River basins and rural districts: toward a regional planning for Italian watersheds with a broader European view

n spite of the extensive regulations on hydrogeological hazards and the widespread implementation of defence works, the natural fragility of the Italian territory constantly exposes this country to instability phenomena, occurring with regular frequency and causing significant damage to people, structures, and the environment, and compromising the balance of the territorial structure. Within this framework, this chapter presents a series of reflections on how the evolution of a territory due to anthropogenic impact, the increase in climatic variability, and land-use changes can accelerate or mitigate the effects of hydrological extremes. A disaster prevention system, including territorial redevelopment and rehabilitation interventions, should be encouraged not only for environmental protection, but also as an essential element of the country's sustainable socioeconomic development. In this context, an appropriate geographical reference unit is represented by the hydrographic basin, whose analysis is crucial to understanding its predisposition to the different types of instability. The basin also acquires the role of a territorial government unit, at whose scale mitigation measures and damage reduction efforts should be implemented to achieve a rational and coordinated use of the land and of its natural resources, water, and soil. Only an innovative management approach, implemented according to the guidelines suggested by scientific research on agroforestry ecosystems, can provide considerable and lasting benefits to land protection, and at least partially solve the problem of hydrogeological instability.