Vegetation Database of the Gran Paradiso National Park: a new tool for the oldest national park in Italy

National parks play a key role in biodiversity conservation, but the vegetation data collected within them often remain fragmented, heterogeneous, or difficult to access. Structured vegetation databases are therefore essential for transforming historical and contemporary records into accessible resources for environmental management, scientific research, and future monitoring initiatives. Here we present the Vegetation Database of the Gran Paradiso National Park, Italy’s first national park, registered in GIVD under the ID EU-IT-025. The park is a hotspot of alpine biodiversity, harbouring over 1,100 vascular plant species, including more than 80 alpine endemic species. The database integrates decades of botanical research. This comprehends vegetation surveys derived from different research projects based on different sampling methods, including a subset of permanent plots. To ensure consistency and interoperability, records were georeferenced and harmonised. The database includes 1,203 vegetation plots, associated metadata, and 853 recorded taxa, largely from high-elevation environments above 2,000 m a.s.l. More than 100 species are of conservation concern, and nearly 7% are alpine endemics. Most plots (89%) were assigned to EUNIS habitat categories, with grasslands as the dominant type. The database is accessible through a dedicated web application, facilitating data exploration and supporting its use in conservation planning, habitat assessment, and future vegetation monitoring.