and subsequently on humans and their lives. On the other hand, humans have changed the area of the forest in different ways. Therefore, investigating the human impact and helping to prevent the destruction of the forest plays a vital role in preserving biodiversity and maintaining ecosystem health. The aim of this study is to investigate the impact of human activities on the change of forest area in the Tuscan region of Italy. To investigate the role of humans in the changes in this area Geographic Information System was used, and GIS vector data on land use was obtained from the Copernicus site. A quantitative measure of change was obtained by comparing 2007 and 2019. In addition, the analysis included four periods, each period with an interval of four years, and each four-year period was examined separately. To identify the impact of the road on changes in forest land use, the area and number of land parcels that transitioned from forest to other types of land use between 2007 and 2019 were calculated at various distances from the road. In addition, for a more detailed examination, the regions by the Generating tessellation tool were divided by hexagons to normalize the regions and examine the variation ratio and the percentage of changes in each region with an area of 10 kilometers. For impact of protected areas in the forest, the percentage of changes occurring in each hexagon in the relevant area was studied. The analysis showed that in recent decades, humans have intervened a lot in changing land use and forest in different ways in this region. On the one hand, with the desire to live in the city, urban constructions have increased, which had a great impact on the destruction of the forest area, on the other hand, with the distance from remote areas and the abandonment of permanent pasture areas, forests have been re-grown in some areas. In addition, there is a direct relationship between distance to the road and the change of land uses. This study shows that the forest areas that were closer to the road were mostly turned into artificial surfaces. Comparing the percentage of changes in different areas, it was evident that in the protected areas, either no changes occurred or if they did, they were very small, which shows the role of management in forest protection. Examining different aspects showed that humans had a great impact on the change of land use and forest. On the other hand, by examining the protected area, it can be seen that the authorities had managed these areas correctly. In addition to prevent the destruction of forests, more management is needed in other areas in Tuscany. The results of this project can be useful for policymakers and environmentalists to protect forests.