08.04.2025: Ginevra NOTA (Univ. Turin) “Can livestock grazing be an effective and sustainable tool for the conservation and restoration of semi-natural grasslands?", HS 32.01, Institut für Biologie, Bereich Pflanzenwissenschaften, Holteigasse 6, 17:00 Uhr
Semi-natural European grasslands are biodiversity hotspots that depend on low-intensity agro-pastoral management, such as grazing and mowing, for their persistence. In the Alps, most of these habitats are threatened by land abandonment, which causes shrub and tree encroachment, degradation of the floristic composition, and loss of plant diversity, resulting also in a reduced attractiveness for farmers. In this scenario, the development of environmentally and economically sustainable grazing systems can be an effective tool for grassland conservation and restoration. To explore this topic, I present two case studies from my research activity conducted in the Western Alps. The first one, part of the EU LIFE project ‘Xero-grazing’, involves the reintroduction of sheep grazing for the conservation of species-rich dry grasslands (6210* and 6240* EU Habitats) in the Susa Valley, which host many rare Mediterranean species and orchids. We explored how grazing can ensure the maintenance of the habitats and contrast their degradation, and the effects produced on vegetation by different grazing intensities. The second one concerns the use of a hardy cattle breed (Highland cattle) for the exploitation and restoration of shrub and tree-encroached pastures in the Italian and Swiss Alps. We studied how this breed exploits different vegetation types and tested targeted strategies, such as supplement points, to increase grazing pressure on encroached areas. Moreover, we investigated their suitability for being integrated into silvopastoral systems by studying their feeding preferences for more than 30 tree and shrub species. These studies highlight the central role of livestock grazing in preserving semi-natural grasslands and the importance of adopting sustainable management practices to meet conservation goals.