“…Such abandonment can have positive ecological effects, through vegetation recolonization and secondary succession and through strengthening of a variety of ecosystem services (Novara et al, 2017). However, it can also result in loss of species richness in areas with rich agrobiodiversity (Agnoletti, 2014) and, particularly in the Mediterranean, raises concerns about increased risk of fire and soil erosion (Ursino and Romano, 2014;Jones et al, 2016). In the absence of effective land use zoning and planning mechanisms, abandonment could also potentially open up tracts of currently rural land to urban speculative development (Russo et al, 2014).…”