ABSTRACT
Traditional farming systems still exist South-Eastern Europe, especially in Romania. These systems integrate agriculture, animal keeping, and grassland management. Since 2007, when Romania became member of the European Union, large structural changes of the economic and societal system were set off. On the landscape level, fertile and profitable land is subject to increasing intensification and specialization of production. Less productive or remote sites face abandonment and subsequent natural succession. Especially in rural regions receiving less allocations of direct payments for rural development, territorial disparities become apparent, leading to emigration from remote and mountainous rural regions. However, oligotrophic grassland in rural areas is extremely diverse and can be classified as high nature value (HNV) grassland, covering an area of about 2 million ha. Management of this grassland is essential for the conservation of cultural landscapes and their biodiversity.
A successful example of integrating agricultural use of mountain oligotrophic grassland with the collection of medicinal plants, and specifically Arnica montana, can be found in the Apuseni Mountains in Romania. The model shows how incentives and capacities can be created for the conservation of species-rich, traditionally managed habitats and landscapes by sustainable production and trade of the Arnica montana flowers, adding economic value through local processing. Principles and lessons learnt from this case study can be transferred to other regions, other sites or other countries.
