Here we’ll look at how UNESCO cultural sites overlap with protected and urban areas, using Italy as an example.

Attach libraries

library(sf) # polygons
library(raster) # most qidely used raster package
library(terra) # newer/faster/better raster package
library(rnaturalearth) # administrative boundaries data
library(exactextractr) # extracting what's underneath polys, points
library(kableExtra)
library(tidyverse)

Read in Data

Italy shapefile

# get italy from rnaturalearth data
italy <- ne_countries(
  scale = "medium",
  country = "Italy",
  returnclass = "sf") %>% 
  dplyr::select(sovereignt)

# plot
ggplot() + 
  geom_sf(data = italy)

## define crs so it's the same across everything
my_crs <- st_crs(italy)

WDPA protected areas

UNEP-WCMC and IUCN (2021), Protected Planet: The World Database on Protected Areas (WDPA) [On-line], Cambridge, UK: UNEP-WCMC and IUCN. Available at: www.protectedplanet.net

# read in raster with terra::rast
wdpa_global <- rast("data/wdpa_raster.tif") 

# transform italy to crop bc it's faster than re projecting the whole global raster
italy_trans <- italy %>% 
  st_transform(crs = crs(wdpa_global)) %>% 
  vect() # vect is more agreeable to rasts

# crop and mask chen to italy then project back to our crs
wdpa <- wdpa_global %>% 
  crop(italy_trans) %>% 
  mask(italy_trans) %>% 
  terra::project(y = crs(italy))

plot(wdpa)

Urban areas

Current (2015) areas classified as urban under Chen et al., 2022.

Chen, G., Li, X., & Liu, X. (2022). Global land projection based on plant functional types with a 1-km resolution under socio-climatic scenarios. Scientific Data, 9(1), 125. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41597-022-01208-6

chen <- rast("~/Conservation International/Data/Global 7-land-types LULC projection dataset under SSPs-RCPs/global_lulc_2015.tif") 

# transform italy to crop bc it's faster than re projecting the whole global raster
italy_trans <- italy %>% 
  st_transform(crs = crs(chen)) %>% 
  vect() # vect is more agreeable to rasts

# crop and mask chen to italy then project back to our crs
chen_crop <- chen %>% 
  crop(italy_trans) %>% 
  mask(italy_trans) %>% 
  terra::project(y = crs(italy))

# isolate just urban
urban <- chen_crop
urban[urban != 6] <- 0 # if value isn't 5, make 0
urban[urban == 6] <- 1 # if value is 5, make 1

plot(urban, col = c("grey90", "plum"))

UNESCO Cultural Sites

unesco <- read_csv("data/whc-cultural-sites-2021.csv") %>% 
  st_as_sf(coords = c("longitude", "latitude"),
           crs = st_crs("epsg:4326")) %>% 
  filter(states_name_en == "Italy") %>%
  st_transform(crs = my_crs) %>% 
  dplyr::select(name_en) %>% 
  mutate(ID = row_number()) # define id for joining later

ggplot() + 
  geom_sf(data = italy) + 
  geom_sf(data = unesco, 
          color = "blue")

Define overlaps

UNESCO + WDPA

# vects play better with rasts (both are terra)
unesco_vect <- vect(unesco)

plot(wdpa)
plot(unesco_vect, col = "blue", add = TRUE)

# use extract to extract what's underneath points
wdpa_overlap <- terra::extract(
  x = wdpa,
  y = unesco_vect) %>% 
  rename(wdpa_overlap = 2) %>% 
  mutate(wdpa_overlap = as.logical(wdpa_overlap)) %>% # change to true/false 
  right_join(unesco, by = "ID") %>%  # join back with unesco data
  dplyr::select(!c(geometry, ID)) %>% # clean df
  relocate(name_en, .before = wdpa_overlap)

kable(wdpa_overlap) %>% 
  kable_styling(bootstrap_options = "striped") %>% 
  scroll_box(height = "400px")
name_en wdpa_overlap
Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with <U+0093>The Last Supper<U+0094> by Leonardo da Vinci TRUE
Rock Drawings in Valcamonica TRUE
Historic Centre of Florence TRUE
Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany TRUE
Venice and its Lagoon NA
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa TRUE
Castel del Monte TRUE
18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex TRUE
Historic Centre of San Gimignano TRUE
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera TRUE
City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto TRUE
Historic Centre of Siena TRUE
Historic Centre of Naples TRUE
Crespi d’Adda TRUE
Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta TRUE
The <I>Trulli</I> of Alberobello TRUE
Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna TRUE
Historic Centre of the City of Pienza FALSE
City of Verona FALSE
Residences of the Royal House of Savoy TRUE
Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua FALSE
Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia TRUE
Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto) TRUE
Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena FALSE
Historic Centre of Urbino TRUE
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata TRUE
Costiera Amalfitana TRUE
Archaeological Area of Agrigento FALSE
Villa Romana del Casale TRUE
Su Nuraxi di Barumini TRUE
Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula TRUE
Villa Adriana (Tivoli) TRUE
Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites TRUE
Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) TRUE
Villa d’Este, Tivoli TRUE
Val d’Orcia TRUE
<I>Sacri Monti</I> of Piedmont and Lombardy FALSE
Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia TRUE
Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica TRUE
Genoa: <i>Le Strade Nuove</i> and the system of the<i> Palazzi dei Rolli</i> TRUE
Mantua and Sabbioneta TRUE
Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.) TRUE
Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato FALSE
Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefal<fa> and Monreale TRUE
Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century TRUE
Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene TRUE
Padua<U+0092>s fourteenth-century fresco cycles TRUE
The Porticoes of Bologna TRUE

UNESCO + Urban

plot(urban, col = c("grey90", "plum"))
plot(unesco_vect, col = "blue", add = TRUE)

urban_overlap <- terra::extract(
  x = urban,
  y = unesco_vect) %>% 
  rename(urban_overlap = 2) %>% 
  mutate(urban_overlap = as.logical(urban_overlap)) %>% 
  right_join(unesco, by = "ID") %>% 
  dplyr::select(!c(geometry, ID)) %>% 
  relocate(name_en, .before = urban_overlap)

kable(urban_overlap) %>% 
  kable_styling(bootstrap_options = "striped") %>% 
  scroll_box(height = "400px")
name_en urban_overlap
Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with <U+0093>The Last Supper<U+0094> by Leonardo da Vinci TRUE
Rock Drawings in Valcamonica FALSE
Historic Centre of Florence FALSE
Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany FALSE
Venice and its Lagoon NA
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa TRUE
Castel del Monte FALSE
18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex TRUE
Historic Centre of San Gimignano FALSE
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera FALSE
City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto TRUE
Historic Centre of Siena FALSE
Historic Centre of Naples FALSE
Crespi d’Adda FALSE
Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta TRUE
The <I>Trulli</I> of Alberobello FALSE
Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna TRUE
Historic Centre of the City of Pienza FALSE
City of Verona FALSE
Residences of the Royal House of Savoy TRUE
Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua TRUE
Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia FALSE
Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto) NA
Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena TRUE
Historic Centre of Urbino FALSE
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata TRUE
Costiera Amalfitana NA
Archaeological Area of Agrigento FALSE
Villa Romana del Casale FALSE
Su Nuraxi di Barumini FALSE
Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula FALSE
Villa Adriana (Tivoli) FALSE
Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites FALSE
Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) FALSE
Villa d’Este, Tivoli FALSE
Val d’Orcia FALSE
<I>Sacri Monti</I> of Piedmont and Lombardy FALSE
Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia FALSE
Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica FALSE
Genoa: <i>Le Strade Nuove</i> and the system of the<i> Palazzi dei Rolli</i> TRUE
Mantua and Sabbioneta FALSE
Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.) FALSE
Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato FALSE
Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefal<fa> and Monreale TRUE
Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century FALSE
Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene FALSE
Padua<U+0092>s fourteenth-century fresco cycles TRUE
The Porticoes of Bologna FALSE

Combine

overlaps <- wdpa_overlap %>% 
  left_join(urban_overlap, by = "name_en") 

kable(overlaps) %>% 
  kable_styling(bootstrap_options = "striped") %>% 
  scroll_box(height = "400px")
name_en wdpa_overlap urban_overlap
Church and Dominican Convent of Santa Maria delle Grazie with <U+0093>The Last Supper<U+0094> by Leonardo da Vinci TRUE TRUE
Rock Drawings in Valcamonica TRUE FALSE
Historic Centre of Florence TRUE FALSE
Medici Villas and Gardens in Tuscany TRUE FALSE
Venice and its Lagoon NA NA
Piazza del Duomo, Pisa TRUE TRUE
Castel del Monte TRUE FALSE
18th-Century Royal Palace at Caserta with the Park, the Aqueduct of Vanvitelli, and the San Leucio Complex TRUE TRUE
Historic Centre of San Gimignano TRUE FALSE
The Sassi and the Park of the Rupestrian Churches of Matera TRUE FALSE
City of Vicenza and the Palladian Villas of the Veneto TRUE TRUE
Historic Centre of Siena TRUE FALSE
Historic Centre of Naples TRUE FALSE
Crespi d’Adda TRUE FALSE
Ferrara, City of the Renaissance, and its Po Delta TRUE TRUE
The <I>Trulli</I> of Alberobello TRUE FALSE
Early Christian Monuments of Ravenna TRUE TRUE
Historic Centre of the City of Pienza FALSE FALSE
City of Verona FALSE FALSE
Residences of the Royal House of Savoy TRUE TRUE
Botanical Garden (Orto Botanico), Padua FALSE TRUE
Archaeological Area and the Patriarchal Basilica of Aquileia TRUE FALSE
Portovenere, Cinque Terre, and the Islands (Palmaria, Tino and Tinetto) TRUE NA
Cathedral, Torre Civica and Piazza Grande, Modena FALSE TRUE
Historic Centre of Urbino TRUE FALSE
Archaeological Areas of Pompei, Herculaneum and Torre Annunziata TRUE TRUE
Costiera Amalfitana TRUE NA
Archaeological Area of Agrigento FALSE FALSE
Villa Romana del Casale TRUE FALSE
Su Nuraxi di Barumini TRUE FALSE
Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park with the Archeological Sites of Paestum and Velia, and the Certosa di Padula TRUE FALSE
Villa Adriana (Tivoli) TRUE FALSE
Assisi, the Basilica of San Francesco and Other Franciscan Sites TRUE FALSE
Late Baroque Towns of the Val di Noto (South-Eastern Sicily) TRUE FALSE
Villa d’Este, Tivoli TRUE FALSE
Val d’Orcia TRUE FALSE
<I>Sacri Monti</I> of Piedmont and Lombardy FALSE FALSE
Etruscan Necropolises of Cerveteri and Tarquinia TRUE FALSE
Syracuse and the Rocky Necropolis of Pantalica TRUE FALSE
Genoa: <i>Le Strade Nuove</i> and the system of the<i> Palazzi dei Rolli</i> TRUE TRUE
Mantua and Sabbioneta TRUE FALSE
Longobards in Italy. Places of the Power (568-774 A.D.) TRUE FALSE
Vineyard Landscape of Piedmont: Langhe-Roero and Monferrato FALSE FALSE
Arab-Norman Palermo and the Cathedral Churches of Cefal<fa> and Monreale TRUE TRUE
Ivrea, industrial city of the 20th century TRUE FALSE
Le Colline del Prosecco di Conegliano e Valdobbiadene TRUE FALSE
Padua<U+0092>s fourteenth-century fresco cycles TRUE TRUE
The Porticoes of Bologna TRUE FALSE