Details

Why we must save our grasslands?

As one of the richest in grasslands among the EU Member States, Romania has 33% of its agricultural land covered by pastures and meadows. The preservation of grasslands is equally vital for biodiversity protection and for the people who manage these ecosystems and rely on them for their livelihoods.

Mountain grassland rich in globeflower (Trollius europaeus) / Photo: Tibor Sos

Bug orchid (Orchis coriophora) on a mountain meadow / Photo: Tibor Sos

Mountain meadow abundant in viper’s bugloss (Echium vulgare) / Photo: Johanna Buslig

Agricultural mosaic landscape with meadows, grasslands and farming land / Photo: Tibor Sos

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Grasslands, however, are seriously undervalued equally by the general public and the authorities. They are constantly under attack due to conversion into arable land, infrastructure and development, or overexploitation (overgrazing). Sadly, managing grasslands isn't highly profitable for farmers, and the authorities are reluctant to intervene to stop their decline.

Consequently, grasslands are degrading and disappearing. Thus, they are less likely to provide us with the essential provisioning, regulating and cultural ecosystem servicesEcosystem services are vital 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).

Our project

We strive

• to issue a warning about the disappearance and degradation of grasslands;
• to make our target groups (farmers, competent authorities, but also the general public) recognise the true value of these habitats;
• to exert pressure on authorities through judicial litigations and to submit a complaint to the European Commission for not meeting the obligations (i.e. to preserve the land cover of grasslands at the moment of Romania's EU accession);
• to involve farmers in the current agri-environmental scheme improvement process and in designing more effective, new measures.

Activities

• sociological research(in 7 Romanian counties: Arad, Bihor, Cluj, Covasna, Mureș, Satu-Mare, Timiș);
• watchdog reports;
• agri-environmental scheme efficiency assessment;
• awareness-raising;
• environmental education for undergraduate and graduate students.

Project target sites

Partners

“Milvus Group” Association is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to nature conservation. Milvus Group (MG) runs research, consultancy and educational projects and programmes to make Romania a better place for wild animals and humans alike. The link between biodiversity and agriculture is an issue MG has been tackling for a long time. MG designed agri-environment scheme proposals for the Romanian Ministry of Environment and has also been implementing projects with farmers. As the project leader, MG is in charge of collecting data, carrying out the sociological research, involving the local stakeholders and managing the project.

Transylvanian Carpathia Society - Satu-Mare (TCS) has been founded by a group of nature enthusiasts on a mission to work for a healthy society that lives in a healthy environment. Having significant experience in judicial litigations against authorities, as a partner in this project, TCS will document the destruction of grasslands, will take legal action against the competent governmental institutions and will submit a complaint to the European Commission to launch an infringement procedure against Romania.