Long-term forest dynamic in Mediterranean mountains (Corsica, France).

International audienceCorsica is an exceptional mediterranean moutain because of its islander position. It represents a magnificent vegetation, very different following regions and altitude. 2 500 species are listed, hundred of which are endemic from Corsica. This vegetation has been established with time by natural and anthropogenic factors: fire, climate, human activities (e.g. agriculture, pastoralism, craft or industrial exploitation, urbanization). The aim of this work is to reconstitute the long term evolution of the land cover and to determine the quantitative and spatial impact of all these parameters on the landscape changes. The study sites are San Petrone moutain in North Corsica (40 000 ha) and Vico-Evisa region in South Corsica (60 000 ha), chosen for their vegetation (e.g. chestnut forests, beech forests, coniferous forests, shrubland/grassland). Three cartographies were realized from actual and historical data (1774, 1975 and 2000). Non spatialized additional historical data were used for 1848 and 1913. Across time, cultivated areas decreased for forests and shrublands. Spatial information on fire, population history and climatic data are used to understand long-term forest dynamic in Mediterranean mountains