Impacts of Land Abandonment on Vegetation: Successional Pathways in European Habitats

Changes in traditional agricultural systems in Europe in recent decades have led to widespread abandonment and colonization of various habitats by shrubs and trees. We combined several vegetation databases to test whether patterns of changes in plant diversity after land abandonment in different habitats followed similar pathways. The impacts of land abandonment and subsequent woody colonization on vegetation composition and plant traits were studied in five semi-natural open habitats and two arable habitats in six regions of Europe. For each habitat, vegetation surveys were carried out in different stages of succession using either permanent or non-permanent plots. Consecutive stages of succession were defined on a physiognomic basis from initial open stages to late woody stages. Changes in vegetation composition, species richness, numbers of species on Red Lists, plant strategy types, Ellenberg indicator values of the vegetation, Grime CSR strategy types and seven ecological traits were assessed for each stage of the successional pathway. Abandonment of agro-pastoral land-use and subsequent woody colonization were associated with changes in floristic composition. Plant richness varied according to the different habitats and stages of succession, but semi-natural habitats differed from arable fields in several ecological traits and vegetation responses. Nevertheless, succession occurred along broadly predictable pathways. Vegetation in abandoned arable fields was characterized by a decreasing importance of R-strategists, annuals, seed plants with overwintering green leaves, insect-pollinated plants with hemi-rosette morphology and plants thriving in nutrient-rich conditions, but an increase in species considered as endangered according to the Red Lists. Conversely, changes in plant traits with succession within the initially-open semi-natural habitats showed an increase in plants thriving in nutrient-rich conditions, stress-tolerant plants and plants with sexual and vegetative reproduction, but a sharp decrease in protected species. In conclusion, our study showed a set of similarities in responses of the vegetation in plant traits after land abandonment, but we also highlighted differences between arable fields and semi-natural habitats, emphasizing the importance of land-use legacy.     

Identifying the contradiction between the cultivated land fragmentation and the construction land expansion from the perspective of urban-rural differences

Land use contradictions and conflicts between arable and construction land areas have long been major topics in the field of land use research. However, few studies have explored the impact of differences in development between urban and rural areas on the amount and landscape level of arable land. In this study, two decades of data were combined to classify the Yangtze River Delta mega-city cluster area, where urbanization has been evident in China, into urban and rural areas. Based on this, we analyzed the differences in the changes in the amount of arable land caused by the expansion of urban and rural construction land. In this study, a comprehensive framework of arable land fragmentation indicators was constructed and the geographically weighted regression model was introduced to detect spatial and temporal dynamic change patterns of arable land fragmentation caused by different urbanization processes in urban and rural areas. The results show the following: (a) The expansion of urban and rural construction land caused arable land loss, and both contributed non-negligibly to arable land loss. (b) The distribution of the arable land fragmentation index showed obvious spatial heterogeneity, and its low-value area corresponded to a lower level of urban/rural construction land development. However, its high-value area did not show a stable dependence on the level of urban/rural construction land development. (c) Changes in urban and rural built-up land were the driving factors for changes in the degree of arable land fragmentation. In general, the expansion of the urban fringe increased the fragmentation of arable land, and the intensive expansion of urban centers curbed the fragmentation of arable land. However, rural construction land exhibited a stronger and more widespread impact than urban areas as a whole. This study contributes new ideas for arable land conservation policies under the growing mechanization of agriculture, especially in areas with large differences in development between urban and rural areas. Additionally, it emphasizes the need for rational planning of construction land in rural areas. The results of this study can provide references for urban-rural development planning, rural revitalization, and implementation of arable land protection.     

Ring-based versus disc-based separation of spatial scales: a case study on the impact of arable land proportions on invertebrates in freshwater streams

The impact of different land-use types on species is traditionally estimated by correlating landscape proportions recorded in buffer areas around focal points with species data observed at these sites. If a high proportion of a specific land-use type exists within a small radius, it will be accumulated in larger buffers and may confound the interpretation at larger scales. We sampled freshwater invertebrates in ten streams using cages with artificial substrate and compared the effects of arable land proportions calculated in disc-shaped buffers of increasing radius versus areas calculated from non-overlapping rings of increasing radius. We hypothesize that (1) the accumulative disc-based approach leads to confounding effects across increasing buffer size and that (2) the use of ring-based methods facilitates the identification of relevant scales for conservation measures. The abundance of crustaceans showed a positive relationship with arable land proportions, but Plecoptera abundance and the taxonomic richness of Ephemeroptera and Plecoptera decreased with increasing arable land proportions in the surrounding landscape. Our results further support the presence of confounding effects in disc-based analyses, as correlations between arable land proportions and Crustacea, or Plecoptera, respectively, were affected by the accumulation of small-scale area proportions. The distance at which arable land proportions significantly affected benthic fauna in freshwater streams was consistently shorter if calculated from rings rather than from discs. Although an a priori definition of ring width introduces new challenges, a combined use of disc- and ring-based techniques for the estimation of land-use effects may substantially improve the realization of conservation and protection measures in terrestrial and aquatic systems.     

Plant diversity declines with recent land use changes in European Alps

Against a background of increasing land use intensification on favorable agricultural areas and land abandonment on less arable areas in the Alps, the aim of this investigation was to detect whether and how 10 differently used types of grassland can be distinguished by site factors, plant species composition, and biodiversity. By using a very large number of vegetation surveys (936) that were widely distributed in the Central Alps, site parameters and species composition of the different land use types were compared by discriminant analyses and various biodiversity indices. Results showed that land use is a significant factor affecting the development of different grassland communities with site factors playing a subordinate, yet important role. The 10 land use types studied can be clearly differentiated from one another by single species as well as by species composition. Our study found that the number of plant communities along with the number of species decreases constantly and significantly with increasing land use intensity and on abandoned land. For example, on average, extensively used meadows have more than three times as many species as intensively used meadows. Further, the most even distribution of species (Evenness index) is reached in intensively used meadows, whereas on pastures and abandoned land, some species become dominant forcing other species to recede. The results confirm that due to current trends in agriculture, such as land abandonment and land use intensification, plant diversity in the Alps is decreasing considerably.     

基于MODIS-归一化植被指数的广东省植被覆盖与土地利用变化研究

基于MODIS-NDVI遥感植被指数,利用像元二分模型进行植被覆盖度提取,结合趋势分析和显著性检验等方法,对2000—2020年间广东省的植被覆盖时空变化特征进行分析,并结合土地利用变化图谱,探究土地利用类型对植被覆盖时空变化的驱动作用。结果表明：(1)2000—2020年,广东省植被覆盖度整体以0.23%/a的变化率呈波动增长趋势,但空间异质性显著,呈现出以珠三角地区为中心向外辐射递增的趋势;(2)广东省多年平均植被覆盖度介于0.7—0.76,以中高和高植被覆盖度为主,低植被覆盖区约占研究区总面积的4.37%。全省以植被改善为主(78.18%),显著和极显著退化区域占全区面积的5.84%,主要集中分布在珠三角、粤东沿海以及粤西沿海等地区;(3)研究区以耕地与林地的图谱单元互换为主要土地利用变化特征,而城乡、工矿、居民用地在耕地和林地的占用和补充过程中起了重要的作用,反映出城乡建设过程中对耕地和林地的大量占用;植被覆盖变化与土地利用变化存在响应联系,且各土地利用类型对植被覆盖度的贡献各异;向城乡、工矿、居民用地转化的图谱与植被显著和极显著退化区高度重合,说明耕地和林地向城乡、工矿、居民...     

世界主要国家耕地动态变化及其影响因素

在世界人口持续攀升、全球耕地面积不断减少的背景下,探讨世界主要国家耕地变化其影响因素,对于分析预测未来世界耕地变化趋势、研究世界粮食安全具有积极意义。选择2050年人口过亿的17个国家和耕地面积排名前10的国家为研究对象,在分析1961—2007年耕地总量变化、人均耕地变化的基础上,探讨了耕地变化影响因素。研究结果表明,从20世纪60年代到2007年间的不同时期内,有越来越多的国家表现出耕地减少趋势,而人均耕地面积减少的国家个数高达90%以上。满足人口消费需求、城市化与经济发展是大多数国家耕地总量变化的主要动力;而人口快速增长、城市化则是导致许多国家人均耕地显著减少的重要原因。     

Response of collembolan communities to land-use change and grassland succession

This study focuses on the long-term changes of collembolan communities occurring after the conversion of arable land to managed grassland. We analysed collembolan communities at grassland sites of different age that had been gradually converted over a period of 50 yr. Abundance and biomass responded rapidly and very positively to the conversion of arable land to grassland, while species richness was not affected. Collembolan assemblages changed only little during grassland maturation. The impact of land-use change on community structure was more obvious at the functional level because the colonization processes observed in our study mostly relied on hemiedaphic species. Vegetation and soil parameters were good predictors of collembolan community structure during development of managed grassland. The present study demonstrated that past landscape patterns and processes like land-use conversion and subsequent succession had a considerable impact on the present day pattern of species richness and community composition of Collembola within a landscape. Our results strongly differ from those obtained for other invertebrate groups, highlighting on the one hand the very diverse reactions of invertebrates to a common factor, and on the other hand the need to survey more than one taxa in order to draw conclusions on effects of land-use change on faunistic communities.     

近30年淀山湖地区生态系统服务价值对土地利用变化的响应

水源是区域和城市发展的重要保障,研究其生态系统服务的变化及其影响因素对水源跨区域联防联治有重要意义。利用淀山湖地区1984、1993、2006和2014年的遥感影像,通过修正生态系统服务价值当量因子,基于GIS空间分析技术对淀山湖地区1984—1993年、1993—2006年、2006—2014年土地利用变化及生态系统服务价值(Ecosystem Service Value, ESV)进行了分析。结果表明,淀山湖地区林地面积和建筑用地面总体呈增加趋势,而耕地面积和水体面积呈下降趋势。ESV结果显示,1984—2014期间水体ESV减少了2.15亿元,耕地的ESV减少了2.41亿元,林地的ESV增加了2.50亿元。各土地利用类型ESV敏感性指数均小于1,说明研究区生态系统服务价值是缺乏弹性的。在乡镇尺度,仅朱家角镇和锦溪镇ESV呈现净增长;在省市级尺度,江苏省境内的总土地单位面积ESV减少,而上海市境内的总土地单位面积ESV增加。驱动力分析表明,自然因素和社会经济因素均对ESV有影响,人口密度、区域总产值与ESV存在显著相关性。可见,土地利用方式的改变显著影响生态系统服务价值,合理的土地利用将有利于提高总土地单位面积生态系统服务价值。     

Target regions for silvoarable agroforestry in Europe

Silvoarable agroforestry (SAF) has recently been proposed as an alternative land-use system for Europe. Data on soil, climate, topography, and land cover were integrated in a geographic information system (GIS) to identify agroforestry target regions where (i) productive growth of trees (Juglans spp., Prunus avium, Populus spp., Pinus pinea, and Quercus ilex) in SAF systems could be expected and where (ii) SAF systems could potentially reduce the risk of soil erosion, nitrate leaching and increase landscape diversity.The analysis shows that the investigated tree species could grow productively in SAF systems on 56% of the arable land throughout Europe (potential productive tree growth area). 80% of the European arable land was classified as potential risk area for soil erosion, nitrate leaching, and/or landscape diversity. Overlaying potential productive tree growth areas with the arable land that was considered as environmental risk area yielded target regions. They were found to make up about 40% of the European arable land and thus SAF could contribute to soil protection on 4%, to mitigate nitrate leaching on 18% and to increase landscape diversity on 32% of European arable land.Although limited by constrained data availability, the study shows that SAF could be implemented in a productive way throughout Europe and that it could help resolve some of the major land-use problems. The environmental benefits could justify the support of SAF by subsidies.     

Estimating the consequences of land-use changes on butterfly diversity in a marginal agricultural landscape in Sweden

Abandonment of farming with the resultant increase in forest cover is one of the major threats to semi-natural grasslands in marginal agricultural areas. In Sweden, the loss of semi-natural grassland is a serious nature conservation problem since it is one of the most species-rich habitats. In this study, the consequences of grassland abandonment and afforestation on butterfly diversity and butterfly dispersal costs are estimated and used to compare three different future land-use scenarios for a marginal agricultural landscape in Sweden. Based on previous butterfly surveys on grasslands in the area, a relationship between land-use type and butterfly diversity was established. By comparing land-use maps of different scenarios, the number of suitable habitat patches and total suitable habitat patch area with low, medium and high butterfly diversity could be estimated. To obtain an indication of possible fragmentation effects, a least-cost analysis was used to compare travel costs of the butterflies between suitable habitat patches for the different scenarios. The results show that different land-use scenarios affect butterfly diversity and travel costs differently. In the extreme case scenario of cessation of full-time farming and a reduction in part-time farming, nearly all valuable butterfly habitats will vanish, since the most species-rich habitats lie in the periphery of the settlement and are expected to be abandoned and afforested first. If, on the other hand, grassland management is less reduced the effect of abandonment on butterflies depends very much on which areas continue to be managed. To preserve the most important grasslands for butterflies an active management strategy for the whole study area would be needed. While it seems relatively easy to identify the areas most important to conserve from a butterfly diversity perspective, it will be more difficult to find an optimal spatial solution that also minimises dispersal costs for butterflies.     

Fire and stone clearance in Iron Age agriculture: new insights inferred from the analysis of terrestrial macroscopic charcoal in clearance cairns in Hamneda,southern Sweden

Areas with ancient clearance cairns have been studied in Hamneda, Småland Uplands, southern Sweden, by archaeological and palaeoecological methods. Based on numerous radiocarbon dates and stratigraphical analyses, the local introduction of stone clearance is dated to the first century A.D. The clearance cairns reflect a system of semi-mobile cultivation that lasted until c. A.D. 900. Pollen and macrofossil analyses provide information on cereal growing and pastures in these clearance cairn areas, while charcoal analyses reveal details on the agrarian expansion dynamics and the use of fire in vegetation clearance. In the expansion phase, Quercus (oak) woodlands were cleared and transformed to open pastures and arable land, partly by the use of fire. A secondary succession of Betula (birch) and Corylus (hazel) was dealt with by fire clearances to keep pastures open and to prepare new arable plots. In the long run, Betula in particular was favoured by the land-use system. The mobility of the cultivation system is discussed together with the causes behind the introduction of stone clearance. A possible causal relationship with the introduction of hay mowing is also discussed.     

Land abandonment as a precursor of built-up development at the sprawling periphery of former socialist cities

In former socialist countries, as cities expanded they permeated into nearby agricultural areas. The periphery then became a mosaic of built-up and agricultural patches. Due to small sizes, inconvenient shapes and scattered locations, the parcels often became unprofitable for agricultural use, and were later abandoned and frequently transformed into built-up areas. Our paper aims to assess whether agricultural land abandonment can be considered a valid precursor of built-up development. The periphery of Bucharest was chosen as the study area, and analyzed over a period of 11 years (2002–2013) based on data sets derived from aerial images. Logistic regression models were used to test whether land abandonment was a significant explanatory variable of built-up development along with other socio-economic, land use, and urban planning variables. The results showed that land abandonment has the potential to be considered a precursor of built-up development. It acts within a cause and effect framework, being influenced by ongoing economic transformations, and changes in urban regulations. Its addition as an explanatory variable in a built-up prediction model significantly increased the prediction power, which makes it a useful variable in urban land use change scenarios. The type of observed abandonment at the periphery of urban areas follows a different pathway compared to land abandonment observed in remote or rural areas. Here, land abandonment is the result of anticipated higher profits through new economic opportunities and urbanization. Monitoring of abandoned land and urban sprawl could enable local authorities to evaluate the outcomes of planning policies and economic incentives.     

DETECTING DESERTIFICATION PROCESSES USING TM AND ETM+ DATA, NORTH OF ISFAHAN, IRAN

 Aims Desertification results in ecological and biological diminution of the earth, and can happen naturally or cause by anthropogenic activities. This process especially affects arid and semi-arid regions, such as the Isfahan region, where the spread of desertification is reaching critical proportions. The aim of this study is to use remotely sensed data to review the trend of desertification in the northern of Isfahan, Iran. Methods Multi-temporal images were employed to evaluate the trend of desertification, specifically the TM and ETM+ data of September, 1990 and September, 2001. Geometric and radiometric corrections were applied to each image prior to image processing and supervised classification, and vegetation indices were applied to produce a land use map of each image in nine classes. The land use classification s in the two map images were compared and changes between land use classes were detected over the 11 year period using a fuzzy and post-classification technique. Important findings The maps and their comparison with false color composite images showed the differences efficiently. With the fuzzy and post-classification method the land use changes were sited on the map. Fuzzy confirmed 53% changed area and 47% unchanged areas in the study region. The results verify the desertification expansion in the study areas. Because of poor land management, agricultural lands converted to desert and abandoned areas, and some marginal pasture lands had to be changed to agricultural land which are desertification spreading according to United Nations Conference on Desertification (UNCOD). Also farmland and pastures have been converted to urban and industrial areas, and the rangelands have been spoiled due to opencast mine excavations. With the mine margins eroding as well as their debris accumulating on the pasture lands, desertification has become worse. Three areas of less-elevated mountains have remained unchanged. This study confirmed that the anthropogenic activities accelerated the desertification process and severely endangered the remaining areas.     

The Impact of Land Abandonment on Species Richness and Abundance in the Mediterranean Basin: A Meta-Analysis

Land abandonment is common in the Mediterranean Basin, a global biodiversity hotspot, but little is known about its impacts on biodiversity. To upscale existing case-study insights to the Pan-Mediterranean level, we conducted a meta-analysis of the effects of land abandonment on plant and animal species richness and abundance in agroforestry, arable land, pastures, and permanent crops of the Mediterranean Basin. In particular, we investigated (1) which taxonomic groups (arthropods, birds, lichen, vascular plants) are more affected by land abandonment; (2) at which spatial and temporal scales the effect of land abandonment on species richness and abundance is pronounced; (3) whether previous land use and current protected area status affect the magnitude of changes in the number and abundance of species; and (4) how prevailing landforms and climate modify the impacts of land abandonment. After identifying 1240 potential studies, 154 cases from 51 studies that offered comparisons of species richness and abundance and had results relevant to our four areas of investigation were selected for meta-analysis. Results are that land abandonment showed slightly increased (effect size  = 0.2109, P<0.0001) plant and animal species richness and abundance overall, though results were heterogeneous, with differences in effect size between taxa, spatial-temporal scales, land uses, landforms, and climate. In conclusion, there is no “one-size-fits-all” conservation approach that applies to the diverse contexts of land abandonment in the Mediterranean Basin. Instead, conservation policies should strive to increase awareness of this heterogeneity and the potential trade-offs after abandonment. The strong role of factors at the farm and landscape scales that was revealed by the analysis indicates that purposeful management at these scales can have a powerful impact on biodiversity.     

Patterns of Land-use Abandonment Control Tree-recruitment and Forest Dynamics in Mediterranean Mountains

Abstract Mediterranean ecosystems have been impacted for millennia by human practices, particularly agricultural and pastoral activities. Since the middle of the nineteenth century, land-use abandonment has lead to scrubland and forest expansion, especially in mountain areas of the northern Mediterranean basin. This study aimed at analyzing how grazing history affects subsequent forest dynamics at a site located in the limestone foothills of the Southern Alps (France). The approach combines archival documents and dendroecology to investigate the origin, establishment and development of forest following land-use abandonment. Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris) started to colonize quickly in the 1870s, with the recruitment rate increasing during the first decade of the 1900s, associated with a decline of the local human population and regional livestock. Since the 1960s, European beech (Fagus sylvatica) and silver fir (Abies alba) have regenerated in the understorey of Scots pines. Regeneration is controlled by a threshold of grazing pressure. Noticeably, the rate of reforestation differs according to the former land-use, with pastures being colonized more quickly than ploughed areas. Different previous land-uses leading to different times of grazing cessation, combined with variable herbaceous competition explain the contrasting micro-scale regeneration patterns. Agricultural land-use and abandonment are both significant driving forces of vegetation dynamics. Knowledge of these factors is thus necessary to understand present patterns and to predict future forest pathways in the Mediterranean mountains.     

Structure of ground-foraging ant assemblages in relation to land-use change in the northwestern Mediterranean region

The abandonment by humans of marginal and less productive zones signifies an important change in land use in North Mediterranean agroecosystems. Human perturbations have led to a highly diversified landscape, with a mosaic made up of patches of land at different stages of succession, from cultivated fields to closed forest. Our aim here is to characterize ant assemblages and their functional groups in response to these land-use changes. This progressive abandonment results in an initial increase in ant richness and abundance, which can reach high levels if the succession proceeds as far as woodland. In terms of the ant functional groups, this land-use change implies: (1) the appearance of Subordinate Camponotini; (2) an increase in Generalized Myrmicinae, Cryptics and Cold-climate specialists in terms of ant species richness, overall abundance and, for Generalized Myrmicinae and Cryptics, an increase in abundance percentage; (3) a decrease in percentage abundance of Opportunists; (4) a progressive decrease in species richness as well as overall and percentage abundance of Hot-climate Specialists throughout the transformation from crops to woodlands; and (5) an initial increase of Dominant Dolichoderinae followed by a decrease in ant species richness, overall abundance and percentage abundance. Using the ant functional group approach for the clearly separate stages of the regeneration process is a promising method for comparing responses of ant communities to human land use.     

Settler agriculture and the dynamics of resource allocation in frontier environments

This article attempts to conceptualize the dynamics of resource allocation by colonist farmers under the unique conditions of land abundance and labor scarcity which characterize frontier environments, such as the smallholder agricultural settlement areas in the Amazon basin. In contrast, most previous theoretical literature on household agricultural decision making and land-use change in rural areas considers conditions of high population density and land scarcity, and is not, therefore, adequate for understanding critical land-use changes which may be occurring in frontier regions. This article first discusses the appropriateness and inadequacies of the analytical frameworks commonly used to explain the expansion of settler agriculture into remote forest regions and the unsustainable land-use practices observed in these areas. This review serves as the basis for characterizing resource allocation under the particular conditions of frontier environments. A conceptual advance in the analysis is its consideration of the way institutional/policy factors and farm-level characteristics can interact to produce land-use outcomes. This knowledge is essential to understand not only the social and economic factors affecting present land use and choice of technology, but also those factors influencing farmers' demand for more optimal systems of land use which are consistent with varying agro-ecological potentials, demographic situations, and their own management capacity.     

Following The Trail: Factors Underlying the Sudden Expansion of the Egyptian Mongoose (Herpestes ichneumon) in Portugal

Species range-limits are influenced by a combination of several factors. In our study we aimed to unveil the drivers underlying the expansion of the Egyptian mongoose in Portugal, a carnivore that was confined to southern Portugal and largely increased its range during the last three decades. We evaluated the expansion of the species in three periods (1980-1990, 1990-2000 and 2000-2010), by projecting the presence/absence data of the species in each temporal range and proposed four hypotheses to explain this sudden expansion associated to changes in the barrier effects of human infrastructure and topographic features, and in the availability of suitable areas due to climate change or land use. An exploratory analysis was made using Spearman rank correlation, followed by a hierarchical partitioning analysis to select uncorrelated potential explanatory variables associated with the different hypotheses. We then ran Generalized Linear Models (GLM) for every period for each hypothesis and for every combination of hypotheses. Our main findings suggest that dynamic transitions of land-use coupled with temperature and rainfall variations over the decades are the main drivers promoting the mongoose expansion. The geographic barriers and the human infrastructures functioned as barriers for mongoose expansion and have shaped its distribution. The expansion of the Egyptian mongoose across the Portuguese territory was due to a variety of factors. Our results suggest a rapid shift in species range in response to land-use and climate changes, underlining the close link between species ranges and a changing environment.     

江苏省土地利用变化的图谱特征

基于地学信息图谱理论与方法,运用ArcGIS 10.0软件,以江苏省1990、2000和2010年3期遥感解译数据为空间数据源合成江苏省1990—2000和2000—2010年两个10年阶段的土地利用变化图谱以及耕地利用变化模式图谱,据此揭示江苏省土地利用变化时空特征及规律.结果表明: 1990—2000年,江苏省土地利用变化以耕地与城乡建设用地、耕地与水域以及耕地与林草地的图谱单元互换为主要特征,尤其是以“耕地→城乡建设用地”、“耕地→水域”最为显著,耕地数量减少、空间分布集中.2000—2010年,江苏省土地利用变化最显著的仍是“耕地→城乡建设用地”图谱单元;同时,“草地→水域”、“城乡建设用地→水域”图谱类型分布集中且扩大趋势明显;与1990—2000年相比,空间图谱变化总面积和空间分离度均有所增大.江苏省耕地利用变化模式以后期变化型为主,前期变化型次之,反复和持续变化型耕地所占比例较小.     

Post-Soviet recovery of grassland vegetation on abandoned fields in the forest steppe zone of Western Siberia

Following the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 around 45 million hectares of arable land became abandoned across Russia. Our study focused on the recovery potential and conservation value of grassland vegetation on ex-arable land in the Tyumen region of the Western Siberian grain belt. We compared ex-arable grasslands of different successional stages with ancient grasslands as reference for the final stage of succession along a climatic gradient from the pre-taiga to the forest steppe zone. Plant community composition and species richness of ex-arable land clearly developed towards reference sites over time, but even after 24 years of abandonment, the grassland vegetation had not totally recovered. The γ-diversity of vascular plants was slightly higher on ex-arable land than in ancient grasslands but the mean α-diversity was still moderately lower. A significant proportion of the vegetation of ex-arable land still consisted of ruderal and mesic grassland species and the number and cover of meadow-steppe species was significantly lower than in ancient grasslands. Grazing and time since abandonment positively affected the reestablishment of target grassland species, whereas it was negatively affected by the cover of grasses. In contrast to ex-arable land, the conservation value of arable land is only modest. Therefore, future intensification of land use is most likely less harmful if directed to existing arable land. Re-cultivation of ex-arable land and grassland improvement operations such as seeding of competitive grass species are major threats for the biodiversity of secondary grasslands on ex-arable land in the forest steppe zone of Western Siberia.