Post Hoc Assessment of Stand Structure Across European Wood-Pastures: Implications for Land Use Policy

Who is researching biodiversity hotspots in Eastern Europe? A case study on grasslands from Romania

“…From the perspective of holistic understanding (Hanspach et al 2014), there are recently established research projects in different regions of Romania (i.e., ‘Sustainable Landscapes in Central Romania’), which aim to contribute to a socially and ecologically sustainable farming system in Romania. Romania hosts some of the most representative wood-pasture systems of Central and Eastern Europe (Roellig et al 2018). Despite their common occurrence in Romania and their relative scarcity in Western Europe (Plieninger et al 2015), we found a surprisingly low number of papers addressing these systems.…”

“…Despite their common occurrence in Romania and their relative scarcity in Western Europe (Plieninger et al 2015), we found a surprisingly low number of papers addressing these systems. Since wood-pastures of Romania suffered from the lack of tree regeneration (Roellig et al 2018) and the erosion of values related to scattered trees (Torralba et al 2018), it is of utmost importance to amplify the holistic research on these systems. Based on our collective, long-term experience as researchers within the Romanian academic system, we believe that Romanian academia still has much to do for implementing holistic, trans-disciplinary research to address sustainability problems related to farming landscapes in general and pastures in particular.…”

Land Use Guidelines to Maintain Habitat Diversity of Wood- Pastures in the Southern Carpathians Under Projected Climate Change

“…Widely spread throughout Europe, a process of segregation threatens these landscapes. Structurally-diverse mosaics with high habitat value shift either to (i) closed forest due to abandonment and subsequent forest succession, or (ii) almost treeless pastures due to intensification and subsequent cutting of isolated tree stands (Bergmeier et al 2010;Chetelat et al 2013;Fontana et al 2014;Gallandat et al 1995;Plieninger et al 2015Plieninger et al , 2003Roellig et al 2018;Vera 2000). In Romania, landscape simplification as a result of wood-pasture loss has recently gained intensity driven by socio-economic changes in the post-communism period (Hartel et al 2013;Munteanu et al 2014;Sutcliffe et al 2015bSutcliffe et al , 2013.…”

“…In Romania, landscape simplification as a result of wood-pasture loss has recently gained intensity driven by socio-economic changes in the post-communism period (Hartel et al 2013;Munteanu et al 2014;Sutcliffe et al 2015bSutcliffe et al , 2013. In Western Europe, this process led to significant losses of biodiversity over the past century (Brandt 2003;Hartel et al 2015;Hartel & Plieninger 2014;Makarewicz et al 2012;Plieninger et al 2015;Roellig et al 2018). Today, in the Carpathians, species which rely on the complex habitat structure of wood-pastures become threatened (Beaufoy et al 2008;Bergmeier et al 2010;Dorresteijn et al 2013;Hartel & Plieninger 2014;Roellig et al 2014).…”

“…Today, in the Carpathians, species which rely on the complex habitat structure of wood-pastures become threatened (Beaufoy et al 2008;Bergmeier et al 2010;Dorresteijn et al 2013;Hartel & Plieninger 2014;Roellig et al 2014). The loss of wood-pasture mosaics leads to a decrease in the ecological value of the entire landscape (Hartel & Plieninger 2014;Marușca et al 2014;Roellig et al 2018Roellig et al , 2014Sutcliffe et al 2015b). In Romania wood-pastures are still widespread and now require ecologically-sound management strategies (Öllerer 2013;Palang et al 2006).…”