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The scientific research in the GPNP: ecological restoration and the "brushing machine"
The meadows and pastures richest in biodiversity in the Gran Paradiso Park now have a role beyond the mere production of grass and hay for grazing animals. They can in fact be donor sites for native seeds to green up and restore environments that have been degraded or denuded by construction sites, excavations and earth moving.
The use of locally sourced seeds, suitable in terms of composition but also evolved over millennia in these same environments, is the best answer for the protection of biodiversity and often also for successful grassing.
On the contrary, the use of commercial seed mixes apparently seems to give optimal results in the very first years after sowing, however they tend to thin out quickly, especially in complicated environments such as mountainous ones. Furthermore, the use of commercial mixes introduces exotic species or species that can hybridise with the local flora and cause so-called genetic pollution.
In the Gran Paradiso Park there are currently 12 donor meadows and pastures with excellent levels of biodiversity. The collection of local seeds in the Park is done with a small electric brushing machine, which collects seed-rich coarse material and part of the plant stems (floras) without jeopardising subsequent mowing or grazing. Every summer we carry out some harvesting in order to build up a small reserve of floras, but the intention is above all to promote and facilitate a local supply chain in the park by providing technical support and, if possible, also the machinery itself for harvesting local floras and using them for reseeding to protect biodiversity.