Aesthetic and environmental adaptation of roads in pseudoalpine grasslands

Τhe uplands and especially the pseudoalpine grasslands constitute the main areas for grazing for livestock and wild animals, areas for production of valuable animal products, and at the same time they employ a substantial environmental, cultural, aesthetic, touristic importance and value. They are areas with remarkable biodiversity and a refuge for rare endemic species. However the mountainous ecosystems are especially sensitive to disturbances due to their low Visual Absorption Capability. In order to cover the requirements of livestock husbandry (transfer of animals and products) and other uses and services but also to reduce the risk of diminution of sensitive areas, the annoyance of wild fauna etc. the dispersion in space of people and animals is necessary, which means opening new roads or expanding the existing ones. Opening new roads in the mountainous grassland landscapes amounts to damages and perturbations to the environment and aesthetic decay of the landscape. In this paper, proper guidelines are proposed in order to minimize these problems. To achieve better aesthetic adjustment of the roads, the Visual Absorption Capability of the landscape is examined, as well as the ability to restore the disturbances by taking into account the difficulties due to the limited choices in species that can be used in these disfavor climate and soil conditions where the growing period is short.