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Impact of Land Use Changes on the Diversity and Conservation Status of the Vegetation of Mountain Grasslands (Polish Carpathians)

Author

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  • Jan Zarzycki

    (Faculty of Environmental Engineering and Land Surveying, University of Agriculture in Krakow, al. Mickiewicza 21, 31-120 Kraków, Poland)

  • Joanna Korzeniak

    (Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland)

  • Joanna Perzanowska

    (Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Mickiewicza 33, 31-120 Kraków, Poland)

Abstract

In recent decades, in the Polish Carpathians, agriculture has undergone major changes. Our goal was to investigate whether the former management (plowing or mowing and grazing) had an impact on the current species composition, diversity and conservation status of the vegetation of grazing areas. We carried out vegetation studies on 45 grazing sites with traditional methods of grazing (transhumant pastoralism). The survey covered both old (continuous) grasslands and grasslands on former arable land. The most widespread were Cynosurion pastures and mesic Arrhenatherion grasslands. Wet Calthion meadows occurred at more than a half of grazing sites, while nutrient-poor Nardetalia grasslands were only recorded at several grazing sites. For each grazing site, we used soil maps from the 1960s to read land use in the past. We mapped present grassland and arable land area. Compared with the 1960s, there was a significant decrease in the area of arable land and an increase in grasslands. Species diversity was greater in grazing sites where grasslands developed on former arable land. However, this diversity was associated mainly with the occurrence of common grassland species. Cynosurion pastures and wet Calthion meadows had the best conservation status, while nutrient-poor Nardetalia grasslands were the worst preserved. We concluded that the conservation status of mesic grasslands and pastures is dependent on the present diversity of land use within a grazing site, rather than the land use history 60 years ago. This is the first study of the natural, not economic, value of pasture vegetation in the Polish part of the Carpathians.

Suggested Citation

  • Jan Zarzycki & Joanna Korzeniak & Joanna Perzanowska, 2022. "Impact of Land Use Changes on the Diversity and Conservation Status of the Vegetation of Mountain Grasslands (Polish Carpathians)," Land, MDPI, vol. 11(2), pages 1-14, February.
  • Handle: RePEc:gam:jlands:v:11:y:2022:i:2:p:252-:d:744527
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Arianna Ferrara & Marianna Biró & Luca Malatesta & Zsolt Molnár & Stefano Mugnoz & Federico Maria Tardella & Andrea Catorci, 2021. "Land-use modifications and ecological implications over the past 160 years in the central Apennine mountains," Landscape Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 46(7), pages 932-944, October.
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    Cited by:

    1. Claudia Bita-Nicolae & Faruk Yildiz & Ozkan Kaya, 2023. "Exploring the Biodiversity and Conservation Value of Alpine Grasslands in the Bucegi Massif, Romanian Carpathians," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 15(16), pages 1-21, August.

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