The productivity and multifunctionality of permanent grasslands are under serious threat due to climate change. Thus, the development of solutions to at least maintain their multiple performances despite climate change is required. The project’s general concept is rooted in principles of agroecology. Its overall objective is to develop strategies to enhance multifunctionality, resilience and resistance of permanent grasslands using functional plant diversity and targeted management interventions. Key specific objectives are to

1. develop solutions for introducing native plant species with preferred traits into permanent grasslands, to improve their resilience to fluctuating weather conditions and their resistance to weed invasion,
2. assess the effects of plant functional diversity on grassland multifunctionality,
3. explore opportunities of using a diversity of grassland types as a farm-scale strategy for climate change adaptation.

The project will combine field experiments, the exploitation of datasets from previous projects, and a modelling approach for the farm scale. The project involves several collaborations, both within Agroscope and with international partners.