Standardised monitoring of animal taxa (Aves, Lepidoptera Rhopalocera, Orthoptera, Araneae, Coleoptera Staphylinidae, Coleoptera Carabidae, Hymenoptera Formicidae, pollinators), sampled in fixed plots along altitudinal/environmental gradients in the NW Alps. Sampling methodologies and temporal resolution differ among taxa. For each taxonomic group both semi-quantitative data (directly deriving from monitoring activities) and the characteristics of each species (describing its functional role, distribution and vulnerability) have been archived. The fixed plots are essentially the sampling units (circular plots of 100 m radius), in which also environmental, topographic and microclimatic data have been collected.