Gran Paradiso National Park

Infobox Protected area
name = Gran Paradiso National Park
iucn_category = II


caption = Location of Gran Paradiso National Park
base_width = 288
locator_x = 20
locator_y = 52
location = Italy
nearest_city = Turin
lat_degrees=45 |lat_minutes=30 |lat_seconds=10 |lat_direction=N
long_degrees=7 |long_minutes=18 |long_seconds=36 |long_direction=E
area = 703 km² (173,715 acres)cite web |url=http://www.unep-wcmc.org/wdpa/sitedetails.cfm?siteid=718&level=nat |title=Gran Paradiso National Park |accessdate=2008-03-12 |publisher=World Database on Protected Areas ]
established = 1922
visitation_num =
visitation_year =
governing_body =
world_heritage_site =

Gran Paradiso National Park (Italian: "Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso"cite web |url=http://sea.unep-wcmc.org/sites/pa/0245v.htm |title=Parco Nazionale del Gran Paradiso |accessdate=2008-03-12 |publisher=Protected Areas and World Heritage Programme ] ) is Italy's oldest and best known national park. It is located in the Graian Alps. The park is named after Gran Paradiso mountain, which is located in the park. The land the park encompasses was initially protected in order to protect the Alpine ibex, but now also protects other species.cite book |last=Riley |first=Laura |coauthors=William Riley |title=Nature's Strongholds: The World's Great Wildlife Reserves |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=icMuBQhW4vgC |year=2005 |publisher=Princeton University Press |isbn=0691122199 |pages=390-392 ]

History

In the early 19th century, due to hunting for sport and the demand for body parts thought to be medicinal, the Alpine ibex only survived in the Gran Paradiso area. Approximately 60 individual ibex lived here.cite book |last=Nowak |first=Ronald M. |title=Walker's Mammals of the World |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=7W-DGRILSBoC&dq |year=1999 |publisher=JHU Press |isbn=0801857899 |pages=1224 ] Ibex were intensively hunted because their body parts were thought to have therapeutic properties. Talismans were made was made from a small cross-shaped bone in the ibex's heart in order to protect against violent death.cite book |last=Price |first=Gillian |title=Walking in Italy's Gran Paradiso |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=FhxKsmQyHXUC |year=1997 |publisher=Cicerone Press Limited |isbn=1852842318 |pages=13-16 ] Due to the alarming decrease in the ibex population, Victor Emmanuel, soon to be King of Italy, declared the Royal Hunting Reserve of the Gran Paradiso in 1856. A protective guard was created for the ibex. Paths laid out for the ibex are still used today as part of 724 kilometres (450 mi) of marked trails and mule tracks.

In 1920 Victor Emmanuel II's grandson King Victor Emmanuel III donated the park's original 21 square kilometres (5,189 acres), and the park was established in 1922. It was Italy's first national park.cite book |last=Mose |first=Ingo |title=Protected Areas and Regional Development in Europe |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=fl3dR_WiuKwC |year=2007 |isbn=075464801X |pages=132 ] There were approximately 4,000 ibex in the park when it was protected.cite book |last=Akitt |first=James Wells |title=The Gran Paradiso and Southern Valdotain: The Long Distance Walks |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=3_IDLRL1CLwC |year=1997 |publisher=Cicerone Press Limited |isbn=1852842474 |pages=51 ] Despite the presence of the park, ibex were poached until 1945, when only 419 remained. Their protection increased, and there are now almost 4,000 in the park.

Geography

The park is located in the Graian Alps in the regions of Piemonte and Valle d'Aosta in north-west Italy. It encompasses 703 square kilometres (173,715 acres) of alpine terrain. 10% of the park's surface area is wooded. 16.5% is used for agriculture and pasture, 24% is uncultivated, and 40% is classified as sterile. 9.5% of the park's surface area is occupied by 57 . They co-operate in managing the ibex population, which moves across their shared boundary seasonally. [cite book |last=Sandwith |first=Trevor |title=Transboundary Protected Areas for Peace and Co-operation |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=FxmXNURjpJMC |year=2001 |publisher=The World Conservation Union |isbn=2831706122 |pages=66 ]

Flora

The park's woods are important because they provide shelter for a large number of animals. They are a natural defence against landslides, avalanches, and flooding. The two main types of woods found in the park are coniferous and deciduous woods. The deciduous European beech forests are common on the Piemonte side of the park, and are not found on the dryer Valle d'Aosta side. These forests are thick with dense foliage that lets in very little light during the summer. The beech leaves take a long time to decompose, and they form a thick layer on the woodland floor that impedes the development of other plants and trees. Larches are the most common trees in the forests on the valley floors. They are mixed with spruces, Swiss stone pines, and more rarely silver firs.

Maple and lime forests are found in gulleys. These forests are only present in isolated areas and are at risk of extinction. Downy oak woods are more common in the Valle d'Aosta area than in the Piemonte area because of its higher temperatures and lower precipitation. Oak is not a typical species in the park and it is often found mixed with Scots pine. The park's chestnut groves have been effected by human cultivation for wood and fruit. It rarely grows above 1,000 metres (3,280 ft), and the most important chestnut forests are in the park's Piemonte side. The park's conifer woods include Scots pine groves, spruce forests dominated by the Norway spruce, often mixed with larch. Larch and Swiss stone pine woods are found up to the highest sub-alpine level (2200-2300 metres (7,217-7,546 ft)).cite web |url=http://www.pngp.it/page.asp?ART=275&PGE=1&COD=A&SEL=55&TIT=The%20woods |title=The woods |accessdate=2008-03-12 |publisher=Parco Nazionale Gran Paradiso]

At higher altitudes the trees gradually thin out and there are alpine pastures. These pastures are rich in flowers in the late spring. The wildflowers in the park's high meadows include wild pansies, gentians, martagon lilies, and alpenroses. These flowers attract large numbers of butterflies including apollos, peak whites, and southern white admirals. The park has many rocky habitats. They are mostly located above the timberline and alpine pastures. These areas have rock and detritus on their surface. Alpine plants have adapted to these habitats by assuming characteristics like inside the park.

Fauna

Ibex graze in the abundant mountain pastures in summer, and descend to lower elevations in winter. Gran Paradiso's pairing with Vanoise National Park provides year-round protection to the ibex.cite book |last=Kiss |first=Alexandre Charles |coauthors=Dinah Shelton |title=Manual of European Environmental Law |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=Fws4AAAAIAAJ&dq |year=1997 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |isbn=0521591228 |pages=198 ] Along with the ibex, the animal species found in the park include ermine, weasel, hare, Eurasian badger, and alpine chamois. The ibex and chamois spend most of the year above the tree line. They descend to the valleys in the winter and spring. Alpine marmots forage on plants along the snow line.

There are more than 100 bird species in the park, including Eurasian Eagle-owls, Rock Ptarmigans, Alpine Accentors, and Choughs. Golden Eagles nest on rocky ledges, and sometimes in trees. Wallcreepers are found on steep cliffs. There are red-crested black Woodpeckers and speckled Nutcrackers in the park's woodlands.

Tourism

The park is easily accessed by high-speed motorways linked to France and use the park during the winter.cite book |last=Belford |first=Ros |url=http://books.google.ie/books?id=guMWMVFhqzwC |year=2003 |title=The Rough Guide to Italy |publisher=Rough Guides |isbn=1843530600 |pages=100-101 ] There are controversial proposed building developments in and just outside the park.

References

External links

* [http://www.pngp.it/index.asp?LNG=ENG Gran Paradiso National Park,] official website.
* [http://www.parks.it/parco.nazionale.gran.paradiso/Eindex.html Pages by the Park Authority on Parks.it]