Skip to main content
SLU publication database (SLUpub)

Research article2008Peer reviewed

A landscape perspective on conservation of semi-natural grasslands

Lindborg, Regina; Bengtsson, Jan; Berg, Ake; Cousins, Sara A. O.; Eriksson, Ove; Gustafsson, Tomas; Hasund, Knut Per; Lenoir, Lisette; Pihlgren, Aina; Sjodin, Erik; Stenseke, Marie

Abstract

Current agri-environmental schemes and subsidies for conservation and restoration of semi-natural grasslands do not explicitly assess land use changes affecting whole landscapes, but have so far focused on single objects and small areas. In this paper, we discuss a landscape perspective versus a "single object" perspective when conserving semi-natural grassland in agricultural landscapes. The focus is on the values biodiversity, cultural heritage, a vital countryside, and effects on economy when land use changes. We conclude that when land use change in the landscape surrounding an object, important additional effects on the different values are found. For example, a countryside where animals graze former arable fields and where marginal habitats are managed will have a positive effect, not only on the biodiversity associated to semi-natural grasslands, but also for the image of a vital and dynamic landscape. An increased number of roads, on the other hand, may negatively affect cultural heritage and decrease biodiversity in grasslands, leading to negative effects on the value of common goods through isolation. Placing objects in a larger spatial context and combining several different aspects into a landscape perspective, will improve long-term preservation of values associated to semi-natural grasslands. (C) 2008 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Keywords

agricultural landscape; biodiversity; cultural heritage; management; social-ecological systems; trans-disciplinary; values

Published in

Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment
2008, Volume: 125, number: 1-4, pages: 213-222 Publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV

      SLU Authors

            • Associated SLU-program

              SLU Swedish Biodiversity Centre

              UKÄ Subject classification

              Environmental Sciences related to Agriculture and Land-use
              Landscape Architecture

              Publication identifier

              DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2008.01.006

              Permanent link to this page (URI)

              https://res.slu.se/id/publ/17851