Restoring biodiversity through
traditional meadow management in the Eastern Carpathians
The hay meadows of Transylvania are legendary for their beauty and biodiversity. Some of these semi-natural grasslands hold up to 81 plant species in just a few square meters—making them some of the most species-rich habitats in Europe. They also support pollinators, birds, and small mammals, while sustaining centuries-old traditions of farming and haymaking.
The Challenge
In recent decades, these meadows have been abandoned or converted into intensive pastures. Mechanization, fertilizers, and the loss of traditional knowledge have accelerated biodiversity decline. Without intervention, outer hay meadows—the most diverse—face rapid encroachment by shrubs and forest.
Our Approach
We are working hand-in-hand with local farmers in the Ciuc and Gyimes Valleys to manage hay meadows using traditional, low-impact methods:
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Mowing with small mowers, without tractors
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Cutting at ecologically optimal times, after plants have set seed
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Applying locally collected hayseed on degraded parcels to restore diversity
Project implementation follows two complementary approaches.
a) On parcels where traditional management would not occur without external intervention, mowing is carried out directly by the project team.
b) On parcels with active landowners, management is undertaken by the owners themselves, enabled through targeted financial incentives that compensate for labour and opportunity costs. In both cases, management would not be maintained in the absence of the project. This system functions as a payment for ecosystem services: farmers are compensated for their labor and ecological stewardship, ensuring that traditional practices remain viable in today’s economy.
Why It Matters
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Protects one of Europe’s last strongholds of high-diversity meadows
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Sustains cultural heritage and traditional ecological knowledge
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Supports pollinators, wildlife, and high-quality livestock forage
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Offers a replicable model for community-based conservation
Below is a glimpse into our project meadows—capturing the beauty of flowering plants, the insects they sustain, and the people whose traditional work keeps these landscapes alive.
Click on the image to open the slideshow.
The meadows shown at the link below are the ones we restored together with Flow Hive in 2025
https://www.google.com/maps/d/u/2/edit?mid=1UHGelZO4URvcRcNJMYN49Mzixwh-ysY&usp=sharing
Selected References
Babai, D., & Molnár, Zs. (2013). Multidimensionality and Scale in a Landscape Ethnoecological
Partitioning in a Mountainous Landscape (Gyimes, Eastern Carpathians). Journal of Ethnobiology
and Ethnomedicine, 9:11.
https://doi.org/10.1186/1746-4269-9-11
Babai, D., & Molnár, Zs. (2014). Small-scale traditional management of highly species-rich
grasslands in the Carpathians. Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment, 182, 123–130.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.agee.2013.08.018
Bita-Nicolae, C., Yildiz, F., & Kaya, O. (2023). Exploring the Biodiversity and Conservation Value of
Alpine Grasslands in the Bucegi Massif, Romanian Carpathians. Sustainability, 15(16), 12643.
https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/15/16/12643
Biró, É., Babai, D., Bódis, J., & Molnár, Zs. (2014). Lack of knowledge or loss of knowledge?
Traditional ecological knowledge of population dynamics of threatened plant species in East-
Central Europe. Journal for Nature Conservation, 22(1), 17–25.
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnc.2014.02.006
Cremene, C., Groza, G., Rákosy, L., Schileyko, A. A., Baur, A., Erhardt, A., & Baur, B. (2005).
Alterations of steppe-like grasslands in Eastern Europe: a threat to regional diversity hotspots.
Conservation Biology, 19(5), 1606–1618.
https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1523-1739.2005.00084.x
Demeter, L., Csergő, A. M., & Turkington, R. (2013). Declining Diversity in Abandoned Grasslands
of the Carpathian Mountains: Do Dominant Plant Species Matter? PLoS ONE, 8(7), e73533.
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0073533
Janišová, M., Bojko, I., Ivașcu, C. M., Iuga, A., Bíró, A.-S., & Magnes, M. (2023). Grazing hay
meadows: History, distribution, and ecological context. Applied Vegetation Science, 26, e12723.
https://doi.org/10.1111/avsc.12723
Janišová, M., Bojko, I., Ivașcu, C. M., Iuga, A., Bíró, A.-S., & Magnes, M. (2024).
Title: Agricultural legacy shapes plant diversity patterns in mountain grasslands of Maramureș and
Bukovina: A cross-border perspective
Journal: People and Nature, 6(6), 2283–2299
https://besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1002/pan3.10698
Kricsfalusy, V. (2013). Mountain grasslands of high conservation value in the Eastern Carpathians:
Syntaxonomy, biodiversity, protection and management. ResearchGate.
https://www.researchgate.net/publication/256694686_Mountain_grasslands_of_high_conservati
on_value_in_the_Eastern_Carpathians_Syntaxonomy_biodiversity_protection_and_management
Ľuboš Halada, Stanislav David, Juraj Hreško, Alexandra Klimantová, Andrej Bača, Tomáš Rusňák,
Miroslav Buraľ, Ľuboš Vadel,
Changes in grassland management and plant diversity in a marginal region of the Carpathian Mts.
in 1999–2015, Science of The Total Environment,
Volume 609, 2017, Pages 896-905, ISSN 0048-9697,
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2017.07.066.
Paulini, I. (2024). Studies on vegetation, land use, and phytodiversity of traditional hay meadows in
the Eastern Hills of Cluj Natura 2000 site (Transylvania, Romania). PhD Thesis, Rheinische
Friedrich-Wilhelms‑Universität Bonn.
https://nbn-resolving.org/urn:nbn:de:hbz:5-75717
Pogány-Havas, É., et al. (2010). Plant species diversity and traditional management in Eastern
Carpathian grasslands. EFNCP Report.
https://www.efncp.org/download/EFNCP_HaymeadowReport_2010.pdf