Alpine meadows in the Pyrenees

Alpine meadows are the most characteristic landscape element of the higher parts of the Pyrenees, as they are in the Alps and other similar massifs. They are the habitat of a unique flora, assembled throughout the Pleistocene climatic oscillations and especially from the last ice age onwards. The changing climate and populations of herbivores, first wild and then domestic, have driven the structure and function of these meadows. Since prehistoric times, the increase in livestock has forced the expansion of meadows downwards on favourable slopes to the detriment of woodland. Overall, alpine meadows include plant communities and habitats that are highly diversified, both ecologically and biologically. Here we analyse how the decrease in livestock and environmental changes are causing shifts in the alpine vegetation, and we explore the conservation of the natural and cultural alpine values. Given the good knowledge acquired on alpine vegetation and the current possibilities for monitoring and analysing ecosystems, these changes should be studied in their full dimension, focusing on the response of vegetation to changes in the environment and in all anthropogenic uses.