Results of the elections to the EDGG Executive Committee 2011–2013

The elections to the EDGG Executive Committee (EC) took place from 3 November to 3 December via elec-tronic ballot. There were six candidates for the up to seven positions to be filled. A total of 71 EDGG mem-bers cast their votes, with the following results:

Monika Janišová: 62 votes

Jürgen Dengler: 61 votes

Solvita Rūsiņa: 58 votes

Stephen Venn: 53 votes

Michael Vrahnakis: 50 votes

Péter Török: 49 votes

As each of the candidates received between 69% and 87% of the votes and thus clearly more than the 50% required by the Bylaws, all six are elected members of the EDGG-EC for 2011–2013. Their terms of duty will end with the General Assembly at the European Dry Grassland Meeting 2013.

Questionnaire 1 - Application of prescribed burning in European grasslands

Considering prescribed burning as a grassland conservation tool is quite ambivalent. One hand, prescribed burning can be very effective with relatively low costs to (i) maintain or create open landscapes, (ii) reduce accumulation of litter in abandoned grasslands, (iii) speed up processes leading to target states of grasslands during restoration, and (iv) to decrease the chance of spontaneous wildfires. On the other hand burning can also have serious negative impacts on grassland ecosystems by promoting the dominance of problem species (e.g. some competitors or invasive species) and by damaging several endangered plant and animal species (especially invertebrates). Inappropriate burning can result in a loss of species richness in the long run.

Thus, there is an increasing need summarising evidence based knowledge of application of burning in European grasslands considering (i) general (e.g. timing, frequency and duration) and specific (e.g. types of grasslands, effects on endangered species) application circumstances.

We are preparing a review of the applicability and constraints of prescribed burning practices in the conservation European grasslands. We have gathered information from published papers, but we would like to include a section with the evidence based and unpublished knowledge of prominent grassland experts from European countries.

We would kindly appreciate the contribution of EDGG members by answering a short questionnaire concerning the current use of burning practices in their country. The questionnaire can be found and downloaded here

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Logo of EDGG!

The logo competition is decided. Clear winner is the logo from our member Dr. Anna Kuzemko from Uman', Ukraine. It received 10 votes (No.10 in picture below), while the logo proposals No. 1, 2, 5 and 8 each received one vote.
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Home About us News Events Dry Grasslands Publications Useful links	EDGG News Results of the elections to the EDGG Executive Committee 2011–2013 (09.01.2012) Bulletin 13 is now published! download here (09.01.2012) Contribute to Bulletin 14 (09.01.2012) Questionnaire 1 - Application of prescribed burning in European grasslands If you are willing to contribute please send back the filled questionnaire as an e-mail attachment till 20th January 2012 to Péter Török (molinia@gmail.com) (16.12.2011) 4th EDGG research expedition to Sicily, March-April 2012 (12.12.2011) 9th European Dry Grassland Meeting in Greece 19-25 May, 2012 (25.10.2011) Planned Dry Grassland Special Features (25.10.2011). Following a very successful annual meeting in Uman’, Ukraine, we are now planning the publication of three Special Features on (dry) grasslands in international journals. We are inviting you, i.e. all members of the EDGG, not only the participants from Uman’, to use this opportunity to publish your exciting results. Virtual Special Feature planned for Applied Vegetation Science (Impact Factor: 1.802) Special Feature planned for Agriculture, Ecosystems and Environment (Impact Factor: 2.790) Dry Grassland Special Feature in Tuexenia 32 (2012) EDGG has signed the Conclusions of the High Nature Value Grasslands conference of EFNCP: Securing the ecosystem services of European farming post 2013(27.03.2011) Sign Smolenice Grassland Declaration !! New subgroups have been established: Working Group on South-Eastern European Dry Grasslands and Working Group on Mediterranean Dry Grasslands (15.03.2010) Logo of EDGG (11.04.2009)	Other News International conference “Steppe habitats of Europe” from 3^rd to 6^th of June 2012 in Erfurt, Germany (conference web page) (7.12.2011) Web page of The European Heathland Network (8.12.2010) Register your vegetation database: Global Index of Vegetation-Plot Databases (GIVD) www.saxifraga.nl more than 50,000 pictures of European plants, animals and landscapes (10.01.2010) Report European Butterfly Indicator for Grassland Species (24.02.2009) Freely available LIFE grassland brochure (16.01.2009)
	Results of the elections to the EDGG Executive Committee 2011–2013 The elections to the EDGG Executive Committee (EC) took place from 3 November to 3 December via elec-tronic ballot. There were six candidates for the up to seven positions to be filled. A total of 71 EDGG mem-bers cast their votes, with the following results: Monika Janišová: 62 votes Jürgen Dengler: 61 votes Solvita Rūsiņa: 58 votes Stephen Venn: 53 votes Michael Vrahnakis: 50 votes Péter Török: 49 votes As each of the candidates received between 69% and 87% of the votes and thus clearly more than the 50% required by the Bylaws, all six are elected members of the EDGG-EC for 2011–2013. Their terms of duty will end with the General Assembly at the European Dry Grassland Meeting 2013. Questionnaire 1 - Application of prescribed burning in European grasslands Considering prescribed burning as a grassland conservation tool is quite ambivalent. One hand, prescribed burning can be very effective with relatively low costs to (i) maintain or create open landscapes, (ii) reduce accumulation of litter in abandoned grasslands, (iii) speed up processes leading to target states of grasslands during restoration, and (iv) to decrease the chance of spontaneous wildfires. On the other hand burning can also have serious negative impacts on grassland ecosystems by promoting the dominance of problem species (e.g. some competitors or invasive species) and by damaging several endangered plant and animal species (especially invertebrates). Inappropriate burning can result in a loss of species richness in the long run. Thus, there is an increasing need summarising evidence based knowledge of application of burning in European grasslands considering (i) general (e.g. timing, frequency and duration) and specific (e.g. types of grasslands, effects on endangered species) application circumstances. We are preparing a review of the applicability and constraints of prescribed burning practices in the conservation European grasslands. We have gathered information from published papers, but we would like to include a section with the evidence based and unpublished knowledge of prominent grassland experts from European countries. We would kindly appreciate the contribution of EDGG members by answering a short questionnaire concerning the current use of burning practices in their country. The questionnaire can be found and downloaded here [top] Logo of EDGG! The logo competition is decided. Clear winner is the logo from our member Dr. Anna Kuzemko from Uman', Ukraine. It received 10 votes (No.10 in picture below), while the logo proposals No. 1, 2, 5 and 8 each received one vote. I [top]
	Deadline for contributions to the Bulletin No.14. is 28.02.2012 You can contribute in various ways: • to present remarkable dry grassland type/site • to present new publications • to share the photos and experiences from meetings, excursions and conferences • to initiate the establishment of new regular section in Bulletin • to initiate the establishment of new working group • to address questions related to dry grasslands (to find co-researchers for projects, to ask for advice in management practices, classification opinion, etc.) • to provide advice or help to other members asking for advice or help related to dry grasslands Please, send your contributions to Monika: monika.janisova@savba.sk. [top]
	Other news European Heathland Network The origins of European Heathland Network can be traced back to a meeting of heathland specialists sponsored by the French and British Ecological Societies held at the Field Station of the University of Rennes at Paim-pont in Brittany in July 1979. This meeting proved so successful that it led to the first wholly European meeting in Aberdeen and the founding of a group by Charles Gimingham, Jacques de Smidt, Bernard Clement and Nils Malmer. Since that meeting there have been regular meetings every 2-4 years in various countries. To subscribe to the newsletter, or to submit news, information, or any other heathland matters for the next newsletter please e-mail to john.day@footprint-ecology.co.uk Information will be regularly updated at www.naturalengland.org.uk/heathlands [top] *A report The European Butterfly Indicator for Grassland Species: 1990:2007* has been published by De Vlinderstichting (Dutch Butterfly Conservation) and Butterfly Conservation Europe and is based on data from fourteen national Butterfly Monitoring Schemes. The report can be downloaded from www.bc-europe.org. [top] Freely available LIFE grassland brochure of the EU LIFE and Europe's grasslands: Restoring a forgotten habitat 2008 - 56 pages Grassland ecosystems hold an important part of Europe's biodiversity. They offer ideal conditions for a vast diversity of habitats and species, are the source of a wide range of public goods and services, and also act as carbon 'sinks'. Changes in agricultural practices and land use pressures mean that grasslands are disappearing at an alarming rate. This brochure highlights a selection of LIFE co-funded projects targeting grassland ecosystems within the Natura 2000 network. [download] [top]
	[Home][About us][News][Events][Dry Grasslands][Publications][Useful links] Last update 25.10.2011 webpage editor: Solvita Rusina