Digital soil mapping of mountain soils: from pedodiversity to land vocation and ecosystem services

This doctoral research explored the application of Geographic Information System (GIS) and Digital Soil Mapping (DSM) techniques to improve soil mapping processes and support land management and biodiversity conservation, in alignment with the objectives of the National Biodiversity Future Center (NBFC). The study was conducted in two Regional Parks of the Northern Apennines, a region characterized by high environmental heterogeneity and a rich cartographic heritage. Traditional pedological knowledge and expert-driven selection of environmental covariates were first employed to delineate land units and produce a conventional soil map. Subsequently, DSM approaches using Random Forest models with recursive feature elimination were applied to generate an alternative soil map based on DEM derivatives and remotely sensed data, achieving high accuracy and interpretability. The analysis identified key drivers of soil differentiation, such as topography, insolation, vegetation indices, and proximity to water bodies, highlighting their potential for transferability to similar areas and for overcoming cartographic discontinuities. Complementary studies on the same area revealed that climate exerts a stronger influence than vegetation on soil evolution, and that considering soil diversity enhances understanding of organic matter dynamics. The second component of this research addressed the reestablishment of chestnut cultivation in the Northern Apennines through a land suitability model that was tested on the municipality of Castel del Rio (BO). The resulting map identified both underutilized suitable lands and cultivated areas with significant limitations, findings that were corroborated by the severe landslides of May 2023. Moreover, the study suggested that land morphology and soil characteristics may influence the spread of ink disease, a major threat to chestnut groves. Overall, this research demonstrates the value of integrating GIS-based modeling, soil science, and ecological understanding to generate spatial tools that inform sustainable land use, enhance soil and biodiversity conservation, and support the resilience of traditional agroecosystems.