Area
Fȃnațul Domnesc - The Lord's
Meadow
The Lord's Meadow is an old hay
meadow measuring ca. 40 ha and belongs to the village Luna de Jos
(near Cluj-Napoca). The meadow is no longer mown by local farmers
due to the decline in small-scale dairy farming. As a result, it is
becoming increasingly overgrown by shrubs and the sheep grazing
throughout the year is also having a negative impact on the
vegetation structure and typical meadow species.
The meadow is a great example of
what treasures the interaction of natural resources and extensive
agriculture can create: it is the only known place in Europe where
five taxa of Maculinea butterflies (synonym:
Phengaris) occur together - or did until recently, one
must unfortunately say, as the abandonment of mowing as well as the
grazing has already severely affected the butterfly populations
during the last decades.
The Lord's Meadows is currently at
the centre of the Mozaic Association's efforts to protect
traditional hay meadows in the Eastern Hills of Cluj
Natura 2000 site.