Grazing and Biodiversity Conservation: Highlights on a Natura 2000 Network Site

This paper provides a summarisation of information on the biodiversity of Natura 2000 sites of Basilicata and the impacts of grazing on protected habitats and species. Besides, using a case study of a site particularly rich in biodiversity as an example, we described the application of the Driving Force, Pressure, State, Impact and Response (DPSIR) framework to evaluate the impacts of grazing and to propose corrective measures for ensuring restoration and conservation of habitats. Similar situations to those described on grazing in the study site can arise for any kind of anthropogenic disturbance, which makes the approach here described and discussed suitable for a large-scale use. However, the challenge for Natura 2000 network in Basilicata is not strictly to propose measures aiming at conserving biodiversity, but rather to build a better awareness of the ‘natural heritage’ concealed within the sites, in order to create an active involvement of the stakeholders in the process of devising policies toward biodiversity conservation.