Objective The objective is to describe and understand the dynamic of alpine ecosystems. At several sites of the alpine regions, including the Alps, the Jura and the Pyrenees, comparative and complementary investigations will be carried out in the 2 main research areas of the dynamic of alpine forest ecosystems and the multiple use of mixed wood and grasslands ecosystems. In order to investigate the mechanisms controlling the long term dynamic of forest ecosystems, distinction is made between past trends and future trends. 2 distinct levels of analysis are given priorities as regards the study of past trends: a landscape ecological approach trends to reconstruct the history of different landscapes, to identify critical stages and to lead to further methodological guidelines for a more dynamic interpretation of current alpine forest landscapes; and a second approach concentrates on environmental factors which are likely to affect the vitality and capacity of regeneration of tree populations. Seed production has been selected as an appropriate indicator for such constraints. The investigation of potential trends are conducted in 2 directions. Both will concentrate on the processes of natural regeneration, and related environmental factors: in open areas, in order to assess the role of natural site conditions and anthropogenic factors on the recolonization of abandoned slopes; and in well established forest ecosystems, study of the gaps, natural or artificial, in order to assess their role in stand generation, as well as the relationships between structure and stability. In the research into multiple use of mixed grass and woodlands ecosystems, 3 levels of analysis are used: the landscape ecological approach to identify the different patterns of mixed pasture forest landscape, with regard to animal utilization (wild or domestic ungulates); silvopastoral systems to define the practical conditions for a sustainable multiple land use on the basis of the analysis of different systems, including experimental treatments; and tree grass interactions by analysis of the different interactions (through microclimate, soil, water and nutrient budgets, etc) and their impacts on the main components (grasslands and underlayers, animals and trees). Fields of science humanitieshistory and archaeologyhistorynatural sciencesbiological sciencesecologyecosystemsagricultural sciencesagriculture, forestry, and fisheriesforestry Programme(s) FP2-STEP - Two specific research and technological development programmes (EEC) in the field of the environment STEP/EPOCH - STEP -, 1989-1992 Topic(s) Data not available Call for proposal Data not available Funding Scheme CSC - Cost-sharing contracts Coordinator International Centre for Alpine Environments EU contribution No data Address Campus Scientifique du Bourget-du-Lac 73011 Chambéry France See on map Total cost No data Participants (12) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all CONSEJO SUPERIOR DE INVESTIGACIONES CIENTIFICAS Spain EU contribution No data Address S/N,AVDA. MONTANANA 177 50080 ZARAGOZA See on map Total cost No data Centre National du Machinisme Agricole, du Génie Rural, des Eaux et des Forêts (CEMAGREF) France EU contribution No data Address Domaine Universitaire 38402 Saint-Martin-d'Hères See on map Total cost No data Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) France EU contribution No data Address Chemin de Borde-Rouge Auzeville 31326 Castanet-Tolosan See on map Total cost No data Istituto Sperimentale per l'Assestamento Forestale e per l'Alpicoltura Italy EU contribution No data Address Piazza Nicolini 6 38050 Villazzano Trento See on map Total cost No data LEOPOLD-FRANZENS-UNIVERSITAET INNSBRUCK Austria EU contribution No data Address 15,Sternwartestrasse 15 6020 INNSBRUCK See on map Total cost No data Nationalparkverwaltung Berchtesgaden Germany EU contribution No data Address Doktorberg 6 83471 Berchtesgaden See on map Total cost No data Parc Naturel Régional du Vercors France EU contribution No data Address La Cascade 38250 Lans-en-Vercors See on map Total cost No data UNIVERSITA DEGLI STUDI DI PADOVA Italy EU contribution No data Address Via Romea 35020 Legnaro See on map Total cost No data Università degli Studi di Firenze Italy EU contribution No data Address Via San Bonaventura 13 50145 Firenze See on map Total cost No data Università degli Studi di Padova Italy EU contribution No data Address Via Gradenigo 6 35131 Padova See on map Total cost No data Università degli Studi di Torino Italy EU contribution No data Address Via Leonardo da Vinci 44 10095 Grugliasco Torino See on map Total cost No data Université de Savoie France EU contribution No data Address 73011 Chambéry See on map Total cost No data