A great pleasure to present at the 1st WSL–Eawag Biodiversity Research Day our latest G4B (www.grass4b.com) project results: 10m resolution grassland management mapping efforts over the Alps and Carpathians. @wslbiodiversity.bsky.social @wslresearch.bsky.social @g4biodiv.bsky.social @biodiversa.eu
This research offers practical guidance for anyone working with large vegetation databases or conducting meta-analyses. It also higlights when harmonisation is appropriate and when caution is warranted.
We found :
Species richness can be reliably harmonised when plot areas are comparable but becomes increasingly uncertain as areas diverge.
Ecological indicator values remain remarkably robust to plot areas differences, making them well suited for comparative analyses across heterogeneous datasets.
Have you ever faced challenges analysing vegetation surveys collected from different plot areas? We published a new paper on harmonising vegetation surveys across various plot areas.
@marcobarandun.bsky.social @biodiversa.eu @agroscope.bsky.social
Check the new paper describing the role of livestock and traditional management practices in maintaining grassland diversity in the Carpathians 🐑 🏵️ 🌱
Link: www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
@biodiversa.eu @g4biodiv.bsky.social
Zanon, S. et al. (Laimburg Research Centre, IT): Stakeholder perception of the management of species-rich grasslands in mountain areas
FORUM Carpathicum:
Kaim, D. et al.: Changes and persistence - the trajectories of the grasslands in the Carpathians
Peratoner, G. et al. (Laimburg Research Centre, IT): Stakeholder perception of the aesthetic value of meadows differing in management intensity
Sommer, J. et al. (EURAC, IT): The role of fertilisation in plant diversity in grasslands in the Central Alps
Jakiel M. et al. (Jagiellonian University, PL): Spatial diversity of the use of EU CAP subsidies for grassland conservation in the Polish Carpathians
Opravil, S et al. (IGU SAV, SK): Mapping grassland management regimes in the Alps and Carpathians using Harmonized Landsat Sentinel-2 time series
Different project G4B teams presented various project outcomes:
IALE 2025:
Dale, E.E. et al. (WSL, CH): Effects of management on plant diversity in Swiss grasslands
Graham, C. et al. (WSL, CH): Improved grassland habitat map for the Alps and Carpathians
In the last two weeks, our G4B project (www.grass4b.com) had wide coverage (8! presentations) at two important events: the IALE 2025 European Landscape Ecology Congress and Forum Carpaticum 2025.
@euracalpenv.bsky.social @wslresearch.bsky.social @biodiversa.eu 👇
Our #G4B project as presented at the recent great #LPS25 in Vienna:
- grassland management as detected by different objects (🐮🐴🐑🚜) in aerial photos
- grassland management (mowing&grazing) as detected by 🛰️Sentinel-2 and Landsat-9 📆 timeseries.
Two wisents in the Milovice area - Photo (c) Michal Köpping
🦬European #bison are Europe’s largest surviving herbivore – but would there be space for large bison populations in Central Europe? New paper addressing this question led by Hendrik Bluhm 👉 just out in Biological Conservation!
doi.org/10.1016/j.bi... @humboldtuni.bsky.social #megafauna #rewilding
⚛️Exciting scientific opportunities available at our G4B partner institution!
Deadline abstract submission: March 14, 2025
Join us at IALE 2025 iale2025.sav.sk within two sessions closely related to our G4B project:
S3G–Interdisciplinary Responses: Perspectives for Grassland Research and Conservation Projects
S4G–Remote Sensing of the Grassland-Dominated Landscapes
It's amazing to see how much landscapes changed. In the G4B project, we strongly believe that the biodiversity of grasslands depends on the past legacies of land-use management.
We look at historical maps, satellites & aerial imagery, landscape changes 🗺️, and relate them to grassland diversity.
Speaking about the grassland diversity, how it really looks like? This timelapse gives some insights from a hotspot in the Carpathians. (author V. Sifra). Few more timelapses at our G4B project website: www.grass4b.com @wslresearch.bsky.social @biodiversaplus.bsky.social
Productive discussions on G4B grassland habitat and diversity remote sensing and protection with our partners at Humboldt University today. #G4B @g4biodiv.bsky.social @wslresearch.bsky.social @biodiversaplus.bsky.social @tkuemmerle.bsky.social
Landscape structure is important for allowing #megafauna to share space with people – even in one of Europe's ‘wildest’ regions! New paper out Biological Conservation by Gabri Retez: doi.org/10.1016/j.bi... #Rewilding @biogeoberlin.bsky.social @humboldtuni.bsky.social
A new paper, also based on data collected within the G4B project, co-authored by Erich Tasser, describes the complex shifts in the species composition of grassland ecosystems in European mountain areas over 70 years as a result of climate and land-use change. doi.org/10.1111/1365...
