Several multidisciplinary research projects with regard to conservation and management of the summit areas took place in the Giant Mountains (Krkonoše in Czech, Karkonosze in Polish) starting from 1993. Beside the assessment of general biotic and physical factors, the main objectives of these studies were the relationships between stands of dwarf-pine krummholz and non-woody tundra ecosystems encountered in this area. A series of articles in vol. 38 and 39 of Opera Corcontica brings about main results of these projects whose rationale deserves to be explained in a short introduction.