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Mountain ecosystems are particularly sensitive to changes in climate and land cover, but at the same time, they can offer important refuges for species on the opposite of the more altered lowlands. To explore the potential role of mountain ecosystems in butterfly conservation and to assess the vulnerability of the alpine species, we analyzed the short-term changes (2006–2008 vs. 2012–2013) of butterflies’ distribution along altitudinal gradients in the NW Italian Alps. We sampled butterfly communities once a month (62 sampling stations, 3 seasonal replicates per year, from June to August) by semi-quantitative sampling techniques. The monitored gradient ranges from the montane to the alpine belt (600–2700 m a.s.l.) within three protected areas: Gran Paradiso National Park (LTER, Sitecode: LTER_EU_IT_109), Orsiera Rocciavrè Natural Park and Veglia Devero Natural Park. We investigated butterflies’ temporal changes in accordance with a hierarchical approach to assess potential relationships between species and community level. As a first step, we characterized each species in terms of habitat requirements, elevational range and temperature preferences and we compared plot occupancy and altitudinal range changes between time periods (2006–2008 vs. 2012–2013). Secondly, we focused on community level, analyzing species richness and community composition temporal changes. The species level analysis highlighted a general increase in mean occupancy level and significant changes at both altitudinal boundaries. Looking at the ecological groups, we observed an increase of generalist and highly mobile species at the expense of the specialist and less mobile ones. For the community level, we noticed a significant increase in species richness, in the community temperature index and a tendency towards homogenization within communities. Besides the short time period considered, butterflies species distribution and communities changed considerably. In light of these results, it is fundamental to continue monitoring activities to understand if we are facing transient changes or first signals of an imminent trend.

Cacyreus marshalli (Butler, 1898) is the only alien butterfly species in Italy, introduced from Southern Africa via the trade of ornamental Pelargonium plants (family Geraniaceae). In 2008, Quacchia and colleagues demonstrated that if Pelargonium plants are not available, females can lay eggs on Geranium spp., developing fertile offspring. C. marshalli is a thermophilous species, but in recent years some adults have been observed flying far from villages and at high altitudes (up to 2400 m a.s.l.) in the Orco valley (Gran Paradiso National Park, Aosta Valley). Due to the potential threat to native Geranium-consuming lycaenids and to evaluate the risk of naturalisation, we investigated: (i) dispersal abilities of gravid females, outside the National Park to avoid accidental establishment of the invasive species; (ii) pelargonium distribution and abundance; (iii) oviposition behaviour and preimaginal distribution; (iv) citizen care practices with pelargoniums. Pelargoniums were counted in the Orco Valley (5455 plants) and eggs and larvae were counted on 348 pelargoniums chosen on the basis of isolation and altitude. Flight experiments suggested that females were able to overcome barriers and fly at least 550 m looking for host plants. Eggs and larvae were unexpectedly abundant, but models showed that there was a temperature limit which prevented upward expansion of C. marshalli. Citizens were given a questionnaire to complete to investigate their propensity to replace pelargonium with other ornamental plants. We discuss the possibility of eradicating C. marshalli in the protected area in the light of our results.

The Gran Paradiso National Park (PNGP), founded in 1922, is a Public body subject to the supervision of the Italian Environmental Ministry and it is the first Italian national Park. The PNGP institutive reasons are based on wildlife and landscape conservation. The protected area was an ancient Royal hunting reserve of the Alpine ibex, which was established in 1856. For preserving the only remaining population of Alpine ibex in the Alps, extinguished from all over Europe, was established before the Royal hunting reserve and then the first Italian national Park. The Park Authority pursued the goal of environmental protection and social economic promotion of local populations, enhancing and preserving the specific environmental characteristics of the Gran Paradiso National Park and, anyway, the areas included within the perimeter of the park. The Park Authority is responsible for the conservation of 720 km2 of Alpine environments, located between 800 and 4061 m a.s.l. Specifically, the PNGP aims are represented by: management and protection of the protected area, preservation of biodiversity and landscape, scientific research, environmental education, development and promotion of sustainable tourism. The National Park owned since 1947 its vigilance service, constituted by Park Wardens, that monitor the protected area. The presence of this service allowed the beginning of many different monitoring projects, in particular focused on the presence and distribution of alpine ungulates (alpine ibex and chamois), which now represents one of the longest series available (since 1956). Through the years research and monitoring activities widely broadened and now interest the eco-ethology of different species, in particular the alpine ibex (since 1994), the chamois (since 1993) and the alpine marmot (since 2006). In 2006 started a monitoring project, focused on animal biodiversity and based on selected taxa (birds, butterflies, grasshoppers and crickets, surface active macro-arthropods). This project continued over time thanks to the cooperation with CNR-ISAC. Moreover, in 2006 started also a project devoted to the study of the ecology of alpine lakes. Main purpose is the comprehension of ecosystem functioning and the promotion of the conservation of the freshwater ecosystems.

Mountain ecosystems are biodiversity hotspots that are increasingly threatened by climate and land use/land cover changes. Long-term biodiversity monitoring programs provide unique insights into resulting adverse impacts on plant and animal species distribution. Species distribution models (SDMs) in combination with satellite remote sensing (SRS) data offer the opportunity to analyze shifts of species distributions in response to these changes in a spatially explicit way. Here, we predicted the presence probability of three different rove beetles in a mountainous protected area (Gran Paradiso National Park, GPNP) using environmental variables derived from Landsat and Aster Global Digital Elevation Model data and an ensemble modelling approach based on five different model algorithms (maximum entropy, random forest, generalized boosting models, generalized additive models, and generalized linear models). The objectives of the study were (1) to evaluate the potential of SRS data for predicting the presence of species dependent on local-scale environmental parameters at two different time periods, (2) to analyze shifts in species distributions between the years, and (3) to identify the most important species-specific SRS predictor variables. All ensemble models showed area under curve (AUC) of the receiver operating characteristics values above 0.7 and true skills statistics (TSS) values above 0.4, highlighting the great potential of SRS data. While only a small proportion of the total area was predicted as highly suitable for each species, our results suggest an increase of suitable habitat over time for the species Platydracus stercorarius and Ocypus ophthalmicus, and an opposite trend for Dinothenarus fossor. Vegetation cover was the most important predictor variable in the majority of the SDMs across all three study species. To better account for intra- and inter-annual variability of population dynamics as well as environmental conditions, a continuation of the monitoring program in GPNP as well as the employment of SRS with higher spatial and temporal resolution is recommended.

The Gran Paradiso National Park (PNGP), founded in 1922, is a Public body subject to the supervision of the Italian Environmental Ministry and it is the first Italian national Park. The PNGP institutive reasons are based on wildlife and landscape conservation. The protected area was an ancient Royal hunting reserve of the Alpine ibex, which was established in 1856. For preserving the only remaining population of Alpine ibex in the Alps, extinguished from all over Europe, was established before the Royal hunting reserve and then the first Italian national Park. The Park Authority pursued the goal of environmental protection and social economic promotion of local populations, enhancing and preserving the specific environmental characteristics of the Gran Paradiso National Park and, anyway, the areas included within the perimeter of the park. The Park Authority is responsible for the conservation of 720 km2 of Alpine environments, located between 800 and 4061 m a.s.l. Specifically, the PNGP aims are represented by: management and protection of the protected area, preservation of biodiversity and landscape, scientific research, environmental education, development and promotion of sustainable tourism. The National Park owned since 1947 its vigilance service, constituted by Park Wardens, that monitor the protected area. The presence of this service allowed the beginning of many different monitoring projects, in particular focused on the presence and distribution of alpine ungulates (alpine ibex and chamois), which now represents one of the longest series available (since 1956). Through the years research and monitoring activities widely broadened and now interest the eco-ethology of different species, in particular the alpine ibex (since 1994), the chamois (since 1993) and the alpine marmot (since 2006). In 2006 started a monitoring project, focused on animal biodiversity and based on selected taxa (birds, butterflies, grasshoppers and crickets, surface active macro-arthropods). This project continued over time thanks to the cooperation with CNR-ISAC. Moreover, in 2006 started also a project devoted to the study of the ecology of alpine lakes. Main purpose is the comprehension of ecosystem functioning and the promotion of the conservation of the freshwater ecosystems.