Effects of different establishment techniques on pasture improvements for wild animals in the Italian Apennine Mountains.

Invasive species propagation and their impact on land use pose difficult research questions due to the complex relationship between the ecological nature of the infestation and the animal responses to it. Infestation is often a result of land abandonment which encourages the progressive plant growth over green areas, with consequent reduction in biodiversity. Bracken fern (Pteridium aquilinum) is one of the most invasive weeds which presence reduces the qualitative value of encroached pastures. This study, carried out in a Regional Park in the central Apennines mountains (Italy), examined the effectiveness of different agronomical management systems against bracken fern infestation and their effects on botanical biodiversity and on the potential reutilization of open areas as pastures for wild animals. The results highlighted interesting differences between areas managed with different environmental improvements, in particular concerning specific contribution of the most important botanical families, pastoral value of the canopies and their floristic richness.