To what extent do French mountain grasslands provide simultaneously biodiversity and forage services?
Abstract
The key role of permanent grasslands for the conservation of biodiversity, and more generally for the preservation of environment quality, is clearly established. However, the total area covered by grassland is reg- ularly declining in most EU countries. A way to stop the decline of their surfaces is to underline the economic potential of grasslands for breeders and their value. In this perspective, we studied the links between forage services and biodiversity through the survey of a network of 47 permanent grasslands from Pyrenees, Massif Central, Jura and Vosges. Grasslands were followed during 2 years (2009-10) considering the seasonal dynam- ic of forage characteristics and botanical and functional composition. Forage services of grasslands were esti- mated measuring production and quality (digestibility, crude protein content), and biodiversity by indicators of botanical diversity (species richness, percentage of entomophilous species, number of oligotrophic species, botanical families). We showed a strong link between quality of permanent grasslands and biodiversity. The pro- ductive grasslands presented a lesser interest for biodiversity. We also showed that permanent grasslands could provide simultaneously biodiversity and forage services or only forage services or biodiversity.