Vanishing biodiversity: The creeping degradation of central European calcareous grasslands

Calcareous grasslands in Central Europe are among the most species-rich habitats, yet they are undergoing a gradual but pervasive decline in habitat quality despite ongoing conservation efforts. Recent studies indicate that the expansion of Upright Brome ( Bromus erectus ), driven by climate change, atmospheric nitrogen deposition, and prevailing management practices, is leading to structural and floristic homogenisation. This process reduces bare-soil availability while threatening specialist plants and their associated fungi and animals, including pollinators and herbivorous insects. Traditional late-season mowing has proven insufficient to counter these changes, and current conservation strategies often fail to maintain the structural diversity necessary to sustain biodiversity. To halt the gradual degradation of calcareous grasslands, we argue that conservation practices must be fundamentally reconsidered. Adaptive management approaches – including year-round or temporary grazing, early-season mowing, and prescribed burning – should be implemented to restore habitat heterogeneity and support biodiversity. Timely adoption of such measures, accompanied where possible by regular monitoring, is essential to prevent further biodiversity loss in these valuable ecosystems.