Grasslands, their Threats and Management in Eastern Europe

The Eastern European region covers the post-socialist countries of central and eastern Europe (excluding East Germany and the European part of Russia) and the Balkan countries (excluding Greece and Turkey) (Fig. 4.1). The total area of the region is 2,154,005 km2, characterized mostly by extensive lowland regions to the north and north-east and with considerable mountainous regions in the central (Carpathians) and the southern (Balkan mountains, Crimean mountains) parts of the region. The region experiences a cool continental climate with increasing Mediterranean influence to the south (Peel et al., 2007). Based on the European Environmental Stratification system provided by Metzger et al. (2005), most of the Eastern European plains and lowlands and the uplands and low mountains of the Balkan Peninsula are situated in the Continental Environmental Zone (CON), naturally dominated by deciduous, mixed and coniferous forests. In the lowland regions, grasslands were formed on fine or coarse-grained alluvial and fluvial deposits and are characterized by the high influence of large rivers and their tributaries. The