PEOPLELukas Egarter Vigl

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Lukas Egarter Vigl

Senior Researcher
Institute for Alpine Environment

T +39 0471 055 303

lukas.egarter@eurac.edu

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2684-029X

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About

I am a landscape ecologist interested in how climate and land-use change shape mountain agroecosystems and how these changes ultimately affect human well-being. My work brings together quantitative and qualitative approaches, including spatial modelling and participatory methods, to gain deeper insights into the complex relationships between people and nature. Ultimately, my goal is to develop sustainable land management strategies that are relevant to both national and international research communities, as well as to policymakers and the wider public.

Please feel free to contact me if you would like to discuss potential collaborations. Also feel free to link up with me on Linkedin or ResearchGate.

Broad Reserach Interests

Landscape dynamics under climate and land-use change

Land suitability, biogeography, long-term transformations in mountain agroecosystems.

Landscape structure, ecological processes, and ecosystem services

How spatial patterns influence ecosystem functioning, multifunctionality, and connectivity.

Science–policy–practice interfaces in sustainability

Applying ecological insights to inform Nature-based Solutions, ecosystem-service assessments, climate adaptation, and socio-ecological resilience.

Scientific Publications

Journal article2025

A High-Resolution Climatic Water Balance for Eco-Hydrological Inference in the Upper Adige Catchment (Italy)

Tscholl S, Marsoner T, Bertoldi G, Bottarin R, Egarter Vigl L

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Giacomo Bertoldi, Thomas Marsoner, Roberta Bottarin, Simon Tscholl

Project: Eco-Hydrology of alpine watersheds

Mountain regions face unique challenges in managing water resources due to their complex topography, diverse climates and their role as water towers for the surrounding lowlands. Here, we present a spatially explicit, annual water balance dataset for the Upper Adige catchment in South Tyrol (Italy), covering the period from 1993 to 2022. The dataset is based on a distributed modelling approach and includes very high-resolution precipitation, evapotranspiration and land use data to compute the annual water balance. It captures both long-term trends and extreme conditions, taking into account gradients in terrain, slope and elevation using local correction factors. Modelled results are validated using stream gauge measurements from nine watersheds, achieving a correlation of over 0.9. This dataset provides a valuable resource for eco-hydrological studies and water resource management in alpine regions, offering detailed insights into the spatial variability and distribution of water availability.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1002/gdj3.70007

Journal article2024

Climate resilience of European wine regions

Tscholl S, Candiago S, Marsoner T, Fraga H, Giupponi C, Egarter Vigl L

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Thomas Marsoner, Simon Tscholl

Over centuries, European vintners have developed a profound knowledge about grapes, environment, and techniques that yield the most distinguishable wines. In many regions, this knowledge is reflected in the system of wine geographical indications (GI), but climate change is challenging this historical union. Here, we present a climate change vulnerability assessment of 1085 wine GIs across Europe and propose climate-resilient development pathways using an ensemble of biophysical and socioeconomic indicators. Results indicate that wine regions in Southern Europe are among the most vulnerable, with high levels also found in Eastern Europe. Vulnerability is influenced by the rigidity of the GI system, which restricts grape variety diversity and thus contributes to an increased sensitivity to climate change. Contextual deficiencies, such as limited socioeconomic resources, may further contribute to increased vulnerability. Building a climate-resilient wine sector will require rethinking the GI system by allowing innovation to compensate for the negative effects of climate change.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-50549-w

Database2024

High-resolution climatic water balance maps of the Upper Adige catchment (Italy)

Tscholl S, Marsoner T, Egarter Vigl L, Bottarin R, Bertoldi G

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Giacomo Bertoldi, Thomas Marsoner, Simon Tscholl, Roberta Bottarin

This dataset presents high-resolution (25 m) gridded maps of the annual water balance, precipitation, and evapotranspiration for the Autonomous Province of Bolzano – South Tyrol, a mountainous region in the European Alps, over the 30-year period from 1993 to 2022. The water balance is calculated as the difference between precipitation and evapotranspiration, with evapotranspiration derived using the Thornthwaite method and adjusted based on detailed land use and topographic data. Precipitation inputs were corrected using observed runoff data from nine watersheds to ensure alignment with local hydrological conditions.

The dataset is particularly valuable for its ability to represent spatial variability in water availability across the region, driven by factors such as elevation, temperature, and land use. Validation against observed streamflow data demonstrated a strong correlation (r > 0.9) and an overall underestimation of runoff by 10–13%, attributed to assumptions in the evapotranspiration calculations. These results confirm the dataset's reliability for hydrological and ecological applications.

Potential uses include modeling annual discharge at specific locations using flow accumulation and catchment delineation tools, as well as supporting ecological studies such as species distribution modeling and the delineation of dry or humid areas. Users should note that the dataset is based on potential evapotranspiration, which may slightly overestimate water demand in regions with limited soil moisture. Additionally, the static land use map may not capture temporal changes in land management.

This dataset offers a robust resource for researchers and practitioners in hydrology, ecology, and environmental management, providing critical insights into water availability in complex alpine terrains.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.5281/zenodo.14512325

Journal article2024

Meadow orchards as a good practice example for improving biodiversity in intensive apple orchards

Guariento E, Obwegs L, Anderle M, Bellè A, Fontana P, Paniccia C, Plunger J, Rüdisser J,

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Veronika Fontana, Andreas Hilpold, Julia Plunger, Ulrike Tappeiner, Matteo Anderle, Chiara Paniccia, Elia Guariento, Lisa Obwegs

Project: Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol

Changes in agricultural land use and management are largely responsible for the current global biodiversity crisis. Addressing this crisis necessitates a change in management practices that are considered to limit biodiversity. Comparing intensive land-use forms with their extensive and traditional counterparts can help define good practice example for integrated conservation.

We compare remnants of traditional meadow orchards with intensively managed apple orchards in a mountain region by investigating the multi-taxonomic diversity of seven groups (including vascular plants, wild bees, diurnal butterflies, orthopterans, spiders, birds, and bats) and macro-invertebrates inhabiting four habitat strata (soil, ground-dwelling, herb, and tree layer). Each group and stratum was sampled with a target sampling method.

We found a consistent trend of higher abundance, diversity, and presence of threatened species in meadow orchards compared to apple orchards. Specifically, wild bees, butterflies, orthopterans, and birds showed significantly lower diversity in apple orchards across different diversity indices. Furthermore, multi-taxonomic indices of all taxa and most habitat strata followed the same trend, supporting the conclusion that these findings are applicable to the entire orchard ecosystem.

We conclude that traditional agroforestry systems, such as meadow orchards, could represent a well-suited good-practice example for integrated biodiversity conservation in the agricultural landscape. Finally, we emphasize the importance of maintaining traditional management practices through effective conservation measures such as subsidies as part of agri-environmental schemes.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110815

Journal article2024

Quality wines in Italy and France: A dataset of protected designation of origin specifications

Candiago S, Tscholl S, Bassani L, Fraga H, Egarter Vigl L

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Simon Tscholl

Italy and France are historically among the countries that produce the most prestigious wines worldwide. In Europe, these two countries together produce more than half of the wines classified under the Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label, the strictest quality mark of food and wines in the European Union. Due to their long tradition in wine protection, Italy and France include highly detailed specifications in their wine PDO regulatory documents that are usually not available for other countries, such as specific information about the main cultivars that must be used to make each wine or the required planting density in the vineyards. However, this information is scattered throughout the documents of each wine production area and has never been extracted and homogenised in a unique dataset. Here, we present the first dataset that characterizes the PDO wines produced in Italy and France at very high detail based on the information from the official EU geographical indication register. For each country it includes a standardized list of the PDO wine names, linked with their specific requirements, such as the wine colour, type, cultivars used and maximum allowed yields. The unprecedented level of detail of this dataset allows for the first time the analysis of more than 5000 traditional wines and their legal and agronomic specifications. This gives insights into the interplay between the European Union quality regulation policy, the wine sector, and agronomic practices, enabling researchers and practitioners to analyze wine production in the context of specific regulations or economic scenarios.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1016/j.dib.2024.110408

Journal article2024

Spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of orchard meadow loss in South Tyrol, Italy

Schönafinger A, Egarter Vigl L, Tasser E

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Erich Tasser, Alexander Schönafinger

Orchard meadows, a specific agroforestry system characterised by scattered high-stem fruit trees, are a traditional element of several cultural landscapes in Central Europe and provide important ecosystem services. Since the middle of the 20th century, orchard meadows have drastically declined across Europe. Spatial information on the drivers and patterns of such a decline in several regions in Central Europe is lacking. In this study, we aimed to provide the first detailed insights into the development of orchard meadows in South Tyrol. We assessed the current distribution of orchard meadows in South Tyrol (Northern Italy) and analysed the patterns and drivers of their decline over the last 75 years. Aerial images of the orchard meadows in South Tyrol from the 1950s up to the 2020s were examined, and changes in their distribution were statistically analysed. The results revealed that the historical orchard meadow area in South Tyrol has decreased by more than 6,000 ha (−95%) over the past 75 years, showing one of the largest reductions in Central Europe. Orchard meadow loss was highest at lower elevations (–5,155 ha), shallow slopes (–4,313 ha), and expositions towards the south (–5,035 ha). Orchard meadows have declined due to agricultural intensification towards the establishment of modern fruit orchards (56%) and intensively managed grasslands (8%), urbanisation (23%), and reforestation (6%), and other types of land use/land cover (6.5%). Only 0.5% of the traditional orchard meadows have been preserved. The results suggest that orchard meadows are at a high risk of disappearing from the South Tyrolean landscape, resulting in the loss of genetic diversity of many local or indigenous fruit varieties (especially apples and pears). Immediate action is needed to safeguard the current orchard meadow population and appropriate management measures are needed to highlight the multiple values of orchard meadows and provide a valuable alternative to intensive arable farming.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-81077-8

Journal article2024

Symptoms caused by the invasive American buffalo treehopper Stictocephala bisonia Kopp & Yonke 1977 (Insecta, Hemiptera) in Luxembourgish viticulture

Heilemann K, Schultz M, Weigand AM, Molitor D, Egarter Vigl L, Eickermann M

Lukas Egarter Vigl

Project: Climate Smart agriculture

This study provides the first documented discovery of symptoms caused by the cicada Stictocephala bisonia (buffalo treehopper) in Luxembourgish viticulture. Symptoms were found in 2022 in red grapevine cultivars, also in 2023 symptoms on vine plants occurred and two adults of the buffalo treehopper were caught. A characterisation of the resulting symptoms and a discussion on the species’ potential pest status depending on annual meteorological conditions are provided.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.59513/snl.2024.126.011

Journal article2024

The changing geography of wine climates and its implications on adaptation in the Italian Alps

Tscholl S, Egarter Vigl L

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Simon Tscholl

Project: Climate Smart agriculture

Wine production and quality both strongly depend on suitable climatic conditions. Increasing the climate resilience of wine regions is therefore of critical importance but requires instruments to evaluate shifts in climatic conditions and growing suitability. This evaluation is particularly challenging in mountain viticultural areas due to their complex topoclimatic patterns, yet they offer the possibility to analyze climate change impacts and adaptation strategies across various climatic conditions and cultivated varieties. Here, we assessed historical and future bioclimatic conditions and identified effective adaptation strategies toward more sustainable and climate-resilient wine production in the mountain winegrowing regions within South Tyrol in the Italian Alps. We found significant changes in climatic conditions under future scenarios, such as an increase in the Huglin index (HI) and cool night index (CNI) as well as a decreased dryness index (DI), causing an expansion of suitable areas for viticulture as well as a spread of unprecedented climatic conditions in traditional vineyards. Impacts and suitable adaptation options varied depending on climate type and grape variety, highlighting the need for targeted solutions that balance the need for high-quality wine production with environmental protection and sustainability. Higher elevated areas over 1000 m a.s.l. will experience an increased suitability raising the need for restrictions regarding the expansion of vineyards to avoid degradation of natural ecosystems and biodiversity declines. In contrast, many traditional winegrowing areas will need to implement a combination of short- and long-term adaptation measures to maintain traditional wine styles. Our findings provide a framework for the assessment of viticultural suitability and the formulation of appropriate adaptation strategies for the sustainable cultivation of wine grapes in a changing climate that applies to a variety of climates and grape varieties.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1002/cli2.70000

Journal article2023

A detailed land use/land cover map for the European Alps macro region

Marsoner T, Simion H, Giombini V, Egarter Vigl L, Candiago S

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Thomas Marsoner, Heidi Simion

Project: Linking Urban and Inner-Alpine Green Infrastructure: Multifunctional Ecosystem Services for more Liveable Territories

Spatially and thematically detailed land use maps are of special importance to study and manage populated mountain regions. Due to the complex terrain, high elevational gradients as well as differences in land demand, these regions are characterized by a high density of different land uses that form heterogeneous landscapes. Here, we present a new highly detailed land use/landcover map for the areas included in the European Strategy for the Alpine Region. The map has a spatial resolution of up to 5 m and a temporal extent from 2015 to 2020. It was created by aggregating 15 high-resolution layers resulting in 65 land use/cover classes. The overall map accuracy was assessed at 88.8%. The large number of land use classes and the high spatial resolution allow an easy customization of the map for research and management purposes, making it useable by a broad audience for various applications. Our map shows that by combining theme specific “high-resolution” land use products to build a comprehensive land use/land cover map, a high thematic and spatial detail can be achieved.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1038/s41597-023-02344-3

Journal article2023

Enhancing understanding of ecosystem multifunctionality in mountain regions

Simion H, Giombini V, Tasser E, Marsoner T, Egarter Vigl L

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Erich Tasser, Thomas Marsoner, Heidi Simion

Project: Linking Urban and Inner-Alpine Green Infrastructure: Multifunctional Ecosystem Services for more Liveable Territories

Mountain landscapes that are managed to provide several ecosystem services (ES) have the potential to sustain high levels of biodiversity while also meeting multiple human needs. The promotion of multifunctional landscapes has become an important policy target in land management and has gained research traction under the definition of ES-multifunctionality. However, scale dynamics and patterns of ES-multifunctionality remain poorly understood and are rarely integrated into land management and policy recommendations.
To address this gap, we used two diversity indices to quantify ES-multifunctionality based on 11 ES indicators at different spatial scales in a case-study region in the European Alps. The approach used captures the diversity of ES provided at patch and landscape levels (α-multifunctionality) as well as unique ES contributions of ecosystems to the regional ES diversity (β-multifunctionality).
Results show that ES-multifunctionality generally decreases from low to high land use intensities and increases from high to low elevations. While forest-dominated landscapes are hotspots of ES diversity, the more specialized ES supply in landscapes above the tree line and on valley floors enhances regional ES-multifunctionality.
This study highlights how understanding ES-multifunctionality and its incorporation into policy and landscape management requires adopting a multi-scale approach. Patch-scale analyses are necessary to identify the environmental characteristics underpinning ES-multifunctionality with a fine level of detail. However, looking at the distribution of ES at landscape and regional scales uncovers the benefits originating from interacting ecosystems, and can support the identification of areas that should be protected, restored, or sustainably managed.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1002/2688-8319.12265

Journal article2022

A geospatial inventory of regulatory information for wine protected designations of origin in Europe

Candiago S, Tscholl S, Bassani L, Fraga H, Egarter Vigl L

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Simon Tscholl

Project: Ecosystem services in mountain regions

The Wine Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) label is a European quality scheme that protects high quality wines by linking them to legally defined geographic areas and a set of specific production practices. Because of the tight relation between PDO wines and the specifications defined in the official regulatory documents, these products are highly susceptible to changes in climatic, environmental, or socioeconomic conditions. However, the content of these regulatory documents has never been systematically analysed and summarized in a single dataset. Here, we present the first geospatial inventory that organizes regulatory information about the 1177 wine PDO in Europe based on the documents from the official EU geographical indication register. It includes essential legal information that defines the wine PDO such as the geographic boundaries, authorized cultivars and maximum yields. This inventory opens new possibilities for researchers to accurately assess, compare and map the regulatory information in each wine region at an unprecedented level of detail, supporting decision makers in developing adaptation strategies for the preservation of PDO wine regions.

Measurement(s)	Wine • Agriculture
Technology Type(s)	Database • GIS
Factor Type(s)	Regulatory documents
Sample Characteristic - Organism	Vitis vinifera
Sample Characteristic - Environment	agriculture
Sample Characteristic - Location	Europe

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1038/s41597-022-01513-0

Inbook2022

Conceptualizing Human-Nature Interactions - An Overview

Egarter Vigl L, Depellegrin D, Misurine I

Lukas Egarter Vigl

Project: Ecosystem services in mountain regions

The threats posed by climate change and global biodiversity loss are increasingly seen as a major problem for the future of nature and humanity. Significant improvements in the understanding of how human and nature interact are thus required to address both challenges comprehensively. Over the past decade, different nature-based approaches, such as Ecosystem-based Adaptation (EbA), Green Infrastructure (GI), and Nature’s Contributions to People (NCP), have enriched the scientific discourse and gained prominence in policy- and decision-making. However, the underlying concepts are vaguely defined, and their systematic uptake is hampered by a lack of clarity over the relationships and overlaps between different nature-based approaches. Here, we discuss recent advances in conceptualizing human–nature interactions with the aim of making these concepts more tangible and applicable for a broader audience.

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1007/978-3-031-01980-7_1

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Journal article2024

Meadow orchards as a good practice example for improving biodiversity in intensive apple orchards

Guariento E, Obwegs L, Anderle M, Bellè A, Fontana P, Paniccia C, Plunger J, Rüdisser J,

Lukas Egarter Vigl, Veronika Fontana, Andreas Hilpold, Julia Plunger, Ulrike Tappeiner, Matteo Anderle, Chiara Paniccia, Elia Guariento, Lisa Obwegs

Project: Biodiversity Monitoring South Tyrol

DOI Source

DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2024.110815

Lukas Egarter Vigl

About

Scientific Publications

A High-Resolution Climatic Water Balance for Eco-Hydrological Inference in the Upper Adige Catchment (Italy)

Climate resilience of European wine regions

High-resolution climatic water balance maps of the Upper Adige catchment (Italy)

Meadow orchards as a good practice example for improving biodiversity in intensive apple orchards

Quality wines in Italy and France: A dataset of protected designation of origin specifications

Spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of orchard meadow loss in South Tyrol, Italy

Symptoms caused by the invasive American buffalo treehopper Stictocephala bisonia Kopp & Yonke 1977 (Insecta, Hemiptera) in Luxembourgish viticulture

The changing geography of wine climates and its implications on adaptation in the Italian Alps

A detailed land use/land cover map for the European Alps macro region

Enhancing understanding of ecosystem multifunctionality in mountain regions

A geospatial inventory of regulatory information for wine protected designations of origin in Europe

Conceptualizing Human-Nature Interactions - An Overview

Science Shots Eurac Research Newsletter

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Scientific Publications

A High-Resolution Climatic Water Balance for Eco-Hydrological Inference in the Upper Adige Catchment (Italy)

Climate resilience of European wine regions

High-resolution climatic water balance maps of the Upper Adige catchment (Italy)

Meadow orchards as a good practice example for improving biodiversity in intensive apple orchards

Quality wines in Italy and France: A dataset of protected designation of origin specifications

Spatiotemporal patterns and drivers of orchard meadow loss in South Tyrol, Italy

Symptoms caused by the invasive American buffalo treehopper Stictocephala bisonia Kopp & Yonke 1977 (Insecta, Hemiptera) in Luxembourgish viticulture

The changing geography of wine climates and its implications on adaptation in the Italian Alps

A detailed land use/land cover map for the European Alps macro region

Enhancing understanding of ecosystem multifunctionality in mountain regions

A geospatial inventory of regulatory information for wine protected designations of origin in Europe

Conceptualizing Human-Nature Interactions - An Overview