%0 Journal Article %T Evaluation of carrying capacity and territorial environmental sustainability %A Giuseppe Ruggiero %A Giuseppe Verdiani %A Stefano Dal Sasso %J Journal of Agricultural Engineering %D 2012 %I PAGEPress Publications %R 10.4081/jae.2012.e10 %X Land use has a great impact on environmental quality, use of resources, state of ecosystems and socio-economic development. Land use can be considered sustainable if the environmental pressures of human activities do not exceed the ecological carrying capacity. A scientific knowledge of the capability of ecosystems to provide resources and absorb waste is a useful and innovative means of supporting territorial planning. This study examines the area of the Province of Bari to estimate the ecosystems¡¯ carrying capacity, and compare it with the current environmental pressures exerted by human activities. The adapted methodology identified the environmentally sustainable level for one province. %K ecosystem capacity %K environmental pressures %K land use. %U http://www.agroengineering.org/jae/article/view/16