Reviving wood-pastures for biodiversity and people: A case study from western Estonia.

ABSTRACT: Wood-pastures are associated with high cultural and biodiversity values in Europe. However, due to their relatively low productivity, large areas of wood-pastures have been lost over the last century. In some areas, incentive schemes have been developed to revive wood-pastures. We investigated the effects of one such scheme in western Estonia. We compared the structure of grazed wood-pastures (old and restored) to those of abandoned wood-pastures and ungrazed forest stands to explore the effects of management, and conducted interviews with 24 farmers to investigate their motivations to carry out the management. We found a positive influence of active management on the semi-open structure of wood-pastures. Financial support was vital for management, but personal values related to tradition

SUBMITTER: Roellig M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4752564 | biostudies-literature | 2016 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature