Although the abandonment and intensification of valuable grasslands in the Alps have long been an issue, these trends are still ongoing. The Biodiversa+ project “G4B: Grasslands for Biodiversity” is investigating what is needed to protect species-rich mountain meadows in the Alps and Carpathians. To this end, both botanical data and detailed management data from meadows and pastures in a north-south transect in the Alpine region were collected to disentangle the effects of management practices and location on plant diversity. Particular attention was paid to the frequency and time of mowing as well as nutrient input through fertilization with manure, as well as the intensity of grazing.
Preliminary results from 4920 vegetation surveys show that the number of species of vascular plants with intensified use drops from an average of 41 species on nutrient-poor meadows that are only mown every two years and not fertilized to an average of 17 species with three fertilization events per year. In the case of nutrient-poor pastures in particular, the location has a significant effect: wet nutrient-poor pastures are home to an average of only 29 species, neutral to acidic locations to 41 species, and alkaline locations to 51 species.
The final results of the project will help decision-makers and public institutions to improve the system for conserving species-rich grassland and ensure its protection in line with European nature conservation objectives.