Institute for Alpine Environment - Projects

Since its foundation, the Institute for Alpine Environment is working on projects regarding Global Change, Sustainable Development and Research in Protected Areas, and it is hosting international Conferences & Seminars. The single projects are interconnected thanks to the current main research topics of the Institute:

  • Ecosystem research and landscape ecology of mountain environments, with a special focus on global change
  • Biogeochemical cycles
  • Functional biodiversity
  • Ecosystem services
  • Sustainable development

The projects reflect particularly the multidisciplinarity of the Institute’s research activities. This synergy between different disciplines gave a significant contribution to the foundation of some new Institutes at EURAC: Institute for Regional Development and Location Management, Institute for Renewable Energy and Institute for Applied Remote Sensing.

 

Global Change

             __________________________________ ongoing projects: ____________________________________

  • HydroAlp - Modelling the interaction between water cycle, vegetation and climate in Alpine environments
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol
    Period: 2011-2014
  • AlmAtlas -Comprehensive survey and description of summer alpine pastures of the ARGEALP-area in form of an Atlas.
    Financing: Regierungschefkonferenz (ArgeAlp)
    Period: 2011-2013
  • EMERGE - Retreating glaciers and EMERGing Ecosystems in the Southern Alps
    Financing: Dr. Herzog-Sellenberg-Stiftung für Geographie & Dr. Erich Ritter-Stiftung - Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft 
    Period: 2011-2013
  • Forest Check - Forests in focus - Geoinformation technologies for small-scale forest assessments and inventories
    Financing: Förderprogramm Sparkling Science, Bundesministerium für Wissenschaft und Forschung, Austria
    Period:
    2010-2013
  • Reactivating pastures - on the way to diversity
    Financing: EU Interreg IV A Bayern - Österreich 
    Period: 2010-2013
  • EcoRAlps - Ecosystem services and restoration of traditional land-use systems in the Southern Alps
    Financing: Stemmler-Stiftung & Flora-Immerschitt-Stiftung - Stifterverband für die Deutsche Wissenschaft  
    Period: 2010-2013
  • Climate Change – Impacts of Climate Change on Alpine Ecosystems 
    Financing 2008-2011: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol
    Period: 2008-2018
  • Landscape structure analysis - Comparative analysis of the different landscape developments and the causal factors responsible for them
    Period: 2001-2015

             _______________________________ realised projects: ________________________________

  • KuLaWi - (Agri)cultural landscape - Strategies for the cultural landscape of the future
    Financing: EU Interreg IV Italien - Österreich (Project nr. 4684)
    Period: 2009-2012
  • BioCatch – Impacts of changes in climate and agricultural practices on plant diversity and water resources in the sub-alpine zone
    Financing: financial support by involved countries
    Period: 2008-2011
  • MASTA - Measures and strategies for a sustainable mountain agriculture
    Financing: EU Interreg IV A Italy - Austria
    Period: 2006-2011
  • Meadow championship 2010 - Who has the most beautiful meadow of South Tyrol?
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol & Sennereiverband Südtirol 
    Period: 2010
  • Top-Climate-Science - Water balance and global change:  future perspectives about climate and land use changes in mountain areas
    Financing: Programme Sparkling Science, Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research
    Period: 2008-2010
  • HydroPass - Water quality and land use
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol  
    Period: 2002-2010
  • Hislab - historical-ecological analysis of different soil uses in Tyrol
    Financing: Mountain Agriculture Research Unit - Universität Innsbruck
    Period: 2007-2009
  • Ahornboden - Study about the potential impact of agriculture on the maple population within the protected area of "Großer Ahornboden"
    Financing: Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung - Abteilung Umweltschutz  
    Period: 2006-2007
  • Land use changes and their affects on biodiversity and on carbon and nitrogen balances in Tyrol
    Financing: Amt der Tiroler Landesregierung - Abteilung Bildung  
    Period: 2005-2008
  • NIGIS - Impact of nitrate deriving from agriculture on Southtyrolean waterbodies
    Period: 2004-2006
  • GeoBASE - A Europe-wide standardized basic training program in Geographical Information Systems
    Financing: EC "Leonardo da Vinci"
    Period: 1998-2000
  • INTEGRALP - Mountain meadows undergoing change
    Financing: EU Interreg II A Italien - Österreich 
    Period: 1995-1999
  • Long-term development of the agricultural structures in South Tyrol - Analysis of the structures, their changes and possible developments under different scenarios
    Period: 1995-1999
  • ECOMONT - Ecological consequences of land use change on European mountain ecosystems
    Financing: EU FP4 (Project nr.: ENV4-CT95-0179) | 
    Period: 1995-1998 

     

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Sustainable Development

             __________________________________ ongoing projects: ____________________________________

              _______________________________ realised projects: ________________________________

  • SinaiAlps - Integrated Cluster of Centralized Rural-Urban Nano-economies in the High Mountains of Sinai Peninsula (Middle East) and Alto Adige-Südtirol (Alps)
    Financing: private
    Period: Sinai Peninsula Research 'Survey/Phase I' 2000-2010 - SinaiAlps Project 'Analysis/Phase II' 2010-2013
  • ProVision - Tools of models for a sustainable economy
    Financing: Programme proVISION, Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research
    Period: 2008-2011
  • DIAMONT - Data Infrastructure for the Alps: Mountain Orientated Network Technology
    Financing: EU Interreg IIIB - Alpine Space (Project nr.: A/III/1.1/29)  
    Period: 2005-2008
  • "Objective 2"- Environmental Monitoring -Supervision of environmental aspects of projects implemented in South Tyrol within the EU "objective 2"-programm aimed to revitalising areas facing structural difficulties
    Financing: Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare & Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol - Landesagentur für Umwelt
    Period: 2003-2006
  • Biodiversity - Conservation and sustainable use of mountain ecosystems in the context of the Agreement on Biological Diversity and the Alpine Convention
    Financing: Umweltbundesamt der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (UBA, Project nr. 202 11 221)
    Period: 2002-2008
  • South Tyrol model - Success factors of a region
    Financing: Bank of Trient and Bozen - IntesaBic Group 
    Period: 1997-2002
  • Territorial impact analysis in the Alpine region - Method evaluation by means of a pilot project
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol
    Period: 1997-1999
  • SUSTALP - Evaluation of the instruments available to the European Union in respect to their effectiveness in shaping the agriculture of the Alps under ecologically sound aspects
    Financing: EU FP4 (Project nr. ENV4-CT97-0442) | 
    Period: 1997-1999
  • Environmental impact analysis in the Alpine region - Necessity for, demands on, and perspectives of a specific environmental impact analysis  (EIA) for the Alpine region
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol
    Period: 1994-1996
  • The Mountain Forest Protocol - Demands on the forest, demands on society. A symposium on the implementation of the Mountain Forest Protocol of the Alpine Convention
    Period: 1994-1996
  • Agriculture in the Alpine region – indispensable but without future? An Alpine-wide account of current problems and their possible solutions: A conference for the implementation of the Mountain Agriculture Protocol of the Alpine Convention
    Period: 1994-1996
  • Ecologically motivated subventions for the alpine region - Evaluation from the point of view of conserving the local, biotic, and landscape resources
    Period: 1993-1996

 

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Research in Protected Areas

             __________________________________ ongoing projects: ____________________________________

  • Making good Natura - Making public goods provision the core business of Natura 2000
    Financing: EU LIFE+
    Period: 2012-2016
  • Habit-Change - Adaptive management of climate-induced changes of habitat diversity in protected areas
    Financing: EU INTERREG IV B Central Europe  
    Period: 2010-2013 
     

    _______________________________ realised projects: ________________________________

  • Acceptance in protection areas - Survey of local residents and tourists in the Stilfserjoch National Park
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen-South Tyrol - Abteilung Natur und Landschaft & EU Interreg II Italien - Schweiz 
    Period: 2001-2004
  • An idea for the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park - Acceptance study, idea contest, and influence control for the Rieserferner-Ahrn Nature Park
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol - Amt für Naturparke 
    Period: 2001-2003
  • Lesson units: Lesson materials for nature classes and environmental education
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol - Abteilung Natur und Landschaft & EU Interreg II Italien - Schweiz  
    Period: 2001-2002
  • Research in the Stilfserjoch National Park - Development of strategy paper and monitoring concept
    Financing: EU Interreg II Italien - Schweiz  
    Period: 1998-2005
  • Luxes 407 - An extraterrestrial alien discovers the mountains
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol - Abteilung Natur und Landschaft & EU Interreg II Italien - Schweiz 
    Period: 1998-2002
  • Expansive protected areas in the Alps - Data, facts, background
    Period: 1994-1998

 

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Conferences & Seminars

  • XIX Congress S.It.E. - Dalle vette alpine alle profondità marine
    Financing: Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol - Landesagentur für Umwelt, Südtiroler Sparkasse Foundation, City of Bozen & Export Organisation South Tyrol - Chamber of Commerce Bozen
    Dates: 15. - 18.09.2009
  • Interdisciplinary Mountain Research - Internationales Symposium für junge Wissenschaftler zur Berggebietsforschung
    Financing: European Commisison, Ministero dell'Ambiente e della Tutela del Territorio e del Mare & Autonomous Province of Bozen - South Tyrol 
    Dates: 29.09. - 02.10.2004
  • HeadWater '98, Headwater Control IV: Hydrology, Water Resources and Ecology in Headwaters
    Financing: UNESCO, FAO/EFC, IAHR, IECA, IUFRO, WASWC, EU, Autonomous Province of Bozen -South Tyrol, City of Meran, Meraner Kurverwaltung, Etschwerke Bozen  
    Dates: 20. - 23.04.1998

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