Grassland BGD
Grazing and Woody Encroachment Effects on Biodiversity and Carbon Storage of Grassland Ecosystems of the Berchtesgaden National Park
Project Partners: Prof. Mariana Rufino (TUM), Prof. Jörg Ewald (HSWT, Verbundprojektleitung), Prof. Marina Hofmann (HSWT), Johannes Burmeister (LfL)
Participants: Dr. Bernd Panassiti (HSWT), Dr. Sebastian König (TUM)
Duration: 01.01.2024-31.12.2025
The project „Grazing” (Grassland BGD) investigates how pasture management and woody encroachment influence carbon storage and biodiversity in mountain pastures of the Berchtesgaden National Park. A reduction in carbon storage and biodiversity can reduce the resilience of grassland ecosystems and affect the long-term value of pasture as livestock feed.
Background and objectives
Over the last 150 years, the decline in alpine agriculture has led to a remarkable abandonment and ecological succession of many alpine pastures. The consequences are the loss of centuries-old cultivated landscapes and the associated unique biodiversity and ecosystem services that are important to society. Currently, the more productive and easily accessible alpine pastures near the mountain huts are managed relatively intensively, while the more remote alpine pastures are grazed less frequently and are therefore more susceptible to abandonment, shrub encroachment and, ultimately, reforestation. The trend towards a decline in mountain agriculture is partly due to a lack of staff, but also increasingly due to the accelerating effects of climate change.
Building on previous results and good contacts with farmers, this project aims to investigate how the invasion of woody plants affect biodiversity, carbon storage and climate resilience. To do so, surveys of vegetation and insects will be carried out. In addition, soil biogeochemistry (including carbon, N and P stocks) will be analyzed and the main fluxes related to nutrient cycling and trace gases will be studied.