Conservation of Insular Semi-Natural Dry Grassland from Carpathians and Transylvania, Romania

Abstract

In the last decade, it has become scientifically evident that the insular dry grasslands of the Carpathians and the Transylvanian Depression in Romania represent biodiversity hotspots. These semi-natural dry grassland habitats are traditional cultural landscapes resulting from low-intensity land-use practices over centuries. Nowadays, changes in land use, such as agricultural intensification, cessation of traditional management, long-term abandonment, and a lack of public and policy-maker awareness of their importance, constitute factors that threaten these high natural value grasslands. Consequently, their distribution has become insular and isolated. Therefore, in order to preserve these valuable grasslands, it is imperative to explore and implement effective conservation strategies. The significance of ecosystems is evident from the presence of specific motifs in Romanian folk culture that reflect the diversity of Transylvanian grasslands. Moreover, public awareness has been raised in recent years by national and international celebrities who have visited or showcased the Transylvanian grasslands in their activities. To raise public awareness about Transylvanian dry grasslands and to ex situ conserve them, we constructed a small dry grassland plot within the “Vasile Fati” Botanical Garden in Jibou, Romania. This project aligns with other ongoing conservation activities at the “Vasile Fati” Botanical Garden of the Biological Research Center in Jibou, including the conservation of endangered plant species and traditional Romanian fruit trees, especially apple trees, as well as educational activities in the fields of ecology, botany, and zoology.