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Mauro Agnoletti: Historical research and landscape analysis. The case of Tuscany (Italy) Between 1999 and 2002 a research project entitled “Analysis and Management of Forest and Rural Landscapes” has been carried out for the Tuscan Regional Government. One of the goals of the study was to asses a method in order to make historical investigation a necessary tool in planning and management of landscape resources. In landscape study, history is of fundamental importance in identifying the dynamics of the agro-forest systems as determined by the combination of human activities and natural evolution. From the ecological standpoint the regressive study must determine: where management activity falls along the ecosystem’s trajectory; which are the disturbing factors that affected evolution and the direction in which the system is heading. From the anthropic standpoint we must consider the role played by man in that evolution, clarifying the effects of his actions and defining the historical-cultural value of the landscapes identified. Six study areas were identified to organize the research and process the data covering the following points: identification of the natural and human factors responsible for landscape changes; definition of structural typologies and evolutionary models; definition of the historical and cultural value of landscape resources; determination of the economic value of landscape resources; definition of management and protection criteria. The studies will focus on the following aspects: The study areas have been selected following some general features: represent the main geographical areas of Tuscany (Apennine Mountains, hilly areas, coastal areas); have considerable landscape values; be documentable examples of integration between human activities and natural processes. The study has analyzed approximately 5000 hectares of the territory of Tuscany, investigating landscape changes in each study area from 1832 to 2000, using the first cadastre of Tuscany (1832), the aerial photographs of 1954 and 1998, as well as field surveys. The quantitative results show that almost the half of the territory analyzed has deeply changed its features in the last two hundred years (51%). The most relevant changes concern the extension of forest land (21%) and deforestation (10%), followed by the increase of arable land (8% ). Most of the changes occurred between 1832 and 1954 (77%). According to these data, woodlands are the most relevant factor in the landscape dynamics, as 37% of the total changes occurred from 1832 to 2000 relates to them. The project has collected and processed a large number of data on the dynamic of landscape structure, economic and social evolution and ecological features of the study areas. One of the most dramatic changes detected concern landscape diversity, decreased by more than 70% in some areas. The landscape has become more uniform because of the extension of monocultures in agriculture and forestry, and for the natural extension of forest on abandoned land, reducing the complexity of the landscape mosaic. The findings of the project show that the same landscape patches may have a very different value in the different areas, according to local historical, ecological and socieconomic context.