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What happens to a mountainside after an avalanche?

The destructive force of an avalanche has a profound impact on the biodiversity in the mountains. Research by Karel Cerny, an Innsbruck-based zoologist and entomologist, and colleagues in North Tyrol, Austria, has shown that natural avalanche tracks are particularly rich in butterfly species. In the Alps, the best tracks are on the sunny, against [south-facing] slopes. Cerny has investigated whether there is a way to manage avalanches better to retain these benefits for nature, without compromising on human safety.