Ecologies of Cohesion

This book presents a groundbreaking ecological perspective on territorial cohesion, a cornerstone of the European Union's vision outlined in the Lisbon Treaty of 2009, defined as the pursuit of balanced and harmonious development across regions. In a world where urban centers are often synonymous with economic prowess, this work shifts the focus to the overlooked inland and rural areas experiencing economic decline and depopulation. In the context of public policies, the title Ecology of Cohesion reflects the book's strong aim to apply a multidisciplinary approach, drawing insights from the environmental and social sciences. The network of relations portrayed by the title is in the book investigated through the concept of Ecosystem Services (ES), defined as the benefits humans derive from ecosystems. This concept is used to analyse landscapes as a portion of territory composed of anthropic and natural features coupled to the point that they should be conceived as one social-ecological system. The result is an innovative framework that interprets regional interdependencies and addresses inequalities within regions.