Extensive grazing practices have created much of Europe’s landscapes and semi-natural habitats.  At the same time semi natural grassland habitats belong to the most threatened habitats within the EU.   

Besides having a positive effect on biodiversity extensive grazing provides other ecosystem services like increasing soil health and CO2 sequestration and the production of sustainable meat.  

Financial incentives influence decisions on land management and current EU policies,  legislation and subsidy systems are not helpful. Although the new CAP has more focus on greening issues through enhanced conditionality there is still a lack of integration of biodiversity, climate and agricultural policies.  

During this webinar we will first introduce the outcomes of a study into how much grazing animals are needed in the EU to effectively maintain and manage the current area of the so called Halada habitats; habitat types listed in the Habitats Directive that  that are dependent on some kind of grazing regime.  

Next we will look at the economic and ecological benefits of extensive grazing and rewilding at landscape level. We will also look at how subsidies of the Common Agricultural Policies can be used to support conservation grazing.  

Finally we will introduce the Grazing Study Tour in Poland, that Eurosite organises from 26 to 29 September 2023.   

Programme of event: 

• Introduction of the webinar by Henk Zingstra
• Approximate estimation of the number of cattle to main the so called Halada habitats in the EU – Dr. Gwyn Jones
• The CAP and conservation grazing; how to tap into CAP subsidies to support conservation grazing by Wouter Helmer recently retired co-founder of Rewilding Europe
• Introduction of the Grazing Study Tour to Poland by Dr. Kazimierz Rabski from the Polish Society of the Coast (EUCC): https://www.narzeczwybrzeza.pl/