Global Observation Research Initiative in Alpine Environments (GLORIA)

GLORIA operates a world-wide long-term observation network with permanent plot sites in alpine environments. Vegetation and temperature data collected at the GLORIA sites will be used to discern trends in species diversity, composition, abundance, and temperature, and to assess and predict losses in biodiversity in these fragile alpine ecosystems which are under accelerating climate change climate change
Climate change includes both global warming driven by human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases and the resulting large-scale shifts in weather patterns. Though there have been previous periods of climatic change, since the mid-20th century humans have had an unprecedented impact on Earth's climate system and caused change on a global scale.

Learn more about climate change pressures. GLORIA aims at building globally applicable indicators for comparing magnitudes and velocities of changes of different biodiversity components across the major terrestrial biomes and climate zones on Earth. The basic focus is on vegetation and vascular plants, but where experts and funding are available, other organism groups such as bryophytes, lichens, and different vertebrate and arthropod groups are included. The purpose of GLORIA is to establish and maintain a long-term observation network for the comparative study of the effects of climate change on mountain biota.  Mountain environments host an outstandingly diverse and highly specialized flora. Climate change threatens much of this unique biodiversity. 

GLORIA’s international headquarters is based at a joint office of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and the University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences Vienna (BOKU), Austria.