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Springer, 2003 — 478 pp. — (Ecological Studies, Vol. 167) — ISBN 978-3-642-62387-5, 978-3-642-18967-8
The United Nations Conference on the Environment and Development (UNCED), held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, spawned a multitude of pro grammes aimed at assessing, managing and conserving the earth's biological diversity. One important issue addressed at the conference was the mountain environment. A specific feature of high mountains is the so-called alpine zone, i. e. the treeless regions at the uppermost reaches. Though covering only a very small proportion of the land surface, the alpine zone contains a rela tively large number of plants, animals, fungi and microbes which are specifi cally adapted to cold environments. This zone contributes fundamentally to the planet's biodiversity and provides many resources for mountain dwelling as well as lowland people. However, rapid and largely man-made changes are affecting mountain ecosystems, such as soil erosion, losses of habitat and genetic diversity, and climate change, all of which have to be addressed. As stated in the European Community Biodiversity Strategy, "the global scale of biodiversity reduction or losses and the interdependence of different species and ecosystems across national borders demands concerted international action". Managing biodiversity in a rational and sustainable way needs basic knowledge on its qualitative and quantitative aspects at local, regional and global scales. This is particularly true for mountains, which are distributed throughout the world and are indeed hot spots of biodiversity in absolute terms as well as relative to the surrounding lowlands.
Europe's Alpine Areas An Outline of Europe's Alpine Areas
A Bioclimatic Characterisation of Europe's Alpine Areas
The Regional Accounts
Plant and Vegetation DiversityOverview: Patterns in Diversity
Taxonomic Diversity of Vascular Plants in the European Alpine Areas
Patterns in the Plant Species Richness of European High Mountain Vegetation
Altitude Ranges and Spatial Patterns of Alpine Plants in Northern Europe
Vascular Plant and Bryophyte Diversity along Elevation Gradients in the Alps
Assessing the Long-Term Dynamics of Endemic Plants at Summit Habitats
Mapping Alpine Vegetation
A GIS Assessment of Alpine Biodiversity at a Range of Scales
InvertebratesOverview: Invertebrate Diversity in Europe’s Alpine Regions
The Geographical Distribution of High Mountain Macrolepidoptera in Europe
High Altitude Invertebrate Diversity in the Ural Mountains
The Diversity of High Altitude Arachnids (Araneae, Opiliones, Pseudoscorpiones) in the Alps
Patterns of Butterfly Diversity Above the Timberline in the Italian Alps and Apennines
Diversity Patterns of Carabids in the Alps and the Apennines
VertebratesOverview: Alpine Vertebrates - Some Challenges for Research and Conservation Management
Breeding Bird Assemblages and Habitat Use of Alpine Areas in Scotland
Rodents in the European Alps: Population Ecology and Potential Impacts on Ecosystems
Large Herbivores in European Alpine Ecosystems: Current Status and Challenges for the Future
Diversity of Alpine Vertebrates in the Pyrenees and Sierra Nevada, Spain
The Impacts of Vertebrate Grazers on Vegetation in European High Mountains
Long-Term Vegetation DynamicsAlpine Vegetation Dynamics and Climate Change - a Synthesis of Long-Term Studies and Observations
Long-Term Changes in Alpine Plant Communities in Norway and Finland
Vegetation Dynamics at the Treeline Ecotone in the Ural Highlands, Russia
Recent Increases in Summit Flora Caused by Warming in the Alps
The Piz Linard (3411 m), the Grisons, Switzerland — Europe’s Oldest Mountain Vegetation Study Site
SynthesisAlpine Biodiversity in Space and Time: A Synthesis