Improving Agri-Environmental Policies through Participatory Research and Civic Engagement

More grasslands, more yields!

Working together for a green Europe

The project is implemented by "Milvus Group" in partnership with Transylvanian Carpathia Society - Satu Mare and benefits from a 224.587 eurosgrant from Active Citizens Fund Romania, programme funded by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Grants Grants 2014 -2021.

Our vision

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Our vision is to ensure the long term conservation of grasslands in Romania, particularly their landscape and natural heritage.


Our project aims at protecting the natural and semi-natural grasslands typical to the geographical regions of Romania, which are often home to great natural values.

What are grasslands?

In a broader sense, grasslands are treeless habitats covered with grass, like pastures and meadows.

As per Romanian Law (Government Emergency Ordinance no. 34/2013), grasslands are areas dominated by perennial grasses (or Gramineae - a large family of plants with minute flowers arranged in spikelets, hollow stems, that last through many years) used for animal feed.

Around the world
types of grasslands

In Romania
types of grasslands

Protected grasslands in Romania
in Natura 2000 areas

Classification

According to their origin:

natural grasslands: areas covered by grasses which usually occur in the dry interior of the continents (steppes, savannas, prairies)
semi-natural grasslands: originating from smaller natural grasslands which expanded as a result of livestock herding
artificial grasslands: made by humans for livestock feed, urban parks, football pitches etc.

How do they work?

Grasslands are one of the most stable ecosystemsAn ecosystem is a community of living organisms (plants, animals, bacteria - biotic components) and their interactions with the non-living elements (climate, soil, water - abiotic components), thus forming a complex, interlinked system. of our planet as they are home to a wide range of plant and animal species with complex relationships between them, and which, during several millennia, evolved into an ecological balance.

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What benefits do they offer?

Ecosystem services are essential goods and services that nature provides for the benefit of humankind - from the simplest (food, water, air, soil, wood) to the most complex (pollination, storage of carbon dioxide, soil water retention). We can distinguish three types of services, but we also need to add the indicator of ecosystem condition (such as biodiversity).

Current situation of grasslands (pastures and meadows) in Romania

%
of the total area (2018)
ha
grasslands disappeared between 2007-2021
*Data source: Eurostat / FAOSTAT