“Native only”. Un dibattito millenario pro e contro l’uso di vegetazione esotica nel progetto di paesaggio, alla luce del rapporto tra biodiversità e diversità paesistica

Abstract

The social perception of the increasing uniformity of the landscape and of the loss of biodiversity has led to a demand for greater naturalness by the landscape project. Sometimes this results in "native only" policies and urban regulations. At the same time, "diversity" (in all its forms) is a success concept, and the appreciation of the "different" that is in our own landscape, such as species not native but sometimes “rooted”, is increasing. The article concerns the reasons for and against the use of native/exotic vegetation, and discusses the cultural backgrounds, as well as scientific reference models. The many paradoxes, which result from the more restrictive attitude, lead to conclude that the appropriate species is a definition, not given by abstract rules.