Nature


Spring, streams, lakes The sides of the valleys are covered with forests of conifers, growing from about 1,300 to 1,900 metres. The bare valley of Travenanzes is an exception because its rugged slopes and shady exposure are not the ideal environment for high trunk trees. Bushy thickets of mugo pines replace fir, larch and cembro pines on the scree slopes subject to recurrent landslides and avalanches. The tree most commonly found in the mountain and subalpine zones is the red fir that forms magnificent fir woods in the Ra Stua / Antruiles area. In some areas, which have been inaccessible to modern deforestation facilities for at least half a century, fir woods have grown to majestic height and thickness; they represent one of the most important naturalistic priorities of the Park and are protected as such. Where access roads are more practicable, instead, naturalistic forestry is performed, seconding the spontaneous evolution of the forest by felling old or withering trees and those which hinder natural renewal. The result of this treatment, practised for centuries, is the development of woods with trees of different age coexisting in good ecological stability. Among the fir woods of the mountain zone there are clumps of beeches (Fagus sylvatica) with occasional yews (north side of Cianderou and Col Rosà), while the white fir (Abies alba) is more common in secluded places of oceanic microclimate (Progoito, Costa dei Sié). The southern scree slopes of Croda Rossa and Croda de r'Ancona are populated by the Scotch pine (pinus sylvestris), thinly scattered and rather short, but with a forest floor rich in rare species of wild orchids. As trees gradually give way to high altitude pasture lands, larches (Larix decidua) and cembro pines (Pinus cembra) form clumps characterized by the presence of age-old trees. The larch and cembro pine woods of Lerosa, Gotres, Padeon, Rozes can be considered as natural monuments of priceless environmental value. The grasslands of Lerosa, Fosses, Rozes, Travenanzes are vital pieces in the tessellated mosaic of the Park; they are high altitude ecosystems of exceptional importance not only from a naturalistic and historical point of view in the light of their millenary exploitation as grazing lands, but also for their rich and varied vegetation. In fact many rare and endemic species found only in the Ampezzo Dolomites grow there; among them the Sempervivum Dolomiticum has been chosen as a symbol of the Park. In the Park, summer mountain grazing is still practised at Malga Ra Stua for cattle and at Alpe di Fosses for sheep, with transhumance to the lower pastures at the beginning and at the end of the season. In wooded areas this has determined and maintained through the centuries a kind of landscape which is different from the "natural" one, and nevertheless rich in cultural and historical meaning for the life of the Regole.

Wildlife The rich environmental variety of the Ampezzo Dolomites - forests and grasslands, waters and rocks - explains the diversification of the ecological niches where multifarious animal species make their home. It is also to the scrupulous management of the territory before the creation of the Park that we owe the present biological diversity and numerical density. The most interesting animals are briefly described below, but other less relevant species are still waiting to be counted and properly studied. In the forests and clearings at the botton of the valleys you find the small roe deer (Capreolus capreolus), quite sensitive to the rigours of winter and the presence of unleashed dogs, as well as to the traffic of the nearby Alemagna national road. Even if counterbalanced by a positive birth rate, the above factors determine substantial fluctuations in the number of the standing population. In recent years we have witnessed an increase in the seasonal presence of the large deer, that reach the higher elevations in summer and drift over long distances -always treading the same old deeply furrowed paths- from the Boite to the Landro or other neighbouring valleys. The most common birds to inhabit the lower forests of the Park are woodpeckers (Dryocopus martius) and owls (Athene noctua), that share the same habitat in hollow trees: black woodpeckers and Teugmalm's owls, great spotted woodpeckers and pigmy owls. Also quite common among the Tetraonidae are ptarmigan and grouse such as the hazel hen (Tetrastes bonasia) and the splen did capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus). The latter is going through a generalized drop in the birth-rate, but it is still found in more secluded wooded areas where the undergrowth is rich in wild berries. Worth mentioning is the rare three-toed woodpecker, possibly a survivor of the pre-glacial era, whose presence has often been reported in the fir woods at the foot of Tofana. The predators (foxes, weasels, martens) roam the lower slopes and the uplands without distinction. A couple of eagle-owls have made their home in the region where the four valleys meet, while a couple of goshawks (Accipiter gentilis) build their nest either on the edge of or within the protected area every other year. With their lush undergrowth of rhododendrons, blueber ries (Vaccinium myrtillus) and mugo pines, the upland larch and cembro pine woods are the ideal home for the black grouse (Lyrurus tetrix), to be seen at the upper end of the valleys Fanes, Boite, Padeon, Ansiei, as it is for animals like the blue hare (Lepus timidus) and the chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra), that venture seasonally as far as the high altitude talus slopes and meadows. The chamois is doubtless the most representative ungulate of the Ampezzo Dolomites. At times, the exceeding density of its population is believed to cause the onset of infections which call for the intervention of the foresters to prevent epidemics. The chamois live between 1,500 and 2,700 metres and form herds of 20 - 50 head for a total current population of 1,500, density being at its highest on the southern and western slopes of Croda Rossa. The wild mountain goat (Capra ibex) was restocked about 20 years ago and has since made its habitat on the upland meadows and crags of Fosses and Croda del Becco, developing in time a population of 50 head. At the same elevation you meet the marmot (Marmota marmota) that lives in large colonies at Lerosa, Fosses, Rozes, and the white ptarmigan (Lagopus mutus). The latter turns brown in summer, sharing this moulting habit with the hare (Lepus europeus) and the ermine (Mustela ermine). The ermine is the predator which controls the population of high altitude rodents, while the majestic golden eagle feeds chiefly on marmots: three couples of this large bird of prey have made their nests in the Park and ad joining areas on south-facing cliffs of medium height. The same habitat is favoured by the wall creeper, a wood pecker with butterfly-like flight and flashy plumage that builds its nest on precipitous rock faces. The bearded vulture or lammergeyer has also been seen circling over and alighting on the crags of Tofana: let's hope one day it may elect those ridges to become its fixed abode.

Flora Forests of conifers cover the slopes of the inner valleys from an altitude of 1300 metres (valley bottom) up to 1900 metres. The exception is the val Travenanzes, which is completely devoid of trees due to the roughness of the slopes and lack of sunshine. Thick bushes of dwarf pine replace the forests on the rocky and detritus-covered terrain where landslides are very common. The most common species in the forests of the mountain and sub-alpine plain is the Norway spruce, which forms a number of splendid woods in the areas of Ra Stua and Antruiles. Where, due to their inaccessibility, these woods have not been exploited using modern mechanical means for at least half a century, they have become almost monumental. They are without doubt one of the Park's major natural assets and as such deserve protection. Wherever access is easier thanks to the road network, natural sylviculture is practiced, which as far as possible follows the spontaneous growth of the forest, with elimination of those trees preventing the development of natural renovation, without touching the old plants that are homes to animals. The upshot of this method, used for centuries, are multiplane woods with good ecological stability. Among the woods of the mountain plain are beeches and a sporadic yew (northern face of the Cianderòu and Col Rosà), while the silver fir can be found in recesses where the microclimate is more oceanic (Progóito, Costa dei Sié). In the valley bottoms, within the Park, these three species reach the upper limit of their vegetative possibilities. The stabilised gravel of the barer slopes (southern faces of the Croda Rossa and Croda de r' Ancona), are on the other hand colonised by the Scotch pine, which forms very scattered woods that fail to achieve great heights, but which are rich in undergrowth and rare species of orchids. Where these trees gradually die away towards the alpine pastures, we find magnificent woods of high-altitude larch and Swiss pine. Many of the trees are centuries old. The larches and Swiss pine of Lerósa, Gótres, Padeón and Ròzes, can quite rightly be considered natural monuments of priceless environmental and naturalistic value. The prairies of Lerósa, Fòses, Ròzes and Travenanzes are an important part of the Park's plant heritage. These are high-altitude ecosystems of major importance not only because of the landscaping and history associated with thousands of years of grazing, but also because they boast a wealth of plant species. Many native and rare species grow here in fact, species only found in the Ampezzo Dolomites, including the Sempervivum of the Dolomites, the symbol of the Park. Grazing is still practised in four alpine pastures within the Regole area and, within the Park, at Malga Ra Stua and Val Padeón (cows) and on the Fòses Alp (sheep), with transhumance to lower-altitude pastures at the start and end of season. In the woodland areas, this is the cause that has determined and maintained over centuries a certain farming landscape, different from the natural environment yet very important in terms of the historical and cultural significance of the life of the Regole.

Rocks The geological formations existing in the Park are of sedimentary origin and date back to the Mesozoic Era, more precisely to the Middle Triassic to Lower Cretaceous period between 230 and 120 million years ago. They are made up partly of rocks like dolomia and limestone, which form detrital beds and soaring cliffs, and partly of less compact formations like clay and marl covered with more gentle wooded and grassy terrain. The main outcrop of the Ampezzo Dolomites is largely constituted of Dolomia Principale, a rock formation of the Upper Triassic derived from the sedimentation of lagoonal muds on flatlands covered with algae. In certain areas the stratified dolomia is nearly 1,000 metres thick and forms the unmistakable rock faces and pinnacles of Tofana di Rozes, Cristallo, Piz Popena, Fiames, Travenanzes. More ancient dolomia, less thick and stratified and built into vast ledges, outcrops on the east and west rim of the protected area to form the chain Lagazuoi Piccolo - Cima Falzarego - Col dei Bos. Grey limestone, which comes on top of Dolomia Principale in the stratigraphic succession, forms the exceptionally sheer and smooth walls of Tofana di Mezzo, Mount Taé, Spalti del Col Bechéi; here the stratification is thick and markedly clear. Where the strata are sloping, limestone, which erodes more easily than dolomia, is moulded by the erosive action into whitish flat slabs like those of Croda del Béco and Piccola Croda Rossa. Where the strata are level, instead, they undergo a karst process, which has led to the formation of an intricate underground maze of caves and tunnels - some almost 200 metres deep - on the plateaux of Fosses and Rudo. Likewise impressive, even if less developed, is the karst phenomenon in the dolomia rock, especially manifest in the Cave of Tofana di Rozes. A geomorphologic curiosity of the Park is the huge round holes caused by erosion into thin limestone ridges such as, for example, Busc (hole) de Tofana and Busc de r'Ancona. The most ancient and most recent geological formations in the Park, located respectively at the foot of Mount Tofana / Mount Cristallo and in the area above Ra Stua, are made chiefly of marl and clay, rich in fossil remains. Marl and clay soil not being rocky, it is covered with a fertile layer overgrown with vegetation and often subject to landslides. The fossils of the Ampezzo Dolomites were studied and lovingly collected by the local paleontologist Rinaldo Zardini and form one of the richest and most interesting collections in the whole of Italy. They are exhibited at the museum "de ra Regoles" in the centre of Cortina d'Ampezzo.