Anthropic geomorphology in high-altitude Alpine settings: A multitemporal assessment

High-mountain landscapes are particularly sensitive to human-induced modifications, which increasingly interact with natural geomorphic processes and contribute to the reconfiguration of slopes, sediment dynamics, and hydrological systems. In many cases, these transformations are not exclusively recent, but have a longer history linked to infrastructure development, tourism, and legacy land use. This study focuses on selected sites in the Central Italian Alps—Cancano, Livigno, Stelvio Pass, and Cervinia—where the geomorphological imprint of human activity is evident across different temporal scales. Through the integration of remote sensing, historical aerial photography, archival research, and detailed field surveys, we reconstruct the evolution of anthropogenic impacts in high-altitude settings. In the Cancano basin, early 20th-century dam construction altered fluvial morphodynamics and disrupted sediment connectivity. At Livigno and Stelvio, the expansion of ski resorts and related infrastructure since the 1950s has reshaped slope profiles, enhanced runoff, and triggered erosion and instability, particularly in paraglacial and periglacial environments. The Stelvio area also retains evidence of World War I engineering works—trenches, craters, and access roads—that continue to influence geomorphic responses. In Cervinia, the interaction between the retreating glacier and the expanding touristic infrastructure provides a paradigmatic case of human–glacier co-evolution, with implications for slope stability, hydrological reorganization, and hazard exposure. These examples, developed within the GEOTRes project (PRIN 2022), underscore the value of diachronic and multiscale approaches in assessing anthropogenic geomorphology. They contribute to a broader understanding of long-term human–landscape interactions and their relevance for contemporary landscape management in alpine environments affected by ongoing climate change.