Evaluation of grassland development

Grassland stands in locations of marginal revenues were left to fallow in the past, while the use of grassland stands in favourable locations was intensified. Through this evaluation the multitude of factors influencing this process can be better understood and a basis for the advancement of funding instruments into the future is created.

The past influences and future development of grasslands will be made available on a regional scale. This way conservation activities can be prioritized to areas of important conservation interest and customized offers can be made towards agriculture.

Using existing data from Statistik Austria and the Integrated Administration and Control System (IACS), we analysed the past development of grassland at the level of small production areas. Using questionnaires, in-depth interviews and participatory workshops, we collected the reasons at farm level that led to abandonment or intensification of use. The data were used to calculate trends for the individual regions and to compare these with the proportion of valuable grassland biotopes. From this, scenarios for the different regions were developed and concrete conclusions were drawn.

The evaluation was carried out on behalf of the Federal Ministry for Sustainability and Tourism and can be downloaded from its homepage.