“The steppe flora and fauna we find in the Alps are independent of those in the east. We have a genetic diversity here that exists only in the Alps.”

Philipp Kirschner, biologist at the University of Innsbruck,
on islands of biodiversity in Tyrol

Philipp Kirschner is a member of the Biodiversity Research Group at the University of Innsbruck. The group works on the evolution and diversification of plants in the Alps and in other regions, as well as on the impacts of climate change and changes in land use. In the audio piece “Rare Species Richness on Barren Ground. Dry Grasslands in Fließ”, he speaks about the unique diversity of the region.