ECOLOGICAL RESTORATION OF SEMI- NATURAL GRASSLAND IN EUROPE Status quo and future prospects Rudy van Diggelen

GRASSLAND GOODS AND SERVICES Production of live-stock (milk, meat, wool, leather) Biodiversity (e.g. calcareous grasslands) Carbon storage (35% of global stock vs. 39% in woodlands) Soil protection Tourism and recreation

Production of live-stock (milk, meat, wool, leather)

Biodiversity (e.g. calcareous grasslands)

Carbon storage (35% of global stock vs. 39% in woodlands)

Soil protection

Tourism and recreation

STATUS QUO

THIS IS WHAT PEOPLE HAVE IN MIND…

THIS IS WHAT THEY SEE…

OR THIS…

MAJOR THREATS Abandonment Intensification Changing land use (building, afforestation, converting to arable fields)

Abandonment

Intensification

Changing land use (building, afforestation, converting to arable fields)

AREA OF SEMINATURAL GRASSLANDS & ABANDONED SEMINATURAL GRASSLANDS IN CEE

MAJOR THREATS Abandonment Intensification Changing land use (building, afforestation, converting to arable fields)

Abandonment

Intensification

Changing land use (building, afforestation, converting to arable fields)

NUTRIENT APPLICATION IN NL

QUALITY OF LOW-PRODUCTIVE GRASSLAND IN THE NETHERLANDS Van Hinsberg et al. 2007

RESTORATION

RESTORING PREVIOUS MANAGEMENT: GRAZING BY LARGE HERBIVORES

RESTORING PREVIOUS MANAGEMENT: MOWING WITH NORMAL EQUIPMENT

1 year

5 years

12 years

CHANGES IN PRODUCTIVITY Olff & Bakker 1991

SPECIES RICHNESS

Bakker & Olff, 1995 Unfortunately it is a slow process

SPEED UP DEVELOPMENT BY TOP SOIL REMOVAL?

Top soil removal

A = BEFORE TOP SOIL REMOVAL; B = SHALLOW REMOVAL; C = DEEPER REMOVAL Abiotic conditions Example Eexterveld

EFFECT OF NITROGEN AVAILABILITY ON PRODUCTIVITY

TOTAL NITROGEN CONTENT

Verhagen et al. 2003 Nitrogen dynamics

CHANGES IN SPECIES RICHNESS OVER TIME Olff & Bakker 1991

CHANGES IN SPECIES RICHNESS IN RELATION TO STARTING SITUATION Klimkowska et al. 2007

WAAR KOMEN DE SOORTEN VANDAAN? Do the species come from the soil seed bank?

Survival of ingested seeds Mouissie, van der Veen, Veen & van Diggelen 2005

Mouissie et al. 2005 Animal selectivity

PRELIMINARY CONCLUSIONS Species richness does increase over time under a regime of biomass removal The increase rate decreases with time since abandonment/intensification The increase rate decreases with increasing species richness This implies that it takes a long time to restore species-rich grasslands this way

Species richness does increase over time under a regime of biomass removal

The increase rate decreases with time since abandonment/intensification

The increase rate decreases with increasing species richness

This implies that it takes a long time to restore species-rich grasslands this way

SPEED UP COLONISATION RATE THROUGH ADDITION OF PROPAGULES? Unpublished data van Diggelen , van den Burg & Dijkstra

Do we reach the target? 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 Droge heide .04 .08 .16 .19 .21 Natte heide .04 .01 .02 .03 .02 Dotterbloemhooiland . .26 .34 .34 .35 Noordse zegge hooiland . .10 .17 .18 .16 Overstromings-dotterbloemhooiland .33 .26 .23 .19 .25 Heischraal grasland . .01 .09 .11 .11 Kleine zeggen .08 .11 .16 .16 .21 Overstromingsgrasland . .24 .28 .28 .29 Kamgrasweide .35 .31 .32 .29 .29 Kievitsbloemhooiland .16 .14 .15 .10 .13 Gemiddeld .25 .21 .24 .23 .24

DO WE REACH THE TARGET?

LARGE SCALE SEEDING

COMPARISON BETWEEN TECHNIQUES W: Rewetting R: Top soil removal T: Transfer of propagules Klimkowska et al. 2007

CONCLUSIONS There are differences in effects between several restoration techniques Topsoil removal and addition of propagules are slightly more effective than just manipulation of abiotic conditions Especially the combination of these techniques appeared most effective In this way restoration can be reasonably fast

There are differences in effects between several restoration techniques

Topsoil removal and addition of propagules are slightly more effective than just manipulation of abiotic conditions

Especially the combination of these techniques appeared most effective

In this way restoration can be reasonably fast