Background
Dry grasslands – semi-natural dry grasslands on calcareous substrates (6210) and species-rich Nardus grasslands on siliceous substrates in mountain areas (6230) – have a bad/unfavourable conservation status in Slovenia. Overgrowth resulting from land abandonment is a critical threat for these habitat types. Additionally in the past few decades, orchards have been disappearing rapidly for economic reasons.

Objectives
The LIFE TO GRASSLANDS project aims to:

• • Restore 260 ha of habitat type 6210 and 257 ha of 6230 through the removal of overgrowth;
  • Reintroduce grazing/mowing management aimed at maintaining open patches of 6230 in the forest (on around 5 ha);
  • Establish the long-term sustainable use of target areas;
  • Revitalise 45.5 ha of traditional orchards, thus preventing land sliding and enhancing species diversity;
  • Incorporate sustainable dry grassland management into agricultural and environmental policy in Slovenia;
  • Establish a network of landowners and potential land users to reduce land use fragmentation;
  • Improve the viability of sustainable dry grassland use by identifying alternative activities; and
  • Increase public awareness of the importance of dry grasslands.

Expected results:

• Conservation guidelines for sustainable management of 6210 and HT 6230;
• At least 15 ha of dry grasslands leased and 18 ha purchased;
• Overgrowth of at least 81 ha cleared from 6210 and 52.57 ha from 6230;
• Appropriate long-term use of dry grasslands on a surface of more than 500 ha;
• Traditional orchards revitalised on a surface of at least 45.50 ha of dry grasslands;
• Online platform for the networking of landowners in the Haloze project sub-area;
• At least 49 farm management plans for dry grasslands drawn up;
• Prepared expert proposal for AEP measures for integration into the 2021- 2027 rural development programme of the Republic of Slovenia;
• Identified economic interest for further sustainable use of dry grasslands;
• Improved social and economic perspective of agriculture in target areas and beyond;
• Increased awareness on the importance of dry grassland; and
• Improvement of conservation status of 6210 on 2 342 ha, and of 6230 on 309.57 ha.

Coordinator: Zavod Republike Slovenije za varstvo narave / Institute of the Republic of Slovenia for Nature Conservation
Total budget: 3,898,582.00 €
EU contribution: 2,923,936.00 €
MESP contribution: 779.716,00 € (20%)
Duration: 01-NOV-2015 to 31-OCT-2020

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