Notes on the dynamics of grassy vegetation in the Lovech district

Abstract. The shrinking livestock breeding in Bulgaria in the last 15 years has led to the abandonment of a number of grassy communities that were traditionally subjected to grazing and mowing. Attention in this article is directed at the weakening anthropogenic impact on vegetation and the subsequent demutation processes. The observed changes have been mainly related to the invasion of shrubs, forest and bracken. The study has extended to the grassy phytocoenoses situated up to the upper timberline of the forest. Key words: demutation succession, herbaceous phytocoenoses, meadows, pasture