Project promoter
Institute of High Mountain Biology is a scientific body of the University of Žilina whose principal purpose is to provide research at all levels of biological organization from molecules to alpine ecosystems. It was established in 2000 as a center for the development of alpine biological research in the West Carpathians. An important further purpose of the institute is to promote the understanding and protection of the high mountain ecosystems.
Project partner
Project partner of IHMB is Telemark University College from Norway (TUC), which recently merged with few other colleges in southeast Norway to form the University College of Southeast Norway (HSN). In the pursue of relevant research to establish knowledge basis for conservation and management of changing alpine ecosystems TUC performs research in disciplines- climatology, botany, zoology, terrestrial and aquatic ecology, behavioural ecology, genetics, GIS-modelling. Ongoing research projects are focused on climate change impacts, vulnerability and adaptive responses in high alpine natural ecosystems: Present trophic responses to snow in the largest European mountain plateau (Hardangervidda) and models for the future; Trampling and loss of lichen in wild reindeer; Winter foraging and cratering in wild reindeer. In addition, TUC has environmental research group targeted on water, with the stress on studying surface water, ground water, water contamination, ecology, microbiology, biotechnology, and mathematical modelling of water flow and processes.
This project is co-funded by the EEA Grants and the state budget of the Slovak Republic from the EEA Scholarship Programme Slovakia.
Institute of High Mountain Biology
