The Madriu-Perafita-Claror Valley is not only a place to visit: it is also a territory for scientific observation. Year after year, the Management Commission promotes and hosts monitoring and research projects that make it possible to understand how its ecosystems, flora and fauna evolve in response to challenges such as climate change and human pressure.

A large part of these projects is carried out in collaboration with Andorra Recerca + Innovació (AR+I), the country’s reference organisation in scientific research, which provides technical expertise and coordinates the Valley’s participation in international research networks and projects.

Research projects with Andorra Recerca + Innovació

The projects in this section are developed in collaboration with Andorra Recerca + Innovació (AR+I), which in many cases also channels the Valley’s participation in European projects under the POCTEFA programme.

. Sentinel Observatory

Long-term monitoring project promoted by AR+I to study how mountain ecosystems respond to climate change. It is based on permanent 900 m² plots installed along altitudinal gradients (in the Ràmio valley and Pessons, among others), where forest and vegetation inventories are carried out and temperature, humidity and soil DNA are measured. In some locations, cameras and bioacoustic sensors are also used to monitor wildlife.

More information: https://ari.ad/projectes/observatori-sentinel

. PyriSentinel (POCTEFA)

Cross-border research initiative, coordinated by the Centre de Regulació Genòmica (CRG), focused on the study of microorganisms present in nearly 300 Pyrenean lakes through DNA sequencing techniques. The results provide key information on the health of aquatic ecosystems and the impact of climate change. In the Valley, monitoring activities are focused on Forcat Lake.

More information: https://www.ari.ad/projectes/pyrisentinel

(1) A POCTEFA is a cooperation project between territories in the Pyrenees, funded by the European Union, which allows entities from Spain, France and Andorra to work together to face common challenges.

. Sentinel Lakes

A long-term research programme established in 2017, focused on the study of high-mountain lakes as natural climate archives. It combines the extraction of sediment cores (to reconstruct the climate of the last millennia) with the monitoring of physicochemical water parameters and permanent temperature sensors, in order to improve knowledge of their ecological functioning, identify threat factors and define management actions to preserve them.

The Valley has participated since 2022 with the study of Forcat Lake.

More information: https://www.ari.ad/projectes/llacs-sentinella

. Floralab+ (POCTEFA)

Cross-border project (2024–2026) that continues Floralab, a network of “open-air botanical laboratories (LBCO)” dedicated to the study and monitoring of rare or threatened plant species in the eastern Pyrenees. The Valley’s participation focuses on the monitoring and conservation of flora of heritage interest, as well as awareness-raising activities.

In 2026, the upper part of the Madriu has become an LBCO.

More information: https://www.ari.ad/projectes/floralab

Species and habitat monitoring

In addition to the major research projects, the VMPC maintains biological indicator monitoring programmes that make it possible to detect changes in biodiversity year after year.

. Butterfly monitoring network (BMSAnd)

For ten years, the Valley has been part of Andorra’s Butterfly Monitoring Scheme network (BMSAnd), coordinated by AR+I with the advice of the Museu de Ciències Naturals de Granollers and in collaboration with AR+I. The data are integrated into the Catalan Butterfly Monitoring Scheme and the European eBMS network, and contribute to one of the main European indicators of biodiversity status.

The Valley’s butterfly community is the richest in the entire Andorran network, with 99 species detected to date. However, the latest data indicate a worrying decline in species associated with open habitats, with possible local extinctions of some species, a signal that reinforces the importance of continuing this monitoring.

More information: https://www.ari.ad/projectes/bmsand

. Threatened flora

AR+I is the organisation responsible for monitoring Andorra’s threatened flora and maintains the monitoring of a population of Tofieldia pusilla in the Valley, a species included in the Red List of Andorran flora. The studies, started in 2020, aim to better understand its distribution and population dynamics in order to establish a solid monitoring basis for the future.

. Monitoring of species and habitat indicators

This general monitoring of species and habitats of particular relevance has been temporarily suspended since 2024. Before resuming it, updating the Valley’s Conservation Plan is considered a priority, in order to ensure that the new service responds to the most current guidelines and needs.

Visitor frequency monitoring

The Valley also monitors visitor numbers through a network of eco-counters distributed at strategic points throughout the territory (Pont Sassanat, dels Matxos path, l’Illa refuge and Claror refuge, among others). These data make it possible to understand visitor trends and guide management and conservation measures for the Valley.