Using ecological and ecophysiological knowledge to increase bioproductivity and nutrient-use efficiency in grasslands
P 2.6 in Biodiversität: Verbreitung, Funktion und Erhaltung
Species-rich grasslands are valuable habitats nowadays often threatened by land abandonment or the intensification of agriculture. Grasslands require management to survive (mowing, grazing) but land managers are increasingly giving up on managing remote areas or marginal lands. Grassland biomass has the potential to be used for bioenergy which is more lucrative than fodder and this would avoid land use conflict with food and feedstock.
Restoration of species-rich grasslands can provide a win-win situation by restoring diversity and –at the same time- making use of plant biomass as an energy source which provides a higher income for land managers than selling it as hay / fodder.
In our approach of extensively managed semi natural grasslands we use knowledge from ecology (diversity & priority effects) to sustainably increase bioproduction at the same time as increasing diversity. In addition we use positive plant-plant interactions to promote productivity in our systems.