RESEARCH SITES OF ECOMONT

Figure 1: Research sites of ECOMONT in the Alps, the Pyrenees and the Scottish Highlands.

In order to consider the effect of land-use changes on processes in terrestrial mountain ecosystems at a European scale six composite experimental sites (landscapes in common catchment areas) will be investigated in the subalpine belt of the Alps, the Spanish Pyrenees and the Scottish Highland. Three pilot research areas will be situated along a South/North-transect across the Eastern Alps (from the Italian to the Austrian Alps, geologically dominated by limestone or silicate), and a fourth site will be the catchment Rotenbach brook in the Swiss Alps, geologically dominated by 'Flysch'. In order to consider adequately the different background conditions of mountain ecosystems in Europe (exposure, geology, climate, socio-economy) and thus to be able to draw conclusions for other parts of Europe analyses in the Spanish Pyrenees and the Scottish Highlands will also be included.

"Stubai Valley"

"Passeier Valley"

"Monte Bondone"

The three pilot research areas "Monte Bondone" , "Passeier Valley" and "Stubai Valley" in the Italian and Austrian Alps give the unique possibility of investigating the connections between land-use changes and the transport of sensible heat, latent heat (water vapour), CO₂ and pollutants (combing effects of different canopy structures) across the Alps. As the research area on Monte Bondone was investigated in detail within the EC-STEP project INTEGRALP (Cernusca & al. 1992), results of INTEGRALP can serve as an important baseline for ECOMONT. The results of ECOMONT will be used for elaborating a concept of sustainable development for Monte Bondone, as being an important recreation area of the city of Trento. Furthermore, the sites in Monte Bondone will be used for the long-term monitoring of global change. The two pilot research areas "Passeier Valley" and "Stubai Valley" offer also an important advantage for the application of the research results, because they are situated in Objective-5b-Regions of the EU. In these regions assistance for regional projects for the improvement of the rural infrastructure will be carried out within the EU-programme INTERREG II in the next five years. Both the European Academy Bozen (partner no 4) and the Institute of Botany of the University of Innsbruck (partner no1) will contribute to INTERREG II with applied projects. Thus, the scientific results of ECOMONT will find a direct application in the agricultural assistance programme of the EU.

The catchment proposed for the ECOMONT study in the Swiss Alps is of major interest for analysing potential risks through land-use changes.

The sites proposed for the Spanish ECOMONT study are located in the Izas grazing zone and the Fragen meadowland. The Izas experimental catchment of the Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología (partner no 6) had its origin in the need for intensive research of the dynamics of the snow cover, erosive and bio-geochemical processes, and the organization of plant ecology on the belt above the timberline in the Central Pyrenees, which are considered as representative of the environment of mediterranean high mountains. In a transect of the European mountains, the Spanish Pyrenees show less intensive land-use and are therefore useful to interpret the results of further land-use changes in the Alps. The farmers' collaboration in the Fragen and Izas studies facilitate a continuous exchange of information between researchers and farmers' organisations (Asociación de Ganaderos del Valle de Broto). Further, the proximity of Ordesa National Park permits a strong connection with the Park's staff, and will offer the possibility of an effective application of the results of ECOMONT in the planning and development of Ordesa National Park.

The catchment proposed for the Scottish ECOMONT study is located in the western Cairngorm mountains. This site has been well documented in previous studies, particularly in relation to acid rain deposition, and catchment hydrology. The site has been part of the SWAP (Surface Water Acidification Programme) and is currently a proposed ECN (Environmental Change Network) site. Until recently the catchment was heavily grazed by red deer, but now there has been a substantial reduction in grazing levels. Colonization of some of the grazed areas by trees has begun, and the changes in vegetation structure and composition are likely to have far reaching effects on soil and plant water relations, gas exchange and the interception of pollutants. Now that changes in vegetation cover and structure are taking place it makes it an ideal location to examine the ecological effects of these changes. The Scottish part of the ECOMONT project focuses on examining the ecological consequences of reduction in grazing levels on vegetation and soil structure composition and function in the Highlands of Scotland. The results of this part of the ECOMONT project will help assess the implications of land-use change that could be relevant to large areas of the Scottish Highlands, and comparison with similar changes in Alpine Areas will provide an international context and also strengthen the modelling and extrapolation of results from the study site.

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