The status of semi-natural grasslands in the province of South Karelia, SEFinland

The semi-natural grasslands were inventoried in the province of South Karel ia (Finland) in 1992, 1993 and 1996. Altogether 89 different sites were fou nd, covering a total area of 97 hectares. The sites were classified into fi ve different biotopes, which comprised a total of 115 grasslands. Three-qua rters of all sites (68, 76%), covering an area of 65 hectares (67% of total ), were assessed as being in danger of losing their value because of either poor management or lack of management. The results indicate that the area of semi-natural grasslands in the province is now about 250 times smaller ( 0.4%) than at the beginning of the 20th century. The status of these enviro nments in South Karelia is alarming.