Reversing the Trend: Year‐Round Grazing Promotes Species‐Rich Grasslands in Natura 2000 Sites

ABSTRACT Aims To support the continuous investment in trophic rewilding as a nature restoration strategy, we need to improve our knowledge of its effect and refine our methods for evaluating success. This study addresses the existing gap in long‐term monitoring of trophic rewilding by using year‐round grazing as a proxy and explores the effect of year‐round grazing semi‐feral horses ( Equus ferus caballus ) and cattle ( Bos taurus ) on European protected habitats. Locations 45 management areas across Denmark, lowland Europe. Methods Utilising data from the existing Danish national vegetation‐monitoring scheme, we evaluate the ecological effect across 45 year‐round grazed management areas spanning up to two decades. Our evaluation extends beyond considering species richness as we apply a range of ecological indicator values. We used Linear Mixed‐Effect Models (LMM) to explore the effect of the predictor years of grazing management on several response variables. Results Year‐round grazing in natural areas in Denmark generally promotes plant species richness, rare and light‐demanding plants, but effects vary among habitat types. The findings reveal notable changes in plant communities over time with year‐round grazing, signifying the improvement of dry grassland habitats towards species‐rich, open herbaceous habitats. However, the effect of year‐round grazing in wetlands is complex; while α‐diversity decreases, regionally rare species (unicity) increase. Conclusion With these insights on the effects of year‐round grazing, conservation managers can strategically prioritise management intervention and monitoring. This can support practitioners by informing trophic rewilding initiatives as a nature restoration approach within the most valuable European protected habitats.