The project is part of a wider research program focusing on the monitoring of plant and animal biodiversity along altitudinal gradients and in the frame of climate change. The project includes a diachronic sampling to outline the variation in space and time of occurrence and abundance of vascular plants and some selected animal taxa.
The altitudinal range is included between upper montane and alpine altitudinal belt (c.1200-2800 m asl). Within this interval sampling plots are placed along altitudinal transects: such plots consist of circular areas (200 m diameter) spaced 200m of altitude from each other, in order to assure independent sampling and to cover the whole environmental variability.
For each plot the sampling design includes the environmental characterization, the detailed description of 21 sub-plots where vegetation structure and phenology is described, nine complete floristic surveys, one or more phytosociological relevés and the digital vegetation map.
Subsequent analyses will allow the obtaining an overview of the distribution plant biodiversity as a funztion of topographic and climatic features and to obtain a database for further monitoring programs in order to evaluate current dynamics in the present context of climate warming.