Biodiversity-rich European grasslands: ancient, forgotten ecosystems

Feurdean, Angelica and Ruprecht, Eszter and Molnár, Zsolt and Hutchinson, Simon M. and Hickler, Thomas (2018) Biodiversity-rich European grasslands: ancient, forgotten ecosystems. BIOLOGICAL CONSERVATION, 228. pp. 224-232. ISSN 0006-3207

Preview	Text BIOC_2018_704_Revision 2_V0-7-50.pdf Download (3MB) | Preview
	Text Feurdean_etal_MolnarZs_BC_publ_vers_Rletol.pdf Restricted to Registered users only Download (1MB)

Abstract

Worldwide reforestation has been recommended as a landscape restoration strategy to mitigate climate change in areas where the climate can sustain forest. This approach may threaten grassland ecosystems of unique biodiversity as such policies are based on the false assumption that most grasslands are man-made. Here, we use multiple lines of evidence (palaeoecological, pedological, phylogenetic, palaeontological) from Central Eastern Europe and show that various types of grasslands have persisted in this area throughout postglacial i.e. the past 11,700 years. A warm and dry climate, frequent fires, herbivore pressure, and early Neolithic settlements kept forests open until widespread forest clearance beginning 4000-3000 years ago. Closed forest cover has been the exception for the past two million years. This long-term persistence has likely contributed to the high biodiversity of these grasslands. Consequently, we call for a more cautious prioritisation of the protection of what may be erroneously considered natural, i.e. forests, by many environmental specialists and managers. Instead we provide a new framework for a better understanding of the evolution and persistence of different grassland types and their biodiversity, so that grasslands can be better understood, valued and conserved.

Actions (login required)

Edit Item