Relationships between productive and ecological indexes in a mountain area in Tuscany (Italy)

Mountain pastures are an important landscape element characterized by a high biodiversity level, nevertheless they generally evolve towards shrubs formations and, then, woodlands if leaved to the natural succession. One of this course consequence is a biodiversity lessening that natural resources management and nature conservation aims can not underestimate. To evaluate relationships between pastoral characteristics and biodiversity parameters, four pastures ecofacies have been identified by cluster analysis in a mountainous area in Tuscany (Italy) using botanic data. Extensive animal utilization was the area typical management form. Each group was characterized by different shrub percentage presence (Raunkiaer’s Chamaefite). Pearson’s correlation and principal components analysis to the Ellenberg’s and to biodiversity indices were applied together with the pastoral value to better understand the dynamics and the relations between the different vegetation formations Obtained results showed that biodiversity level and pastoral value are in inverse relation to the shrubs percentage and the pastures extensive utilization appears to be an economic exploitation technique that joins quality production and nature conservation.ERSA