Europe’s biodiversity – biogeographical regions and seas: The Alpine region – mountains of Europe

(2006) Europe’s biodiversity – biogeographical regions and seas: The Alpine region – mountains of Europe. Technical Report. European Environment Agency, Copenhagen, Denmark.

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Official URL: http://www.eea.eu.int

Summary

This is the first report to describe the condition and influences on main habitat types and species groups in the eleven biogeographical regions and the seven seas around Europe. The report covers Europe from the Arctic to the Mediterranean and from the Atlantic to the Ural Mountains. It is based on expert contributions and comments from the countries involved in the biogeographical regions and seas.

Ranges of mountains constitute the alpine biogeographic region in Europe: It includes some of the oldest and most recent mountains of the world; the Alps, the Scandes, the Pyrenees, the Carpathians, the Rhodopes, the Urals, the Caucasia and the Dinaric Alps. Mountains are vulnerable ecosystems which exhibits a rich fauna and flora with a high level of endemism. Tourism, transportation, land-use change and also atmospheric pollution are strongly impacting many mountain areas. Climate change will affect the species composition and some. highland mountain species may become extinct. On the positive side is tat the values of mountainous ecosystems are increasingly being recognised in international political for a nd also regional initiatives are being launched for the protection and the sustainable development of Europe's mountains. Thus in some mountain ranges large herbivores and carnivores are making a comeback as a result of habitat protection and re-introduction initiatives.

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