DOLOMITES - Annexes 2-8 - Provincia di Udine

NOMINATION OF THE DOLOMITES FOR INSCRIPTION ON THE WORLD NATURAL HERITAGE LIST UNESCO
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of the location at high altitude (the northern slopes of Monte Talvena in the Parco Nazionale Dolomiti Bellunesi).
At high altitudes, therefore, the total number of species is increasing, but the cryophilic species are
disappearing when they reach the level of bare rock and can find no other proper habitat. About 400
Alpine species are condemned to this fate. The valleys will thus take on a new appearance with the
coming and going of the various species. Oaks and hornbeams will take the place of beech and fir,
while the conifers that have stood for centuries on the higher slopes will be crowded into increasingly
narrow areas and will eventually disappear. Where animal husbandry is practiced, pasturing may
possibly stabilize the present timberline, which is now around 1,800 meters (in the outer areas) and
2,000-2,200 meters (in the inner, more continental areas) in the Dolomites area. Therefore, agricultural
activities could still heavily shape the Dolomite landscape.
The close relationship between man and nature is emphasized by grazing at high altitudes.
The high-altitude prairies keep their charm and naturalistic value (with rare and endangered species)
thanks to the continuation of livestock grazing (Rascesa/Raschötz, in the background).
The system of screes, typical of the Dolomites, is equally interesting. These are the wide expanses of
fragmented material surrounding the feet of the rock walls, generated by collapse of the rocks above
and the continual contraction and dilation processes according to the day/night and seasonal temperature
differences. Scree represents a system of violent and highly visible contrasts: totally dry on
the surface, but deep below crossed by important water courses every time there is rain or snowfall
or during snowmelt. They appear as deserts at first sight, but in fact they are home to amazing micro-
and ecosystems of exceptionally ostentatious life forms. Freezing cold or scorching hot, according
to the time of day or night and the season, these are the favoured habitat of the animals most
known and well-loved by the occasional visitors to these mountains: ibex, chamois, Alpine choughs,
eagles, marmots and a hundred others that populate not only the mountains but also the glossy magazines
dedicated to nature and mountains. The Dolomites, in the strict sense, do not have a relevant