The Italian Long Term Ecological Research Network (LTER-Italy) was officially admitted to the International LTER Network (ILTER), during the general meeting held in Namibia in 2006. At present, LTER-Italy consists of an integrated group of 20 sites developing long term ecological research, a Secretary's Office, a group of sites managers and a Coordinating Committee. 9 research stations are CON.ECO.FOR. permanent plots under National Forest Service coordination, with many other sites and research stations in terrestrial, transitional, marine and freshwater ecosystems. CON.ECO.FOR. Service also runs LTER-Italy Secretariat. LTER-Italy coordinates the researches carried out in Italy on the status of the main terrestrial, acquatic and marine ecosystems in relation to the effects of pollution, climate change and biodiversity loss.
In particular the “High Elevation ecosystems in the Northwestern Alps” LTER Site is representative of high altitude environments of the Italian Northwestern Alps. Six study areas, located along an altitudinal gradient ranging from 2100 to 3000 m a.s.l. were chosen. In such areas, soils are snow- covered from five to nine months per year. Vegetation cover ranges from larch and spruce stands, to alpine meadows, overlying soils at different degree of pedogenic development. In these sites studies on vegetation, climate and soils are carried out, concerning for example the soil nutrient dynamics under different snow regimes and continuous monitoring of substrate temperature in a permafrost-affected area. At the Mountain Research Station “Istituto A. Mosso” (2901 m a.s.l., Monte Rosa Massif), nivo-meteorological data are available since 1927 and snow chemical and physical properties are studied on different substrata (non permafrost, permafrost-soils, and ice). The monitoring of the abundance and cover of vascular flora is executed following GLORIA methodology, described in detail on the web site (www.gloria.ac.at).