Data Integration and Modelling for the Assessment of Future Climate Change Impacts on Natural Pasturelands of the Alps

Evidence shows that in the last century in the Alps area warming was roughly three times the global average and, according to future projections, this trend is expected to worsen in the next decades. Moreover, the species-rich permanent grasslands characterizing the marginal areas of the Alpine landscape are acknowledged as very sensitive and vulnerable ecosystems to climate change (IPCC 2007). So far several studies have investigated the climate effects only on specific Alpine grassland species at a very small scale, while a comprehensive assessment of the impact of climate change on Alpine mountain grasslands distribution and composition at a territorial scale is still lacking. Building on these premises, ground-breaking tools (classification models coupled with data integration by GIS techniques) were used to identify and environmentally characterize the main pastoral communities over the Alpine chain and to assess future climate change impacts on these fragile resources