Ecological vulnerability of mountain grasslands in protected areas of southwestern Romania: limiting factors and degradation processes

The study analyzes the ecological vulnerability of mountain grasslands located within protected areas in southwestern Romania, specifically in the Poiana Rusca and Banat Mountains (Mountain Group 8), through the integration of geomorphological, pedoclimatic, and anthropogenic indicators. The research was based on a geospatial analysis of a complex dataset including relief data, climatic and soil parameters, and land-use patterns, processed within a GIS environment. Grasslands situated above 500 m in elevation, overlapping protected areas, cover a total of 11,153 ha and are mainly concentrated in the lower mountain zones below 1,000 m (77% in the Poiana Rusca Mountains and 91% in the Banat Mountains). These grasslands predominantly occur on moderately inclined slopes, and the values of the Geomorphological Vulnerability Index (GVI) are higher in the Poiana Rusca Mountains (28.6%) than in the Banat Mountains (22.6%). Climatic and soil conditions (acidic, weakly developed soils) favor degradation processes such as erosion and fertility loss. Additionally, anthropogenic impacts, manifested through land abandonment and the lack of maintenance practices, promote the expansion of woody vegetation and invasive species, further increasing ecosystem vulnerability. The proposed methodology, based on the integration of spatial data and multiple indicators, provides a replicable framework for assessing grassland ecosystem vulnerability in other mountain regions and for supporting sustainable management strategies.