A multi-taxa approach in mountain ecosystem: a shared protocol between 6 Italian Parks

Elevational gradients are natural laboratories to study species diversity and community level responses along patterns of environmental variation. Understanding how multiple contrasting taxa respond to elevation along the same gradient, as well as how the same taxa respond to different elevational gradients, is still an important and urgent task in conservation biology. Protected areas play a key role in reducing losses of biological diversity as climate and land-uses change (KHAROUBA & KERR 2010). For these reasons, in 2006-2007 Gran Paradiso National Park (GPNP) developed a monitoring scheme to study animal biodiversity in mountain ecosystems along altitudinal gradients and to set the basis for the development of an historical dataset, focused on multi-taxa community data. The protocol will be repeated every 5 years (2 years monitoring - 4 years stop) in order to analyse variation through space and time. Main objectives are: - to measure the biodiversity status, describing animal biodiversity along altitudinal gradients. This is fundamental for creating a baseline against which to identify future changes and for planning highly focused conservation actions; - to forecast the biodiversity status, for estimating the risk of biodiversity loss, also through the application of environmental change scenarios. This will allow to identify the threshold beyond which the risk of biodiversity loss will be extremely elevated and to identify potential 'vulnerability and safety'. Led by GPNP, in 2007-2008, the project was extended to two other protected areas in the NW Italian Alps (Orsiera-Rocciavré Natural Park and Veglia Devero Natural Park), representing the first attempt to develop a protocol for long-term monitoring of multiple taxa in the Italian Alps. As planned, in the years 2012-2013, the 3 protected areas carried out the first repetition of the sampling activities. Moreover, in 2013-2014, 3 more Italian National Parks (Dolomiti Bellunesi NP, Stelvio NP, Val Grande NP), located in the Alps, started the same monitoring project. Currently, 6 Italian Parks, all located in the Alpine Region and covering its natural variability, are sharing a common protocol to study animal biodiversity in mountain ecosystems.