Who is researching biodiversity hotspots in Eastern Europe? A case study on grasslands from Romania

Abstract

AbstractFarming landscapes of Europe are vital arenas for social-ecological sustainability because of their significant coverage and potential to integrate food production with biodiversity conservation. Knowledge gathered by scientific research is a critical ingredient for developing and implementing socio-economically and ecologically sustainable grassland management strategies for grasslands. The quality of scientific knowledge and its potential to address grasslands as complex social-ecological systems is strongly dependent on the creativity and scientific ambition of the researcher, but also on the network (from academic and non-academic sectors) around the researcher. The goal of this paper is to map the research network around Romania’s grasslands. These systems have exceptional socio-cultural and economic values and are between the most biodiverse ecosystems of the world. Considering the multiple threats to these grasslands, it is an urgent need to understand the existing scientific knowledge profile around these systems. This paper aims at using bibliometrics analysis, a well-developed scientific domain that envisages network theory to analyze relationships between affiliations network, co-authorship network, and co-word analysis. The number of studies targeting grassland management in Romania is increasing mainly thanks to international involvement. However, the management of the grasslands is still deficient and the contribution of science to the process is virtually absent. The subject of research is mainly related to the biological and ecological characteristics of grasslands, a notable absence from internationally visible research being the management of grasslands, especially in the context of EU Common Agricultural Policies. To increase scientific performance, and better inform EU and local policies on grassland management, Romanian researchers should better capitalize on international collaborations and local academic leaders. Our findings can be used to identify research gaps and to improve collaboration and knowledge exchange between practitioners, scientists, policy makers, and stakeholders.