Review on Impact of Agro-Silvo-Pastoral Management and Climate Changes on Mountain Semi-Natural Grasslands in the North-Western Italian Alps

Abstract

In biodiversity conservation, water management and maintaining cultural heritage, the mountain semi-natural grasslands in the north-western Italian Alps are playing an important role. Historically, traditional agro-silvo-pastoral systems integrating agriculture, forestry and grazing practices were cultured here to sustainably manage landscapes. However, the shift towards modern monoculture farming has led to biodiversity loss, soil erosion and reduction of ecosystem resilience amidst climate change impact. The aim of the study is to critique the impact of agro-silvo-pastoral management and climate change on these mountain semi-natural grasslands. The main focus is to compare the traditional polyculture systems with contemporary monoculture methods to examine their ecological, economic and social implications, by providing a multidisciplinary approach encompassing ecological assessments, biodiversity indices and ecosystem service valuation. The environmental impacts and benefits will be evaluated by statistical analysis and ecological economics principles. By redesigning resilient agroforestry models aligning ecological principles the study will further explore to contribute into biodiversity conservation, ecosystem service enhancement and sustainable agroforestry based agroecosystem exploration in mountain regions of North -western Italy. The research results will strive to enlighten policy interventions for promoting agroecological resilience and sustainable land management in the Italian Alps and other similar mountain ranges of Europe under changing climatic conditions.