Alpine Research

Multiple Services from Alpine Forests and Policies for Local Development

by Scolozzi Rocco

Impacts of grassland farming on the Whinchat (Saxicola rubetra): appropriate conservation measures for a threatened grassland bird in the Goms valley, Switzerland

by Gavino Strebel

MSc Dissertation, University College London

The Whinchat, a meadow-breeding passerine, is a typical example of a farmland bird that has strongly declined in the... more The Whinchat, a meadow-breeding passerine, is a typical example of a farmland bird that has strongly declined in the last decades in many parts of Europe. The main reason for its decline has been ascribed to an onset of the mowing period, which leads to nest loss and has made the bird disappear from most lowland areas in Europe. In Switzerland, a population stronghold remains in the Goms valley, which, however, is increasingly threatened by earlier mowing. In this study, the conflict between the breeding phenology and the mowing schedule has been established for seven sites on different expositions in the Goms valley. Detailed records of areas mown were compared with key data collected on breeding phenology and Whinchat territories in order to quantify the magnitude of this conflict, which strongly affects the survival of Whinchat populations. The conflict was most pronounced in the intensively farmed, early mown valley bottoms while being less distinctive for meadows mown on the slopes. Differences were also found between sites. Based on the analysis of the conflict, recommendations for the conservation of the important inneralpine population in the Goms valley were made. The findings show that in order to halt the decline of Whinchats in the Goms valley, it is necessary to postpone mowing until the 7th of July at the least.

Giarelli Luca, 2011. Zurla di Nadro: considerazioni su alcuni elementi di emblematica discordanza nel quadro dell’arte rupestre della Valcamonica

by Luca Giarelli

Con il contributo di U. Sansoni.
In "Valcamonica Symposium (2011) - Arte e comunicazione nelle società pre-letterate", (a cura di) E. Anati, Ed. Jaca Book, Milano 2011.

L’area di Zurla di Nadro si posiziona nel cuore dei maggiori parchi rupestri della Valle Camonica. Già segnalata nei... more L’area di Zurla di Nadro si posiziona nel cuore dei maggiori parchi rupestri della Valle Camonica. Già segnalata nei primi anni ‘30 è attualmente in fase di completamento di studio da parte del Dipartimento Valcamonica e Lombardia del Centro Camuno di Studi Preistorici. Le raffigurazioni di Zurla rappresentano un’incredibile varietà di soggetti e tematiche che emergono nei confronti con le altre aree rupestri camune già note.
Obiettivo di questo articolo è quello di evidenziare i simboli più eccezionali di questa zona suggerendone un’interpretazione contestuale.

Giarelli Luca. Un nome per un luogo. Ricerca toponomastica su una nuova area d’arte rupestre nel comune di Capo di Ponte

by Luca Giarelli

Ricerca toponomastica su documentazione di età moderna e ottocentesca finalizzata a proporre un toponimo per una nuova... more Ricerca toponomastica su documentazione di età moderna e ottocentesca finalizzata a proporre un toponimo per una nuova area di arte rupestre recentemente indagata in Valle Camonica.

Il trasporto intermodale ed i valichi alpini: problemi e prospettive

by marcucci edoardo

Arcà Andrea, 1999. Incisioni topografiche e paesaggi agricoli nell’arte rupestre della Valcamonica e del Monte Bego

by Andrea Arcà

published in Notizie archeologiche bergomensi, 7, pp. 207-234

TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGRAVINGS AND AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN VALCAMONICA AND MT. BEGO ROCK ART

The so called... more TOPOGRAPHICAL ENGRAVINGS AND AGRICULTURAL LANDSCAPES IN VALCAMONICA AND MT. BEGO ROCK ART

The so called topographical engravings or "maps" are constituted by regularly repeated geometric figures and are diffused in the Alps, mainly in Valcamonica, Valtellina (I), Mt. Bego and Maurienne Valley (F). The analysis of superimpositions show two main phases; the first one can be dated to the final Neolithic-first Copper Age, while the second one can be attributed to the middle Iron Age. Close similarities can be observed between Valcamonica and Mt. Bego "maps" of the Neolithic-first Copper Age; they probably represent the most ancient post-Palaeolithic engravings, marking the beginning of the entire open-air orck art cycle in the Alps. In Valcamonica and Mt. Bego they have been executed over a very suitable rock, a siliceous sandstone which represents, with few other kinds of rocks, a conditio sine qua non for the existence of the wide open air engraved areas.

The themes represented by the "maps" are completely different from those recurring during the Bronze and Iron ages, with recurrent figures of weapons and warriors. The interpretation of the topographical engravings is strictly related to the representation of an anthropised landscape, in particular of a sort of protected agricultural units, where ploughed fields and cereal sheaves seem to be the core of each representation.

Engraving maps could be interpreted as a sort of territorial marking, executed by local people to affirm their farmer identity, to perform a propitiatory rite, or make a virtual offering.

La Via Geoalpina

by Matteo Vacchi

Diversity and distribution of terricolous lichens as indicator of habitat heterogeneity and grazing induced trampling in a temperate-alpine shrub and meadow

by Himanshu Rai

Himanshu Rai, D. K. Upreti and Rajan K. Gupta

Lichens are among the most sensitive biomonitors of ecosystem health and human induced disturbances. Terricolous... more Lichens are among the most sensitive biomonitors of ecosystem health and human induced disturbances. Terricolous lichens of Chopta–Tungnath (Garhwal, western Himalaya, India) were analysed for their ability to indicate habitat variability and disturbances induced by livestock grazing. Terricolous lichens were sampled from 12 sites, distributed across the three macrohabitats between 2,700 and 4,001 m, using 50 × 10 cm narrow frequency grids having five 10 × 10 cm sampling units. The terricolous lichen community of the area constituted, 20 species belonging to 10 genera, five families and four growth forms. Altitude and relative humidity were the major habitat factors found influencing the terricolous lichen community of the landscape. Fruticose and compound soil lichen growth forms were found indicative of habitat disturbance largely caused by grazing induced trampling. Terricolous lichen diversity of the area was delimited by grazing pressure at mid-altitudes (3,000–3,400 m) and by decreasing soil cover at higher altitudes (>3,400 m).

Copula-based statistical refinement of precipitation in RCM simulations over complex terrain

by Patrick Laux

This paper presents a new Copula-based method for further downscaling regional climate simulations. It is developed,... more This paper presents a new Copula-based method for further downscaling regional climate simulations. It is developed, applied and evaluated for selected stations in the alpine region of Germany. Apart from the common way to use Copulas to model the extreme values, a strategy is proposed which allows to model continous time series. In this paper, we focus on the positive pairs of observed and modelled (RCM) precipitation.
As the concept of Copulas requires independent and identically distributed (iid) random variables, meteorological fields are transformed using an ARMA-GARCH time series model. The dependence structures between modelled and observed precipitation are conditioned on the prevailing large-scale weather situation. The impact of the altitude of the stations and their distance to the surrounding modelled grid cells is analyzed.
Based on the derived theoretical Copula models, stochastic rainfall simulations are performed, finally allowing for bias corrected and locally refined RCM simulations.

Continuità e discontinuità nel popolamento della Vinschgau/Val Venosta tra Neolitico ed Età Storica. Unpubl.Diss., Università Ca'Foscari, Venezia, 2010/11.

by Tiziano Fantuzzi

(Draft only)

Fusion of airborne LIDAR and satellite multispectral data for the estimation of timber volume in an Alpine region

by Markus Neteler

Tonolli, S., Dalponte, M., Gianelle, D., Neteler, M., Rodeghiero, M., and Vescovo, L. (2011). Fusion of airborne LIDAR and satellite multispectral data for the estimation of timber volume in an Alpine region. Remote Sensing of Environment, 115: 2486-2498.

Remote sensing can be considered a key instrument for studies related to forests and their dynamics. At present, the... more Remote sensing can be considered a key instrument for studies related to forests and their dynamics. At present, the increasing availability of multisensor acquisitions over the same areas, offers the possibility to combine data from different sensors (e.g., optical, RADAR, LiDAR). This paper presents an analysis on the fusion of airborne LiDAR and satellite multispectral data (IRS 1C LISS III), for the prediction of forest stem volume at plot level in a complex mountain area (Province of Trento, Southern Italian Alps), characterized by different tree species, complex morphology (i.e. altitude ranges from 65 m to 3700 m above sea level), and a range of different climates (from the sub-Mediterranean to Alpine type). 799 sample plots were randomly distributed over the 3000 km2 of the forested areas of the Trento Province. From each plot, a set of variables were extracted from both LiDAR and multispectral data. A regression analysis was carried out considering two data sources (LiDAR and multispectral) and their combination, and dividing the plot areas into groups according to their species composition, altitude and slope. Experimental results show that the combination of LiDAR and IRS 1C LISS III data, for the estimation of stem volume, is effective in all the experiments considered. The best developed models comprise variables extracted from both of these data sources. The RMSE% on an independent validation set for the stem volume estimation models ranges between 17.2% and 26.5%, considering macro sets of tree species (deciduous, evergreen and mixed), between 17.5% and 29.0%, considering dominant species plots, and between 15.5% and 21.3% considering altitude and slope sets.
Research highlights

► Fusion of LiDAR and multispectral data improve stem volume estimation. ► LiDAR variables provide the majority of the explanative contribution. ► Multispectral variables alone provide limited contribution. ► The models presented are effective for stem volume estimation over large areas.

Keywords: LiDAR; Multispectral; Stem volume estimation; Forest; Mountain region

Climate Change and Geomorphological Hazards In the Eastern European Alps

by Jasper Knight

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London, Series A, 2010, v 368, 2461-2479.

Climate and environmental changes associated with anthropogenic global warming are being increasingly identified in... more Climate and environmental changes associated with anthropogenic global warming are being increasingly identified in the European Alps, as seen by changes in long-term high-alpine temperature, precipitation, glacier cover and permafrost. In turn, these changes impact on land-surface stability, and lead to increased frequency and magnitude of natural mountain hazards, including rock falls, debris flows, landslides, avalanches and floods. These hazards also impact on infrastructure, and socio-economic and cultural activities in mountain regions. This paper presents two case studies (2003 heatwave, 2005 floods) that demonstrate some of the interlinkages between physical processes and human activity in climatically sensitive alpine regions that are responding to ongoing climate change. Based on this evidence, we outline future implications of climate change on mountain environments and its impact on hazards and hazard management in paraglacial mountain systems.

Distribution Pattern of Terricolous Lichens in Garhwal Himalayas (Chopta-Tungnath Tract) with Reference to Morphological and Environmental Variables

by Himanshu Rai

Co-authored with RAJAN K. GUPTA, D.K. UPRETI & PRAMOD NAG

India is a rich centre of lichen biodiversity. Soil inhabiting lichens (Terricolous lichens), are potential group of... more India is a rich centre of lichen biodiversity. Soil inhabiting lichens (Terricolous lichens), are potential group of lichen species which can be calibrated for ecological indicator studies, as their direct growth on the soil make them very sensitive to any change in the topographic and climatic environment.
In the present study soil-inhabiting lichens of Chopta-Tungnath tract in Garhwal Himalayas, are defined on the basis of ecological and morphological characters using Hierarchical bootstrap-clustering, and the various habitat and climatic variables are analyzed for their effect on the determination of structure and distribution pattern of terricolous lichen community, using Correlation-Regression analysis.
Of the three macrohabitats identified along the elevation gradient maximum soil lichen diversity was observed at middle elevation (3000-3400 mt.) A total of nine lichen species belonging to four families, seven genera and five morphological groups/thallus type (Squamulose, Squamulose-Fruticose, Leprose, Fruticose and Foliose) were identified. Squamulose was dominating morphological group, followed by fruticose, dimorphic, foliose and leprose forms. Soil lichen exhibit maximum associations with mosses followed by angiosperms, only few soil lichens were found growing on ground. Among the environmental variables soil pH and minimum and maximum temperature were positively related to lichen diversity whereas relative humidity and elevation negatively influenced soil lichen community.
Cluster analyses revealed six lichen groups on the basis of their maximum distribution at middle elevations, dominance of moisture absorbing lichen groups (fruticose and foliose) and
maximized associative growth with mosses

Plant and microbe contribution to community resilience in a directionally changing environment

by Megan Mobley

co-authored with REU advisor, Dr. William Bowman, and others. Published in Ecological Monographs in August 2008.

To understand the role biota play in resilience or vulnerability to environmental change, we investigated soil, plant,... more To understand the role biota play in resilience or vulnerability to environmental change, we investigated soil, plant, and microbial responses to a widespread environmental change, increased nitrogen (N). Our aim was to test the plant–soil threshold hypothesis: that changed biotic structure influences resilience to accumulated changes in N. For six years, we removed one of two codominant species, Geum rossii and Deschampsia caespitosa, in moist-meadow alpine tundra in Colorado, USA. We also manipulated nutrient availability by adding carbon (C) or N, separately and in combination with the species removals.

Consistent with our hypothesis, Geum was associated with soil feedbacks that slowed rates of N cycling and Deschampsia with feedbacks that increased rates of N cycling. After a four-year initial resilience period, Geum dramatically declined (by almost 70%) due to increasing N availability. In contrast, Deschampsia abundance did not respond to changes in N supply; it only responded to the removal of Geum. Forbs and graminoids responded more positively to Deschampsia removal than to Geum removal, indicating stronger competitive effects by Deschampsia. The changed biotic interactions appear to have community-level consequences: after six years of Geum (but not Deschampsia) removal, evenness of the community declined by over 35%.

Increased N affected the soil–microbial feedbacks, particularly in association with Geum. Microbial biomass N declined at higher N, as did the activities of two C-acquiring and one N-acquiring extracellular microbial enzymes. In the presence of Geum, N fertilization slowed the activity of phenol oxidase, a tannin-degrading enzyme, suggesting that microbes shift from degrading Geum-derived compounds. In the absence of Geum, acid phosphatase activity increased, suggesting increased phosphorus limitation in association with Deschampsia.

With continued N deposition forecast for this system, these results suggest that initial resilience of Geum to increased N will be overwhelmed through elimination of microbial feedbacks. Once Geum declines, the loss will indirectly facilitate Deschampsia via competitive release. Because Deschampsia exerts strong competitive effects on subordinate species, increased Deschampsia abundance may be accompanied by a community-wide drop in diversity. We conclude that plant–soil feedbacks through the microbial community can influence vulnerability to exogenous changes in N and contribute to threshold dynamics.

Aerial archaeology above the tree line

by Katharina Rebay-Salisbury

Doneus, M., and K. Rebay. 2005. Aerial archaeology above the tree line. AARGnews 31: 17-26.

Bridging national boundaries: how networks of local actors are building the Alpine region

by Cristina Del Biaggio

Published in Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences
Volume 14, 2011, Pages 121-128
Special issue: Regional Environmental Governance: Interdisciplinary Perspectives, Theoretical Issues, Comparative Designs (REGov)

In the Alpine context, civil society organisations, with help of committed local actors (inhabitants, local... more In the Alpine context, civil society organisations, with help of committed local actors (inhabitants, local representatives, researchers, managers of protected areas, and ecological associations) organised in networks, are bridging national boundaries to deal with environmental issues (Debarbieux & Rudaz, 2008). But, despite the willingness to focus on more horizontal relations, the administrative, political and ideological structures of the networks and their members do not completely detach themselves from the national level, as this paper shows.

The Logic of Multilingualism in the Alpine Convention

by Jon Marco Church

Co-authored with Paolo Angelini, published in 'Harmonising Legal Terminology, edited by Leonhard Voltmer and Elena Chiocchetti, Bolzano: EURAC research, 2008'

French, German, Italian, and Slovenian are the official languages of the Alpine Convention: the practice of linguistic... more French, German, Italian, and Slovenian are the official languages of the Alpine Convention: the practice of linguistic pluralism is frequent within some Alpine countries and has been practised since the early years of the Convention. The common institutions play a vital role in ensuring the practice of multilingualism, choosing the model of the European Communities. In the Convention the use of English is frequent, but not predominant. Multilingualism is an asset for the Alpine Convention, allowing the participation of those who do not speak foreign languages – but who play a vital role in the protection and sustainable development of the Alpine region – and contributing to the establishment of an effective system of multilevel governance. This analysis mirrors the daily practice of international cooperation to protect and sustainably develop the Alpine region.

On The Sustainability Of Urban Institutional Dynamics: Capitalization, Decentralization And The Case Of Two Alpine Cities

by Jon Marco Church

Co-authored with Nicolas Maisetti and published in 'Environnement Urbain / Urban Environment', 2011

The focus of this article is on the institutional dimension of urban dynamics, particularly on the twin processes of... more The focus of this article is on the institutional dimension of urban dynamics, particularly on the twin processes of capitalization—intended as the transformation of a place into a capital—and decentralization. We observe that they co-exist in several urban contexts. So, we set to explore whether a particular configuration of this dynamic is conducive to an outcome that is more sustainable than another. In order to start testing this hypothesis, we propose a mental experiment to question the consequences of the prevalence of one movement over the other. We do this thinking of the case study of two Alpine cities—Turin and Bolzano—as a device to anchor the mental experiment to concrete examples. From our analysis, both extreme centralization and decentralization seem unsustainable. The policy implications are therefore that urban institutions should avoid the excesses of extreme capitalization, while containing the extreme decentralization of their activities.

Bolzano e la Convenzione delle Alpi

by Jon Marco Church

Co-authored with Paolo Angelini, unpublished draft

Bolzano è una capitale delle Alpi. La Convenzione delle Alpi è uno strumento in-ternazionale per la loro tutela e... more Bolzano è una capitale delle Alpi. La Convenzione delle Alpi è uno strumento in-ternazionale per la loro tutela e sviluppo. Bolzano presenta delle caratteristiche che la rendono centrale nell’Arco alpino ed esemplare degli obiettivi della Con-venzione delle Alpi: in particolare, posizione favorevole, multilinguismo, innovazione. Per questo nel 2002 Innsbruck e Bolzano sono state scelte quali sede del Segretariato permanente della Convenzione delle Alpi. Nel 2009 Bolzano è stata inoltre riconosciuta quale Città alpina dell’anno, in particolare per l’impegno nella lotta contro i cambiamenti climatici, obiettivo strategico della Convenzione delle Alpi.

Environmental Regionalism: The Challenge of the Alpine Convention and the “Strange Case” of the Andean Community

by Jon Marco Church

Published as 'CID Research Fellow Working Paper no. 47, Center for International Development at Harvard University, September 2010'

A number of regional mountain agreements are currently being negotiated. The 1991 Alpine Convention is often presented... more A number of regional mountain agreements are currently being negotiated. The 1991 Alpine Convention is often presented as the only model of international framework for a mountain range and the 2003 Carpathian Convention follows roughly the same model. However, there is at least one alternative model that is frequently ignored by scholars and practitioners alike: the 1969 Andean Community. First, this paper questions environmental regionalism, presenting it as an ideology and putting it under critical and historical perspective. Then, it compares the cases of both the Alpine Convention and the Andean Community. This paper suggests that the Andean Community may be a concurrent model for mountain agreements, especially in developing countries and conflict zones such as the Balkans, the Caucasus, or the Himalayas. These cases also contribute to a better understanding of environmental regionalism.