Das Projekt "ECOMONT: Oekologische Auswirkungen von Bewirtschaftungsaenderungen in europaeischen Bergoekosystemen. - Untersuchung von oekosystemaren Prozessen im Alpenraum, den Spanischen Pyrenaeen und dem Schottischen Hochland" wird vom Umweltbundesamt gefördert und von Paul Scherrer Institut, Department of General Energy Technology, Abteilung 52 durchgeführt. ECOMONT aims at investigating land-use changes in European Terrestrial Mountain Ecosystems in the context of the EU Framework IV (Environment and Climate: Theme 1, Area 1.2.2.1. The functioning of ecosystems). As a contribution to the Terrestrial Ecosystem Research Initiative TERI, ECOMONT aims at a high degree of integration: 1. to investigate which changes in the canopy structure occur due to land-use changes in agricultural and forestal Alpine ecosystems along a South/North research-transect across the Eastern Alps and how these changes affect the exchange processes with the atmosphere; 2. to clear up how the changes in canopy structure are connected with species composition and performance, as well as with species competition and interaction; 3. to understand the influence of land-use changes on soil organic matter (SOM) status and turnover, on biogeochemical (CO2, N) and hydrological processes at the ecosystem level, and on the exchange processes between the ecosystems and the lower layers of the atmosphere; 4. to extend this understanding to the landscape level by means of multimedia modelling activities; 5. to compare the results from the Alps with those of other European mountains (Spanish Pyrenees, Scottish Highlands). Six composite experimental sites are planned in the subalpine belt along European transects: Three sites will be situated along a South/North-transect from the Italian to the Austrian Alps. The other three sites will be located in the Swiss Alps, the Spanish Pyrenees and the Scottish Highlands. In each site comparative and complementary multidisciplinary integrated ecosystem studies will be conducted on differently managed ecosystems (meadows, pastures, abandones areas, forests). The following research topics will be included: Spatial distribution of vegetation and soil; physical and chemical soil properties; SOM status and turnover; canopy structure, evergy budget, water relations and gas exchange of single plants, ecosystems and catchments; exchange processes between the investigated landscapes and the atmosphere. Population and plant biological studies and potential risk analyses will also be conducted. All the results will be treated with the help of Environmental Information System, including numerical data-bases, GIS and remote sensing. ECOMOMT will be coordinated by the Institute of Botany, University of Innsbruck. Six partner teams from the Community Member States Austria, Italy, Germany, Great Britain, and Spain and two from the non-Member State Switzerland will contribute.