• Valerie Braun – Stefanie Gubler - Margreth Keiler (Eds.)

eco.mont 18 No. 2

Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management

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Valerie Braun
is Managing Editor of eco.mont and Project Manager of several projects at the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)

Stefanie Gubler
is Head of Research Commission of the Swiss National Park, SCNAT

Margreth Keiler
is Director of the Institute for Interdisciplinary Mountain Research at the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW)


ISSN 2073-106X Print Edition
ISSN 2073-1558 Online Edition

ISBN 978-3-7001-5408-2 Online Edition

doi: https://doi.org/10.1553/eco.mont-18-2
Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management 18/2 
06/2026  Online Edition
Die Print-Edition erscheint in der Innsbruck University Press

59 Seiten, zahlr. Farbabbildungen, Tabellen, Karten, Englisch

License: This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License: CC BY-NC-ND 4.0

“eco.mont – Journal of Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management” was founded as a joint initiative of the Alpine Network of Protected Areas (ALPARC), the International Scientific Committee on Research in the Alps (ISCAR), the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the University of Innsbruck. “eco.mont” offers a platform specifically for scientists and practitioners working in and on protected mountain areas in Europe and overseas. Target audiences of the journal are scientists from all related disciplines, managers of protected areas and an interested public including practitioners, visitors, teachers, etc. “eco.mont” is available by open access under CC BY-NC-ND-Licence from the Austrian Academy Press and in a printed version from Innsbruck University Press. Alpine protected areas play a key role in biodiversity conservation, but also in monitoring species and habitats. Since its first issue, eco.mont has published articles on long-term monitoring programmes in different areas of the Alps. The current issue covers a wide range of topics concerning protected areas and conservation initiatives around the world. The subjects discussed include the use of remote sensing data as a management tool in biosphere reserves, the carbon sequestration potential of tropical mountain forests, and the role of local participation and regional commitment in the long-term success of nature parks. Further contributions explore the preservation of traditional mountain heritage, the opportunities offered by regenerative tourism for protected areas, and the restoration of high-mountain aquatic ecosystems through international conservation projects. The issue concludes with an overview of biodiversity conservation challenges, highlighting threats to species and ecosystems and presenting approaches to strengthen biodiversity protection.

Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
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Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400
https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: verlag@oeaw.ac.at

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eco.mont 18 No. 2
ISSN 2073-106X
Print Edition
ISSN 2073-1558
Online Edition

ISBN 978-3-7001-5408-2
Online Edition



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Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften
Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
A-1011 Wien, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2,
Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400
https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: bestellung.verlag@oeaw.ac.at
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The Restoration of Aquatic Ecosystems in the Alps and Pyrenees: A Case Study from the LIFE RESQUE ALPYR Project

    Teresa Buchaca, Rocco Tiberti, Eulàlia Pladevall-Izard, Lucia Bello, Giorgia Mattioli, Aaron Pérez-Haase, Quim Pou-Rovira, Clàudia Riera, Marc Ventura

Eco.mont Vol. 18 Nr. 2, pp. 44-51, 2026/06/23

Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management

doi: 10.1553/eco.mont-18-2s44


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doi:10.1553/eco.mont-18-2s44

Abstract

High mountain aquatic and semi-aquatic ecosystems of the alpine biogeographical region harbour specialized biota, yet they are increasingly being degraded by non-native fish introductions, livestock pressure, afforestation and the abandonment of traditional wet meadow management. The LIFE RESQUE ALPYR project (2022–26) implements coor-dinated restoration actions across four Natura 2000 sites in the Pyrenees and the Alps, targeting eleven habitat types and several threatened vertebrate species. Building on prior LIFE initiatives in both mountain ranges, LIFE RESQUE ALPYR develops and tests replicable protocols for invasive fish eradication in lakes of varying sizes, livestock exclusion from sensitive waters and mires, clear-cutting and revegetation on afforested mires and the re-establishment of mowing in wet meadows. Here we present the project’s ecological rationale, study areas, objectives and methods, together with the expected outcomes and lessons learned to support transferability to other mountain protected areas. This approach integrates robust ecological monitoring and stakeholder engagement to ensure long-term biodiversity gains and to reconcile traditional land-use practices with modern conservation priorities. Evidence from comparable Alpine and Pyrenean systems shows that amphibian and aquatic invertebrate communities can recover rapidly following fish removal, while mire restoration and appropriate meadow management accelerate vegetation and trophic recovery, producing cascading benefits for riparian and semi-aquatic insectivores. Quantified outcomes include the complete removal of non-native fish from 22 lakes (55.4 ha); the reoligotrophication of 10 lakes; the restoration of ≥3 ha of wet meadows and ≥8–10 ha of mires by means of grazing-exclusion and afforestation-removal actions; and the development of operational protocols designed for replication in European mountain regions.

Keywords: High Mountain lakes, non-native fish eradication, mires and peatlands, Natura 2000, amphibians, wet meadow management, mountain conservation