Annals of the Academy of Romanian Scientists
Series on Agriculture, Silviculture and Veterinary Medicine
ISSN 2344-2085
Volume
15
, Number
2
/
2026
40
PRODUCTIVITY OF NATURA 2000 GRASSLAND
HABITATS FROM BUCEGI NATURAL PARK
Teodor
MARUȘCA
4
,
Veronica SĂRĂȚEANU
5
,*
Abstract.
This study covers the geobotanical and grassland productivity assessment of an
area within Bucegi Natural Park spanning 6,275 hectares (65% of the total area). Within
this
area,
the
*Potentillo
ternatae-Nardion*
phytosociological
alliance
(degraded
Habitat 6520) accounts for 66% of the surface; the *Juncion trifidi*, *Oxytropion-
Elynion*, and *Seslerion bielzii* alliances (Habitat 6150) cover 30%; the *Cynosurion*
alliance
(Habitat
6520,
typical)
covers
approximately
1%;
and
the
*Rhododendro
myrtifolii-Vaccinion* alliance (shrublands) accounts for 3%. These grassland habitats
are degraded by water and wind erosion (15%), rocky outcrops (13%), scrub and tree
saplings (12%), and nitrophilous field weeds (4%), accounting for a total of 44% of the
area. Across the two habitats (6150 and 6520), covering 6,055 hectares of grassland
(excluding the *Rhododendro-Vaccinion* alliance), grazing with young cattle can yield a
live weight gain of 237 tonnes—valued at €760,000—translating to €126 per hectare.
Utilizing habitat 6520 (4,150 ha) for dairy cows and habitat 6150 (1,905 ha) for young
cattle allows for the production of 18,138 hl of milk
(valued at €907,000) and nearly 69
tonnes
of
live
weight
gain
in
young
cattle
(valued
at
€219,000)—a
total
value
of
€1,126,000. This represents a 48% higher economic value compared to the scenario of
using the land exclusively for young cattle.
Keywords:
Natura 2000 grassland habitats 6150 and 6520, productivity, economic value,
live weight gain (young cattle), milk production (dairy cows)
DOI
10.56082/annalsarsciagri.2026.2.40
1.
Introduction
The grasslands of the Bucegi Mountains have previously been studied from both
geobotanical [1, 10, 11] and rational use and improvement perspectives [10].
Following the establishment of the Bucegi Natural Park, studies were initiated
regarding the degradation status of the herbaceous cover of these grasslands [4].
After
our
country's
accession
to
the
European
Union,
the
need
arose
for
productivity studies on Natura 2000 grassland habitats to enable comparisons with
other EU countries [3].
The present paper is a continuation of these earlier studies.
2.
Materials and methods
4
Eng., PhD Teodor MARUȘCA - Research and Development Institute for Grasslands Brașov,
Romania, Full Member of Academy of the Romanian Scientists (e-mail:
maruscat@yahoo.com
).
5
Eng. PhD Veronica SĂRĂȚEANU – University of Life Sciences “King Mihai I” Timișoara,
Romania
(e-mail:
veronica_sarateanu@usvt.ro
),
* Corresponding author.
Productivity of Natura 2000 Grassland Habitats from Bucegi Natural Park
41
The grasslands in the Bucegi Natural Park, covering an area of approximately
11,300 hectares, are mostly of secondary origin, resulting from the clearing of
forests (700-1,800 m alt.) and junipers (1,800-2,200 m alt.) and of primary origin
in the alpine zone (over 2,200-2,300 m alt.) up to 2,505 m on Omu Peak.
A study was conducted on the identification and inventory of grasslands in 3
cadastral plots, namely:
1.
L 35 – 87 Db – 9,055 hectares
2.
L 35 – 87 Dd – 9,053 hectares
3.
L 35 – 99 Bb – 9,089 hectares
Satellite images at a scale of 1:25,000 and cadastral maps at the same scale were
used for identification.
These 3 trapezoids, covering an area of 27,197 ha, are the ˶ core of the Bucegi
Nature Park, covering an area of 32,663 ha.
The contour of the grassland areas was established by computer, and within each
polygon the phytosociological alliance and the stage of degradation of the grassy
carpet
of
natural
(primary)
and
semi-natural
(secondary)
grasslands
were
determined.
The area of grasslands determined by the computer in the 3 cadastral plots was:
1.
L 35 – 87 Db – 2,403 hectares – 26.5% of the total
2.
L 35 – 87 Dd – 4,128 hectares – 45.6% of the total
3.
L 35 – 99 Bb – 815 hectares – 9.0% of the total
TOTAL 7,346 hectares – 27.0% of the trapezium area
Thus, the area of grasslands in these 3 trapezoids represents 65% of the total area
of grasslands in the study area.
Floristic surveys were conducted on these sites using the geobotanical transect
method, with the resulting data classified into phytosociological associations and
alliances [2].
These phytosociological alliances were subsequently assigned to Natura 2000
grassland habitat types [3].
Research regarding plant and animal productivity relies on more recent methods,
also presented in the current volume (2026), which are not reiterated here [7, 9].
The milk and meat prices were taken from Ministry of Agriculture and Rural
Development [12].
42
Teodor
Marușca, Veronica Sărățeanu
3.
Results and discussions
On
first
approximation
n,
five
phytosociological
alliances
and
one
shrubbery alliance were determined [2] as follows:
1.
Potentillo ternatae – Nardion
(PON), Subalpine oligotrophic pastures on
acidic soils, having as recognition and edifying species:
Nardus stricta,
Festuca
nigrescens,
Festuca
airoides,
Poa
media,
Potentilla
ternata,
Campanula abietina, Geum montanum, Ligusticum mutellina, Deschampsia
flexuosa, Viola declinata
and others.
2.
Seslerion bielzii
(SEB), Primary subalpine pastures of basic soils, as species
of
recognition
and
edification:
Sesleria
bielzii,
Sesleria
rigida
ssp.
haynaldiana, Festuac amethystina, Festuca saxatilis, Festuca versicolor,
Linum
extraaxilare,
Dianthus
spiculifolius,
Carex
sempervirens,
Aster
alpinus
and others.
3.
Oxytropido-Elynion
(OXE), Alpine primary pastures of basic soils, with the
recognition
species:
Oxytropis
carpatica,
Elyna
mysuroides,
Erigeron
uniflorus,
Dianthus
glacialis,
Cerastium
lanigerum,
Pinguicula
alpina,
Pedicularis
vercillata,
Salix
reticulata,
Dryas
octopetala,
Polygonum
viviparum, Gențiana nivalis
and others.
4.
Juncion trifidi
(JUT), Primary alpine pastures of acid soils with the species
of recognition and edification:
Juncus trifidus, Carex curvula, Oreochloa
disticha, Campanula alpina, Primula minim, Minuartia sedoides, Armeria
alpina
and others.
5.
Cynosurion
(CYN), Hilly-montane mesophilous grasslands on well-drained
soils,
having
as
recognition
species:
Agrostis
capillaris,
Cynosurus
cristatus,
Festuca
rubra,
Festuca
pratensis,
Lolium
perenne,
Phleum
pratense, Trifolium repens
and others.
6.
Rhododendron myrtifoli-Vaccinion
(RHV), Myrtle bushes, with edifying
species:
Rhododendron myrtifolium, Vaccinum gaultherioides, Vaccinum
myrtillus, Vaccinum vitis-idae, Loisleureia procumbens, Soldanella pusilla,
Juniperus sibirica
and others.
The distribution of these grassland units and mapping in the three cadastral traps
is presented in Table 1.
From these data it follows that the most significant share is held by grasslands
dominated by the species
Nardus stricta
and
Festuca airoides,
marked on the map
with PON, which cover 2/3 of the surface, indicating the very advanced stage of
degradation of the grassy carpet.
Next are the SEB rock grasslands with 23% of the surface, the alpine pastures on
the highest peaks OXE and the rest JUT and CYN with barely 1%.
Productivity of Natura 2000 Grassland Habitats from Bucegi Natural Park
43
Table 1
.
Distribution of grassland units in Bucegi Natural Park
No.
Polygon
L 35
Surface
(Ha)
Phytosociological Alliance
PON
SEB
OXE
JUT
CYN
RHV
1
87 Db (North)
2,435
1,380
475
435
40
-
105
2
87 Dd (Midfielder)
3,025
1,955
955
-
-
-
115
3
99 Bb (South)
815
790
-
-
-
25
-
Total
6,275
4.125
1,430
435
40
25
225
%
100
65.7
22.8
6.9
0.6
0.4
3.6
It is worth noting the fairly good representation of RHV stinking bushes, which
reach 3.6% of the total area of grasslands analysed.
From the field studies on the stage of grassland degradation, it resulted that only
6,275 ha have the grassy carpet that would determine their classification in this
use
category,
the
remaining
1,071
ha
(14.5%
of
7,346
ha
outlined
by
the
computer) have moved to another use category because they have over 60-80%
woody vegetation cover or are on cliffs.
In addition, of the 6,275-ha established on the map in the field, approximately
15% are affected by surface and deep soil erosion, 13% are on rocks, 12% are
covered in varying proportions by juniper bushes and spruce saplings in areas
where pastures are in various stages of abandonment.
Nitrophilous
weeds
as
a
result
of
over-cultivation
are
not
to
be
neglected
(Table
2).
Table 2.
The stage of degradation of grasslands in Bucegi Natural Park
No
.
Polygon
L 35
Surface
(Ha)
Rocks
(P)
Erosio
n
(E)
Shrubber
y
(T)
Weeds,
Sheepfol
d
(I)
TOTAL
Degrade
d
(Ha)
%
1
87 dB
(North)
2,435
330
355
290
70
1,045
43
2
87 Dd
(Midfielder)
3,025
470
510
430
90
1,500
50
3
99 Bb
(South)
815
10
70
50
90
220
27
TOTAL
6,275
810
935
770
250
2,765
44
%
100
12.9
14.9
12.2
4.0
44.0
*
Thus, in the 3 analysed trapeze of 7,346 ha of grasslands established by the
computer according to satellite images and 6,275 ha outlined through observations
directly on the ground, an area of 3,836 ha of grasslands is highly degraded due to
soil
erosion,
the
presence
of
rocks
on
the
surface,
the
invasion
of
woody
44
Teodor
Marușca, Veronica Sărățeanu
vegetation, overgrazing and other causes, respectively 52.2% of the total, which is
of extreme severity.
If we add to this the degradation of the grassland carpet through the establishment
of the
Nardus stricta
species to the point of dominance
instead of other more
valuable grassland types such as
Agrostis capillaris, Festuca rubra
and others at
700-2200 m altitude, valuable grasslands barely reach 5-10% of the surface.
Studies evaluating green mass (GM) productivity based on floristic surveys [7]
and the duration of the grazing season relative to altitude [9] have enabled the
determination of optimal livestock stocking rates (Table 3). The grazing season
lasts 55–85 days in the alpine–subalpine zone, with an optimal capacity of 0.68–
0.83 LU/ha for Habitats 6150 and 6520 (degraded by
Nardus stricta
) and 1.89
LU/ha
for
Habitat
6520
with
normal
Festuca
rubra
and
Agrostis
capillaris
vegetation.
Table 3
.
Grasslands production of habitats and grazing capacity
Habitat
Nature 2000
(Alliance)
Altitude
(m)
Grazing season
duration
(days)
MV production
Loading
with animals
(LU/ha)
t/ha
%
6150
(JUD, OXE,
SEB)
1,800-
2,400
55
2.97
54
0.83
6520 D
*
(PON)
1,700-
2,000
70
3.09
56
0.68
6520 N
**
(CYN)
1,600-
1,800
85
10.43
189
1.89
Average
1,850
70
5.50
100
1.38
N* - normal; D* - degraded
On a first approximation, GM production in Carpathian Mountains of Habitat
6150 was 2.66 t/ha, very close to the results from Bucegi (2.97 t/ha) [8].
Habitat 6520 degraded from Carpathians was evaluated at 2.16 t/ha, only 70%
compared to the similar one from Bucegi (3.09).
Pastoral value from Bucegi Mountains of Habitat 6150 was 36.6, at 92% of the
Carpathian Mountains average (39.6) [8] (Table 4).
Table 4
.
Possible livestock production of grassland habitats in Bucegi
Habitat
Value
Pastoral Value
(ind.)
Weight gain
Cow's milk
Consumption
MV/1kg
kg/ha
%
Consumption
MV/1L
L/ha
%
6150
36.6
83
36
50
-
-
-
6520 D
46.0
77
40
56
7.2
429
100
6520 N
61.2
69
151
210
5.9
1,768
412
Average
47.9
76
72
100
X
X
X
Productivity of Natura 2000 Grassland Habitats from Bucegi Natural Park
45
Habitat 6520 normal from Bucegi has a PV index of 61.2 and reaches 94% of the
Carpathian average, a relatively similar result [8].
Once the pastoral value (PV) index was established, it was possible to determine
the amount of green matter (GM) required to produce 1 kg of live weight gain in
young cattle or 1 litter of cow's milk.
Thus, GM consumption ranges from 69–83 kg per 1 kg of weight gain and from
5.9–7.2 kg per litter of milk, depending on forage quality.
Based on the GM yield per hectare, the potential output per hectare was estimated
at 36–151 kg of weight gain and 429–1,768 litters of milk, depending on grass
yield and quality across the two habitats.
Ultimately, it was possible to determine the economic value of livestock output -
expressed as weight gain in both habitats (6150 and 6520) or as milk production
solely in habitat 6520, where cattle grazing is feasible (Table 5).
Table 5
. Evaluation of livestock production of young cattle and dairy cows with economic value
in the grazing season
Habitat
Alliance
Surface
(Ha)
Production per hectare
Total animal production
Gain
(kg/ha)
Milk
(L/ha)
Gain
(tons)
Milk
(Hl)
6150
JUTE, OXE,
SEB
1,905
36
-
68.58
-
6520 D
PON
4,125
40
429
165.00
17,696
6520 N
CYN
25
151
1,768
3.77
442
Total
6,055
X
X
237.35
18,138
Full economic value
(0.5 €/L milk or 3.2 €/kg gain)
€760
thousand
€907
thousand
Per 1 ha of grassland
€126
€186*
* * calculated from the cumulative values
of weight gain and milk production
across all three habitats
The economic value per hectare for the two habitats, based on grazing with young
cattle across the entire 6,055-hectare area, amounts to €760,000, or €126 per
hectare.
Utilizing grasslands belonging to habitat type 6520 for dairy cows at altitudes of
up to 2,000 m generates €907,000 across 4,150 hectares; adding the value of
weight gain in young cattle from habitat type 6150 (at altitudes of 1,800–2,400 m)
—amounting to €219,000 across 1,905 hectares of grassland—yields a total of
€1,126,000 (or €186/ha). This figure is 48% higher than the value obtained
through exclusive use by young cattle.
46
Teodor
Marușca, Veronica Sărățeanu
From the presentation of these preliminary studies as a general conclusion, it can
be stated that the grasslands in the Bucegi Natural Park are in a very advanced
stage of degradation, requiring further detailed studies on the areas, types of
grasslands, productivity, possible animal load and other measures to stop the
degradation, the ecological reconstruction of the degraded grassland and the
conservation of biodiversity before it is too late [5, 6]
.
Conclusions
(1)The
grasslands
in
Bucegi
Natural
Park
are
in
a
very
advanced
state
of
degradation,
particularly
those
belonging
to
Habitat
6520
(Mountain
hay
grasslands), due to the invasion and dominance of the
Nardus stricta
specie (at
altitudes of 1,700–2,000 m).
(2)Satellite studies conducted in 3 cadastral traps, covering an area of 27.2
thousand
hectares,
highlighted
the
existence
of
7.3
thousand
ha
(27%)
of
grassland areas.
(3)According to field observations, 1.1 thousand ha (14.5%) were identified as
being covered with woody vegetation of over 60-80% or located on cliffs.
(4)Of what remains, namely 6.3 thousand ha (approx. 85% of the total), soil
erosion is 15%, surface stones – 13%, bushes – 12%, and weeds – 4%, ultimately
resulting in over 52% degraded grasslands due to soil conditions, bush invasion
and nitrophilous weeds
.
(5)Through the exclusive use of young cattle for grazing across both habitats
(6150 and 6520), covering an area of
6,055 hectares, a live weight gain of 237.35
tonnes is achieved, valued at €760,000, which equates to €126/ha
.
(6)Using grazing dairy cows on pastures within habitat 6520 and young cattle on
habitat 6150 generates a total of €1,126,000, equating to €186/ha, which is 48%
higher than the return from using the land exclusively for young cattle raised for
live weight gain.
R E F E R E N C E S
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Flora și vegetația Munților Bucegi
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(1967)
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*** MADR, Preț lapte și carne (Milk and meat prices) (2026).