Intensified sheep grazing decreases the biodiversity of alpine grasslands in the Carpathians, Romania

In central and eastern Europe, alpine grasslands are unique habitats for a variety of plant and invertebrate species. Seasonal pastoral activities have been practiced for many centuries on accessible areas of these natural grasslands. To increase grazing areas, semi-natural grasslands have been created in mountain areas below the tree-line by forest logging. Although vascular plant species richness of various natural and semi-natural grasslands in general increases under moderate grazing, effects of grazing on biodiversity vary considerably among ecosystems and among different taxa. Moreover , patterns of biodiversity and their driving processes vary with spatial and temporal scale. Pasture management should be adjusted to the local conditions to identify and implement the best strategy of biodiversity conservation.