Abstract
This proposal concerns a new project, based on previous projects supported by Formas. The programme is founded on the need for developing knowledge about how secondary grassland habitats, grazed forests and grazed former arable fields, influence the species diversity associated with semi-natural grasslands of high conservation value, under conditions where the secondary grasslands are located close, or adjacent, to the semi-natural grasslands. The main objectives of the programme are (i) to analyse the capacity of grazed forest and grazed former arable fields to harbour the species pool of semi-natural grasslands, (ii) to analyse how grazed habitats (forest, fields) surrounding target sites of species-rich semi-natural grassland influence the species composition and diversity at the target sites, and (iii) to analyse how the impact depends on aspects of habitat configuration, i.e. size of target sites vs size of surrounding grazed sites, and the relative length of the edge zones between the target and the surrounding grazed sites. The project will be conducted using field experiments and field surveys, and is intended as a PhD programme where financial support for salary costs for the PhD-student is applied only for the two first years. The programme goals are highly relevant for development of conservation programmes at a landscape scale, in relation to economically sustainable livestock farming, and development of regional landscape strategies for biodiversity.
Sweden