Biodistricts as Integrated Territorial Models for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation in the Mediterranean Area

Biodistricts as Integrated Territorial Models for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation in the Mediterranean Area | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Research Article Biodistricts as Integrated Territorial Models for Biodiversity Conservation and Climate Change Adaptation in the Mediterranean Area Luigi Servadei, Giulia Pastorelli, Manal Hamam, Antonio Manzoni, and 2 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8752054/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 10 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract The Mediterranean basin is one of the world’s major biodiversity hotspots and is highly vulnerable to climate change, desertification, and the simplification of agricultural systems. In this context, biodistricts have emerged as innovative territorial models integrating organic agriculture, participatory governance, and sustainable land-use planning. This paper examines the role of biodistricts as instruments of integrated territorial governance for biodiversity conservation and climate change adaptation in the Mediterranean area, with a focus on the Lazio Region as a case study. The study adopts a mixed-methods approach, combining a qualitative analysis of governance and regulatory frameworks with a quantitative spatial analysis of land use based on Corine Land Cover (CLC) data. In a final analytical step, an indicator-based SWOT matrix is developed to support a strategic and comparative assessment of agricultural and territorial sustainability in biodistrict areas. The analysis covers 13 biodistricts recognised by the Lazio Region, encompassing 117 municipalities. The results indicate that Lazio’s biodistricts are characterised by high agroecological complexity and a significant presence of land uses with high ecological value, including complex cultivation patterns, agricultural areas interspersed with natural vegetation, traditional permanent crops, and forested areas. More than 50% of the total biodistrict area falls within high ecological value land-use categories. These findings suggest that biodistricts can represent effective territorial instruments for implementing environmental sustainability, biodiversity, and climate adaptation policies, with potential replicability across Mediterranean regions. local governance organic farrming biodistricts biodiversity SWOT analysis Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 16 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 13 Mar, 2026 Reviews received at journal 09 Mar, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 16 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 09 Feb, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 04 Feb, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 04 Feb, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 04 Feb, 2026 First submitted to journal 31 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8752054","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Research Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":585532485,"identity":"1b647860-38e4-4bcb-9e90-b49240585e42","order_by":0,"name":"Luigi Servadei","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"CREA Research Centre for Agricultural Policies and Bioeconomy","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Luigi","middleName":"","lastName":"Servadei","suffix":""},{"id":585532490,"identity":"3278f6d8-b9e4-4d9a-a395-195cc2f37135","order_by":1,"name":"Giulia 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