EU-wide maps of grassland management using 2022 LUCAS grassland and extended grassland data

Abstract. Grassland is a major European ecosystem that provides a variety of services, including food production, greenhouse gas mitigation, biodiversity conservation or cultural services. As such, it occupies a central position in environmental and food production considerations. Grasslands across Europe come with a diversity of management, from extensive semi-natural and species rich pastures to very intensive single species meadows. As management determines the services provided by grasslands, it ultimately influences the resilience of European agricultural systems. Consequently, there is a pressing need for a monitoring system to inform evidence-based decision-making for a sustainable management of grasslands across Europe. The 2022 LUCAS grassland and extended grassland surveys collected over 29 900 samples across the entire EU27, providing harmonized in-situ observations for various grassland-related information, including their use (meadows, pastures, pastures or meadows) and intensity (intensive, moderately intensive or extensive) of management. We present the regionally aggregated (NUTS2 level) outputs from these surveys, delivering the first EU27 level map based on harmonized, in-situ collected data of grasslands intensity and use management, their forb-to-grass ratio and age category (i.e. temporary vs permanent). A strong zonation of intensity and use has been reported, with high intensity grasslands located in central and northern Europe and extensive ones located in southern Europe. Meadows prevail in central and eastern Europe, while pastures are predominant in western Europe. Highest forb ratio are generally observed in central and northern Europe. Furthermore, weak but statistically significant correlations were observed between forb ratio and management intensity. Permanent grasslands represented the dominant age category. This dataset can underpin Earth Observation-based monitoring systems as well as large scale modelling studies, further strengthening the evidence base for decisions on grassland management and use, and the multiple productive and ecological services they provide. Data described in this manuscript can be accessed at the JRC Data Catalogue repository under https://doi.org/10.2905/JRC.CVXWHE8 (Morel et al., 2026).