Conservation strategy of a nature reserve in Mediterranean ecosystems: theeffects of protection from grazing on biodiversity

Protection of natural areas has caused the elimination of traditional grazi ng activity on many occasions. As a result, in Mediterranean ecosystems a l oss of biodiversity is usually related to a decrease of grassland and grass land-bush mosaic areas. In order to establish relationships between land us e and the relative importance of each type of habitat in terms of species r ichness and endemicity, the Font Roja Natural Park in Alicante Province (SE Iberian Peninsula) was studied. Four sites were selected representing the four different existing habitats: a wooded area (holm-oak forest), a dense shrubland, a dense grassland, and a grassland-shrubland mosaic area. In eac h site, the species composition of vegetation and dung beetle fauna were an alysed. The results showed that the highest diversity and endemicity, for p lants and beetles, were concentrated in the dense grasslands and the grassl and-shrubland mosaic. Thus, controlled grazing activity of sheep and goats which maintained a diverse variegated landscape would favour the historical sustenance of the biodiversity of Mediterranean ecosystems, as that would allow a remarkable diversity of habitats with higher conservation levels of existing species richness and endemicity. Therefore, we propose a reintrod uction of traditional grazing of sheep and goats throughout ecological, cul tural and economical measures, which would include guidelines and regulatio ns, set out to boost an integrated rural policy.