Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol

Long-term (socio-)ecological research in the open air laboratory Matsch/Mazia

Climate response of alpine lakes: resistance variability and management consequences for ecosystem services

Ecology and trophic structure of the Alpine soil macrofauna

Impacts of global change on alpine water ecosystems

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Global Change in mountain areas - Eurac Research

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Eurac Research is a private research center​ based in Bozen-Bolzano. Our researchers come from a wide variety of scientific fields and all parts of the world.

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Around the world, mountain regions are affected especially strong by global change; this is also true for the Alps. The consequences of globalization and the accompanying structural and economic development as well as climate change will be highly dynamic processes in the natural and cultural space of the whole Alpine region in the next years and decades which will affect land cover as well as structure and functioning of ecosystems and the landscape. This research project aims to analyze important aspects of ecological transformations and their background in mountain areas. Thereby, we will focus on landscape change and coupled ecosystem functions such as modifications of biodiversity or water balance, which are induced by human management and climate change. The research approach combines field studies with remote sensing and simulation models.

Within the frame of the Global Change project we're carrying on the <a href="http://viel-falter.at/cms/top-citizen-science-modul/">Viel-Falter TCS</a> project, financed by the BMWFW through the <a href="https://www.zentrumfuercitizenscience.at/de/top-citizen-science">Top Citizen Science initiative</a>. Further information on it is available in <a href="http://www.eurac.edu/de/research/projects/Pages/projectdetail4099.aspx">German</a>.

Land-use and climate changes are key challenges to society in the coming decades. Many important ecosystem and landscape functions are expected to change at different spatial and temporal scales and mountain environments will be affected more severely. Hence, environmental research has to tackle this challenge among others by incorporating new research approaches. In the past our research had a strong focus on impacts of land-use change and only recently we expanded to climate change research. As the detailed understanding of the consequences of land-use and climate change is highly relevant from a scientific but also from a social point of view, we will continue to assess the combined effects of land-use and climate change on mountain ecosystems and landscapes in the future. To this end we focus our research activities on the following main topics:
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	<li>
		Landscape dynamics: we developed and integrative approach for analyzing land-use and land-cover dynamics and their effects on biodiversity and ecosystem functions. Based on this ongoing  research focuses on the assessment of driving forces of change and spatially explicit land use decision modelling</li>
	<li>
		One of the most important expressions of current climate change is the alteration of the water cycle. In addition, anthropogenic induced changes in vegetation composition and phenology are important determinants in modifying water resources in the mountains with significant impacts on mountain agriculture productivity and ecosystem services. However, the magnitude of such feedbacks and the adaptive capacity of ecosystems to such changes are not yet fully understood. Therefore this project will improve the knowledge of the functional relations between vegetation, climate, topography and water resources at species, ecosystem and landscape level. </li>
</ol>

	 

	The project focuses on the key research field 'Ecological effects of climate and land-use change in mountain areas' of the 2012-2016 Strategic Plan of the Institute for Alpine Environment.

Global Change in mountain areas

Global Change

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Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol

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LT(S)ER: Open air laboratory Matsch/Mazia

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CLAIMES

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AlpSoil

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AlpWater

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