Coupling abiotic and biotic proxies in fossil records and modern elevational gradients to assist conservation strategies in mountain ecosystems

Eurasian mountains are experiencing intensified environmental transformation. However, the timing and amplitude of these changes are only partly detectable by monitoring contemporary ecosystems. Many ecological alterations occurred since the Middle Ages, partly overriding the pristine ecosystem structure. The Industrial Revolution altered land use practices on mountains and led to a fast abandonment since the Second World War. Disentangling the effects of socio-economic processes from the impact of climate change is of paramount importance for conservation strategies. Land use changes observed during the last millennia may provide the tipping point to connect earlier baselines to the modern trajectories through recognition of active pressures on mountain ecosystems. Integration of paleoecology, field ecology and documentary archival information through: - Multiproxy approach (i) expanding palynology towards microbotany, including charcoal analysis; (ii) coupling co-registered abiotic and biotic variables with archival documents of land-use and climate changes. - Calibration (i) study of sedimentary basin features and processes and (ii) calibration by modern ecoclimatic elevational gradients. The conceptual framework will be illustrated by past records and elevational gradients in the Alps, Apennines and Little Caucasus, in the perspective of nature conservation, rewilding, promotion of cultural heritage, and of the sustainable progress of traditional land uses.