Challenges for the Conservation of Semi-Natural Grasslands in Mountainous National Parks – Case Studies From the Polish Carpathians

Provisioning Ecosystem Services of Wild Plants Collected From Seminatural Habitats: A Basis for Sustainable Livelihood and Multifunctional Landscape Conservation

“…As a result of declining interest in livestock grazing and mowing meadows for forage, grasslands and other seminatural habitats are disappearing through natural forest encroachment (Tokarczyk 2018). This has implications for nature conservation as multifunctional land use and landscape mosaics decrease.…”

“…This can be applied in the Pieniny Mountains and in other mountainous regions where similar reforestation processes occur because of land abandonment. As mentioned in the introduction, this is particularly true for Central European countries (Medwecka-Kornaś 1977;Tokarczyk 2018;Peciña et al 2019).…”

“…In addition, accompanying actions, such as cultural festivals, as well as the production of dairy and wool products, bring direct and indirect financial benefits. Although it is a successful initiative, PNP only conserves the most endangered habitats because of financial and ownership limitations (Tokarczyk 2018). Hence, only plant communities within the borders of the protected area are conserved.…”

“…ESs provided by wild plants may foster the development of ecotourism; for example, traditional cuisine based on wild plants may serve as a tourism product (Łuczaj et al 2012;Derek 2021). However, as a result of socioeconomic transformations leading to land abandonment and reforestation processes, which have been particularly rapid in Central and Eastern Europe, mountain grasslands and other seminatural communities are some of the most endangered ecosystems in Europe (Medwecka-Kornaś 1977;Tokarczyk 2018;Peciña et al 2019). Moreover, the ecological, cultural, and economic role of seminatural meadows is still underestimated, as shown by the example of Jiuzhaigou National Park in China, where a policy of reforestation of valuable grasslands was implemented (Urgenson et al 2014).…”

Impact of Future Land Use Change on Large Carnivores Connectivity in the Polish Carpathians

“…While the projected increase in forest cover would support habitats and habitat connectivity for forest-dwelling species, the agricultural land abandonment and decrease in grassland areas could be an important threat to many open farmland or grassland-associated species [50,51]. Even in national parks, there are considerable challenges facing the management and maintenance of grasslands for conservation and protection [52], with often greater difficulties outside the protected areas. The knowledge of potential future land use change provides guidance for the design of effective conservation policies, which then could be implemented by local or regional environmental protection institutions or agencies.…”