Osservatorio della Biodiversità della Regione Autonoma Valle d'Aosta

Vertebrates
Animals presenting, as a distinctive and peculiar feature, a spine that gives support to the body and allows it to move. The vertebrates represent approximately just 2% of all animal life on Earth. They are present in Italy with about 1300 species, accounting for 1 to 2% of the entire Italian fauna. In Aosta Valley about 350 species are present.
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Invertebrates
Large and heterogeneous set of animal species without an internal skeleton. They represent about 97% of all animal life forms on Earth. First to colonize our planet, about 4 billion years ago, they populate any terrestrial environment. In Italy there are about 55100 species, accounting for 98-99% of the Italian fauna
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Protection
The conservation of wildlife must consider multiple biological characteristics of vertebrates and invertebrates species, including high mobility and interactions among even distant populations. More and more often the legislative protection interventions must be transnational and thus they are shared by several Countries and Regions.
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Flora

Vascular flora
It represents the set of all those plants equipped with a specialized vascular system for the transport of water, minerals and sugars. Are part of the vascular flora the pteridophytes and phanerogams, all plants equipped with seeds and flowers more or less specialized, which represent, by themselves, about half of all species of the vegetable kingdom.
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Protection

With the Regional Law No 45/2009 - Regulations for the protection and preservation of alpine flora, the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley regulates the protection and conservation of spontaneous and native alpine flora, as well as some species of ferns, mosses and lichens. Through habitat protection, promotion of conservation and management programs, research and promotion activities, this law is intended to ensure, on the basis of international, community and national laws, the proper conservation of the flora heritage.

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Lichens

Lichens
Symbiotic organisms resulting from the close association between a fungus and an algae. The fungus absorbs the nourishment from the algae, and in return it provides water, minerals and support. Thanks to this symbiosis the lichen can live in extreme environments, generally inaccessible to other forms of plant life.
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Protection

With the Regional Law No 45/2009 - Regulations for the protection and preservation of alpine flora, the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley regulates the protection and conservation of the species of lichens, which reproduction and diffusion occur in natural way. Through habitat protection, promotion of conservation and management programs, research and promotion activities, this law is intended to ensure, on the basis of international, community and national laws, the proper conservation of the natural heritage.

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Bryophytes

Bryophytes
Very primitive plants that have structures similar to leaves and stems, but they are not provided of real roots and vascular tissues, and for this reason they are small. They are generally pioneer plants, able to colonize inhospitable places, where they retain water and limit soil erosion, thus favoring the settlement of species with more ecological requirements.
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Protection

With the Regional Law No 45/2009 - Regulations for the protection and preservation of alpine flora, the Autonomous Region of Aosta Valley regulates the protection and conservation of the species of mosses whose reproduction and distribution occur in a natural way. Through habitat protection, promotion of conservation and management programs, research and promotion activities, this law is intended to ensure, on the basis of international, community and national laws, the proper conservation of the natural heritage.

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Mushrooms

Mushrooms
Systematic heterogeneous group, which includes organisms with very different shapes and sizes. In general, being unable to perform the photosynthetic process, unlike the plant they must draw nourishment from other organisms. They can be parasites of animals or plants or they can live on dead organic matter, accelerating its processes of decomposition.
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