Human Pressure on the Environment in the “Mun¸tii Maramure¸sului” Natural Park - Sustainable Development in Mountain Regions: Southeastern Europe - page 259

ha 120,000

100,000

80,000

1999
2005

60,000

40,000

20,000

0

Forest Arable land Pastures Hayfields Orchards Others uses

Fig. 21.3 Land use/land cover dynamics 1999-2005

21.2.2 Over-Grazing

The “Muntii Maramuresului” Natural Park has always been an agricultural area
especially in terms of cattle breeding on the rich sub-Alpine pastures and mead-
ows extending in the vicinity of settlements. Thus, over the last 100 years,
livestock (especially sheep) tripled (34,342 heads in 2003), putting great pres-
sure on the mountain pastures. In the past few years the number of sheep has
severely diminished, so that the local population chose to undertake other activities
(Fig. 21.4 ).
Intensive grazing or over-grazing has caused the degradation and, implicitly, the
reduction of biological diversity and pastures' productivity in some areas like Pop
Ivan, Serban, Poloninca, Paltin, Pietrosu Bardaului, Pecealu, Bucovinca, against
the dwarf mountain pine ( Pinus mugo ) thus affecting the upper forest limit .By

Fig. 21.4 Livestock dynamics in “Muntii Maramuresului” Natural Park