CONSERVATION OF GRASSLAND HABITATS BIODIVERSITY IN THE CONTEXT OF SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT OF MOUNTAIN AREA OF ROMANIA

The aim of the study was to analyze grassland areas in relation to the activities and financial support schemes dedicated to the conservation of grassland habitats, with a view to sustainable development of Romania's mountainous area. A multitask analysis was carried out: the geomatic approach of pastoral space and its relations with other environmental components, having "localized" results in space and therefore the possibility of intervention "from the general to the specific". The grasslands cover 22.30% of the Romania's mountainous area, a percentage which gives them a special importance. The large number of identified protected areas (770 entities of different categories) support the idea of the high biodiversity of the mountainous area, implicitly of the grassland habitats. One third of grassland areas (36.65%) are included in one or more environmental protection structures. In addition to biodiversity conservation measures imposed by different protected areas, Romania's mountainous area is fully included in the Agro-Environment and Climate and Ecological Agriculture programs, part of the Common Agricultural Policies, which encourages the pursuit of sustainable agriculture, also the protection of biological resources. This study encouraging and sustaining extensive traditional agricultural practices, determines both the maintenance of biodiversity and the diversity of semi-natural grassland habitats.