Search

Aims: The restoration of unused urban‐industrial areas has great conservation potential as it can sometimes create a win‐win situation in terms of nature conservation and economic benefits. Financial data of restoration projects are rarely published. To close this gap, we report the cost–benefit analysis of different landscaping methods used in the greening of the outskirts of a factory industrial area. Location: The study area is located in a factory area in Nyíregyháza, Nyírség, Hungary. Methods: In this study, we compare the costs of the implementation and maintenance of three different types of grasslands (intensively and extensively managed park lawns and semi‐natural grassland, called eco area) and the ecological benefits in terms of vegetation and potential for pollinators. Results: The implementation and maintenance costs of the extensively managed park lawn were more than ten‐fold higher than that of the eco area, despite the higher price of native plant material. The construction of the extensive park lawn is the cheapest, but the eco area pays off in ca. 1.5 years compared to it, taking into account the lower maintenance costs. Seven years after implementation, the eco area is the most species‐rich, hosting the highest number of natural constituent species, but with similar vegetation cover as in the intensively managed park lawn without costly maintenance. The cover and species richness of legumes and forbs are also higher in the eco area, ensuring a food source for pollinators. Conclusions: Our results support that introducing species‐rich and diverse grasslands with native, habitat specialist species as an alternative to traditional landscaping in urban‐industrial areas can be economically and ecologically rewarding. The higher costs of planning, plant material, and implementation pay off in a short time due to low maintenance costs and can lead to a win‐win situation for nature as well as for the local economy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

To help upscale ecological restoration of degraded lands, landscape factors and longer time scales should be considered when assessing restoration efforts. We evaluated the impact of initial restoration intervention, landscape composition, and elapsed time since the restoration began on the long-term progress of Pannonic sand grassland restoration. Treatments (seeding, mowing, and carbon amendment) were implemented for 6–7 years and monitoring lasted up to 23 years after the first treatment applications in eight experimental blocks belonging to three field experiments. The abundance of target/neophyte species, and distance from primary grasslands and plantations (as major source of target/neophyte species) were estimated in 500 m landscape buffers around each block to characterize landscape composition. Restoration progress was calculated as the difference between the relative cover of target/neophyte species in treatment and control plots. Restoration intervention and neophyte abundance in the landscape had a significant effect on the restoration progress, but time did not. Seeding had the highest positive effect on target species and also prevented invasion by neophyte species. Higher abundance of neophytes in the landscape and the proximity to plantations increased the cover of neophytes in treatment plots. We conclude that restoration interventions may have a greater impact on restoration progress in the longer term than landscape factors or elapsed time. Seeding proved to be the best method in restoring sand grasslands by both favoring target species and controlling invasion. From the landscape factors, the abundance of neophyte species and distance to plantations should be considered when prioritizing areas and efforts for restoration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Theavailability of seeds of native species in many countries for grassland restoration is limited; therefore, ex situ seed banks can gain importance as a source of germplasm in the future. We tested the usability of seed accessions of the Pannon Seed Bank for reintroduction with the aim to restore sandy grassland in Hungary. Seeds of 10 native sandy grassland species were seeded in the year of collection and after one or two years of storage. The establishment was estimated by counting seedlings along seeded transects for two vegetation seasons. This study produced the first numerical estimate we know about of native sand grassland species emergence in the field. A low establishment of the tested species was found, ranging from 0.002 to 8%. Within this range, Dianthus serotinus had the highest establishment, while Festuca vaginata, which was sown as matrix species, performed only medium establishment. The short‐term storage (1 or 2 years) of seeds had no significant effect, except for F. vaginata, where seed storage had a positive effect on reintroduction success. The year of seeding had the highest influence on recruitment. Four species were found to emerge over two years instead of only the first year. Based on our results, the weak seed yield of certain years and the low supply of native seeds in the market can be mitigated by using stored seeds. It is recommended to use multi‐year, scheduled seeding to reduce the negative impacts of particularly dry years and to increase the restoration success. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Invasive species are among the main threats to grassland biodiversity, and nature conservation management seeks the best methods to eliminate them and to restore natural habitats. We studied the long‐term effect of mowing on the restoration of Pannonian sand grassland after elimination of invasive black locust (Robinia pseudo‐acacia) plantation in Hungary, Europe. Stands of R. pseudo‐acacia at three sites were felled and stumps herbicide‐treated in the winter of 1994–1995. Mowing with hay removal treatment was applied twice a year in 1995–2001 to assist grassland recovery. A block of 12 adjacent plots of 10 m by 10 m was assigned for the experiment at each site, with six control (unmowed) and six treatment (mowed) plots randomly selected. Vegetation was sampled in June and August yearly in 1995–1999 in all sites, plus in seminatural reference grasslands then re‐sampled six times until 2017 in two sites. Herbicide application with repeated mowing successfully eliminated R. pseudo‐acacia. In the unmowed plots, dense woody cover developed at all sites. Vegetation of mowed plots approached the reference grasslands in sites with better propagule availability of target species according to trajectory analyses. In these sites, higher cover of target species was found in mowed compared to unmowed plots, though still significantly lower than in the reference. Mowed plots were more prone to secondary invasion than the unmowed. The long‐term monitoring revealed that initial mowing assisted the restoration of Pannonian sand grassland, but further management is needed to control secondary invasion and increase target species cover. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Community assembly theory is suggested as a guiding principle for ecological restoration to help understand the mechanisms that structure biological communities and identify where restoration interventions are needed. We studied three hypotheses related to propagule limitation, stress‐dominance, and limiting similarity concepts in community assembly in a restoration field experiment with a trait‐based null model approach. The experiment aimed to assist the recovery of sand grassland on former arable land in the Kiskunság, Pannonian biogeographic region, Europe. Treatments included initial seeding of five grassland species, carbon amendment, low‐intensity mowing, and combinations in 1 m by 1 m plots in three old fields from 2003 to 2008. The distribution of 10 individual plant traits was compared to the null model and the effect of time and treatments were tested with linear mixed effect models. Initial seeding had the most visible impact on species and trait composition confirming propagule limitation in grassland recovery. Reducing nutrient availability through carbon amendment strengthened trait convergence for length of flowering as expected based on the stress‐dominance hypothesis. Mowing changed trait divergence to convergence for plant height with a strengthening impact with time, supporting our hypothesis of increasing dominance of limiting similarity with time. Our results support the idea that community assembly is simultaneously influenced by propagule limitation and multiple trait‐based processes that act through different traits. The limited impact of manipulating environmental filtering and limiting similarity compared to seeding, however, supports the view that only targeting the dispersal and environmental filters in parallel would improve restoration outcome. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Questions: The restoration of unused urban‐industrial areas has largely been neglected despite their great potential for nature conservation purposes. We applied three plant introduction treatments at a highly degraded industrial area to test whether plant material introduced onto industrial areas initiates plant assemblages similar in composition to those of reference grasslands. We specifically asked (a) Does restoration differ between primary and secondary reference sites in terms of overall species richness and cover three years after the introduction of plant material? (b) What is the sociability of species of the vegetation resulting from different treatments? Location: Restoration and reference grassland sites with acidic sandy soil in the temperate region of the EU, NE Hungary, Nyírség. Methods: As restoration techniques, we (a) directly seeded a single dominant species, (b) applied a commercial seed mixture, and (c) transferred hay. We compared species composition, cover, species richness and sociability of species in restoration treatments to reference grasslands. Inventories of vascular plant species were made at five randomly placed 2 m × 2 m sampling units per plot. Results: The species composition of seeded restoration plots (with a single dominant species and a commercial seed mixture) became similar to that of reference grasslands. Both types of seeding resulted in a similar cover, whereas seeding a commercial seed mixture and hay transfer resulted in a species richness similar to that of reference grasslands. The cover of the natural constituents (NC) of seeded plots also reached that of reference grasslands, while hay addition resulted in a lower cover and a higher number of NC than other methods. Conclusions: The introduction of propagules in degraded industrial areas can provide communities similar, after three years, to those of secondary reference grasslands that are 30 years of age. We conclude that investing in the restoration of native grasslands at unused urban‐industrial sites can be a great opportunity to enhance biodiversity. We applied three plant introduction treatments to restore sandy grasslands at an industrial area. The restored grassland was compared to reference grasslands. The treatments resulted in communities that, after three years, were similar to those of secondary reference grasslands with an age of 30 years. The restoration of native grasslands at unused urban‐industrial sites can therefore be a great opportunity to enhance biodiversity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In order to find the best and most reliable practices for ecological restoration of degraded lands, longer time scales should be considered when evaluating restoration efforts. We assessed the long-term (16 years) effects of different grassland restoration treatments – seeding, mowing, and carbon amendment – in the Pannonian sand grasslands. After re-plowing in 1 m × 1 m plots, treatments were carried out in two abandoned croplands. Seeding was applied only initially (2002) while mowing and carbon amendment were carried out for six years (2003–2008). Vegetation was surveyed yearly from 2003 to 2008 and re-sampled in 2019 in each permanent treatment plot. We used principal coordinates analysis to describe the trajectories of vegetation development and linear mixed-effects models to test changes in the relative cover of native sand grassland (target) and invasive (neophyte) species with time and treatments. Relative cover of target species increased while neophyte species decreased with time in both sites. There was a higher relative cover of target species from the first or third year on and a lower relative cover of neophyte species from the third year on in one site in seeded plots compared to other treatments. Seeded species also spread into non-seeded plots by 2019, obscuring the differences between treatments 16 years after sowing. Carbon amendment proved to be beneficial in the early and mowing in the later phases of restoration. Based on the long-term results, initial seeding is the best method for restoring sand grasslands in old fields by favoring the establishment of target species and controlling non-native invasion. As a supplement to seeding, carbon amendment can be suggested in the initial phases and/or low-intensity mowing in the later phases of the restoration after land abandonment. Although the spread from seeded plots obscured the long-term differences between treatments, it optimized the restoration process, suggesting that the use of small seed introduction units can be enough to restore the whole degraded area. • Long-term monitoring is needed to better interpret restoration interventions. • Early seeding favors target species and controls invasion in grassland restoration. • Small introduction plots can trigger restoration of larger areas. • Low intensity mowing can be applied in the later phases of the restoration process. • Carbon amendment is suggested in combination with seeding right after abandonment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]