Plant species diversity and traditional management in Eastern Carpathian

Commissioned by:

Authors:Anna Mária Csergő, László Demeter

Acknowledgements : We are grateful for the help of Kelemen Alpár, Péter Gabriella, Babai Dániel, Molnár Ábel and Jakab Gusztáv for participation and help during the field work. Thanks to Molnár Zsolt for useful discussions on the methodology, to Roy Turkington, Valerie Lemay and AbdulAzim Zumrawi from the University of British Columbia for support on methodology and data analysis, and to Gwyn Jones from EFNCP for improving an earlier version of this report. We owe huge amount of gratitude to Barbara Knowles for mentoring this (and other) research in our study area.

Sources of funding: This study was funded by EFNCP through DG Environment and the Barbara Knowles Fund, in collaboration with the Pogányhavas Association.

Views expressed in this report do not necessarily reflect those of the European Commission (EC).

For more information on this report and other work of the European Forum on Nature Conservation and Pastoralism (EFNCP), please contact [email protected]

EFNCP brings together ecologists, nature conservationists, farmers and policy makers. This nonprofit network exists to increase understanding of the high nature conservation and cultural value of certain farming systems and to inform work on their maintenance. EFNCP is a Company Limited by Guarantee registered in England and Wales No 3150755.

Registered office: 97 Oakwell Court Hamsterley Vale Derwentside County Durham England NE17 7BE TABLE OF CONTENTS Page

1 Executive Summary ...... 4

2 Introduction / Background ...... 5

3 Methods ...... 8

3.1 Site description ...... 8 3.2 Sampling procedure ...... 12 3.3 Data analysis...... 14

4 Results ...... 16

4.1 Species composition ...... 16 4.2 Species diversity ...... 18 4.3 Relationship of environmental and biotic conditions to diversity ...... 23

5 Discussion ...... 24

5.1 Species diversity ...... 24 5.2 Effect of management ...... 24 5.3 Effect of abandonment ...... 28 5.4 Effect of abiotic conditions ...... 31 5.5 Effect of dominant species ...... 32 5.6 Effect of management systems and conservation efforts ...... 34

6 Conclusions...... 36

7 References ...... 37

8 Annex 1 ...... 41

Plant species diversity and traditional management in Eastern Carpathian grasslands 4

1 Executive Summary

Agrienvironment payments have been available in Romania since 2007. Payment is available for farmers living in zones classified as High Nature Value Areas in two packages: HNV grasslands and nonmechanized farming. While the system is functioning administratively, affecting hundreds of thousands of farmers and large areas of land, the biodiversity benefits are not fully understood. No distinction is made in the scheme, for example, in the amount of payment for and meadows, while the management criteria are clearly different.

Also in 2007, implementation of the Natura 2000 system started in Romania. Natura 2000 sites have so far been designated in two waves, and as a result, more than 20% of the country is now designated as part of the network. Several managed habitats are listed as priority habitats including mountain hay meadows. Compensatory payments related to the Natura 2000 network are available in Romania, as the elaboration of management plans is under progress. The management of Natura 2000 grassland habitats is currently done for free by rural communities over large areas of the country.

In the mountainous areas of Transylvania, abandonment of grasslands is a serious threat to biodiversity. Secondary succession towards forests may result in massive loss of meadow species. Yet, no quantitative biodiversity assessment has been conducted so far to document the plant sp