Inventory and landscape structure analysis of agrosilvopastoral systems in Florina Regional Unit

In northern Greece, traditional agrosilvopastoral systems (AS.S.) are in danger of being abandoned or converted to intensive monocultures. This could lead to their disappearance and subsequently loss of biodiversity, ecosystem stability and accumulated cultural knowledge. The purpose of this research was to carry out an inventory of the traditional AS.S. in Florina Regional Unit and evaluate them using landscape metrics. The AS.S. were identified and mapped using satellite images and orthophotos. Afterwards, two AS.S. were selected in Petres and Variko areas and landscape metrics were calculated using the program Fragstats. The AS.S. of Florina Regional Unit are 76 which cover an area of 5245,3 ha. The dominant tree species are oaks, poplars, walnuts and alders, while the dominant cultivations are alfalfa, corn, rye and barley. The landscape in the AS.S. of Variko appears to be in transitional stage. The geometric structure is evident in some places only, where the trees are still in linear arrangement. The tree coverage (index CA) is quite small and the distances between them very large (indexes PROX, ENN). In the AS.S. of Petres the absence of hedgerows is visible and the landscape appears to be abandoned. The tree coverage is very low (5,9%), they are scattered in the system (indexes ENN, PROX) and isolated (index LPI). From the analysis of landscape metrics it is concluded that they are a useful tool in interpreting agrosilvopastoral landscapes. Depicting landscape pattern may serve as an interpretative tool to monitor AS.S. abandonment.