THE CONTRIBUTION OF GRASSLANDS IN THE MANNER OF LAND USE FROM THE HILL AREA OF BANAT IN RELATION TO LIVESTOCK

. The meadows in the hill area of Banat can be defined as resources with multidimensional significance. In another context, grasslands can be considered one of the defining elements in livestock activities in rural areas. In this respect, the purpose of the research was to quantify the grassland resources in the area of interest and assess their potential in forage cover of local animals. The analysis of the area of interest was done by geospatial methods, applied with ArcGIS 10.4 software. Geospatial data, statistical and bibliographic data from the literature were used. The area of interest is characterized by complex and variable environmental conditions, which is also reflected in the use of the territory. In the five analyzed administrative units, grasslands occupy surfaces between 16.65% (UAT Balinţ) and 52.14% (UAT Secaş), these being interspersed with other categories of land use, respectively with arable land in the low areas and with forests in the areas located at higher altitudes. As far as animals are concerned, it was found that the largest herds were in ATU Brestovăţ, where per hectare of pasture has 0.72 LSU. Through the economic benefits offered, the meadows in the analyzed hill area constitute important natural resources for local and regional communities.


INTRODUCTION
Grasslands generate a diverse range of goods and services that are useful to humanity.By using pastures as the main source of animal feed, grasslands offer alternatives for making the cheapest forage (Iacob et al., 2015, Vidican et al., 2020).This reduces the use of arable land and increases the amount of food that is directly available for human consumption from cereals (Imbrea, 2011b), legumes (Radu et al, 2010).Grasslands also provide various ecosystem services that support the environment we live in (Blala and Zyszkowska, 2004;Cojocariu et al., 2019).These include climate regulation, water storage, soil microbiology (Sheik et al., 2011;Borozan et al., 2013) the circuit of elements in nature (Sărăţeanu et al, 2020), pollination and biodiversity (Moisuc et al., 2000;Akeroyd and Page, 2011).
The organization and use of land, in all terrestrial environments, is dictated by the joint action of a complex of natural factors, such as landform, climatic factors, pedological factors, but also anthropogenic (Popovici et al., 2016;Rusu et al., 2020).Their participation in a given territory conditions the existence or absence of natural resources, especially land resources, essential especially in rural areas.
In the case of grasslands, defining them as resources has multidimensional significance.In another context, pastures can be considered one of the defining elements of landscapes in rural areas (Feranec et al., 2010).
Especially important for rural communities are grassland resources, particularly through their economic function (Man and Otiman, 2004), these being used as a source of fodder for animals, for grazing, for extracting medicinal plants, but also with socio-cultural valences related to pastoral traditions (Rusu 2007;Hoancea et al., 2017).
Given the importance of grassland resources, topo-cadastral techniques can be used with remarkable results for mapping, evaluation and analysis in correlation with other environmental factors (Gu et  The purpose of the research was to quantify the grassland resources in the area of interest and to assess their potential in forage cover of local animals.

MATERIAL AND METHODS 1. Experimental device
The experimental device is located in the hill area of Banat, at altitudes between 103 -311 m (fig.1).The analyzed territory overlaps Lipova hills.The experimental device includes meadows from five administrative-territorial units (ATU) representative for the area of interest: Brestovăţ, Ghizela, Secaş, Bara and Balinţ.
Climatic parameters, namely air temperature and atmospheric precipitation amounts (fig.2) show variations both from one year to another and from one sub-zone to another.Average temperature values fall between 11.3 -12.4ºC, and the precipitation in the analyzed area is between 743 and 792 mm.The working methodology was carried out in several stages: 1. Delimitation of the study area -a representative area was selected in terms of range, grassland cover and physico-geographical aspect on the territory of Banat and located in the hill area, with different altitudes; 2. Definition of the experimental device -from within the previously established area, the five ATUs Brestovăţ, Ghizela, Secaş, Bara and Balinţ were selected; The analysis focused particularly on grassland areas, but in order to identify restrictive environmental conditions, the territory as a whole was considered; 3. Meadow analysis -for establishing spatial entities, respectively land used as grasslands, geospatial data were used (Corine Land Cover database, 2018 edition), data taken from commune municipalities and highresolution spatial images (orthophotoplans taken from ANCPI); for the physico-geographical characterization of the meadow units, they were superimposed with the Digital Elevation Model (EU-DEM, 2023), thus extracting, in the GIS environment, information on altitude, slope, slope orientation; 4. Livestock situation -was taken from statistical data (data.gov-the situation of livestock) and was correlated with the areas of meadows in each ATU, and the transformation of animals into Livestock Units (LSU) was done according to the classic methodology (Iacob et al., 2015).

RESULTS AND DISCUSSIONS
The area of interest is located in the eastern part of Timiş county.It crosses areas of high plains and hills with altitudes between 103 -311 m (Posea and Badea, 1984) (fig.3).
The analyzed grasslands are located on the territory of five administrative units (fig.3).
In the sub-zones of the area of interest, the altitude increases, the maximum value being found in Brestovăţ ATU (above 300 m altitude), and the value of the slopes, but the way of land use also diversifies.the existence of human resources employed in agriculture, more "generous" than in plain areas or in the area of influence of large cities where employment in the tertiary sector predominates; a lower rate of population ageing and migration phenomena compared to mountain areas; the presence in land use of "typical" pasture areas near arable land, but also at the forest edge.
The administrative-territorial unit Brestovăţ is located in the north-east of Timiş county.The relief is hilly, with altitudes between 103 -311 m, being located in the Lipovei Hills.
On the territory of Brestovăt commune, the largest areas belong to deciduous forests (32.58%).In the case of Brestovăţ ATU (fig.4, fig.5), the "clean" pastures represent 29.45% of the total area, but as components of the silvopastoral systems there are also agricultural lands with natural vegetation (approx.7.03%) or areas of transition with shrubs.In terms of land use, the category of deciduous forests (31.53%) and non-irrigated arable land (26.44%) predominates, and the percentage of pastures is 24.51% (fig.6, fig.7).
In terms of territorial distribution, the pastures are predominantly spread in the western part, in the areas of low hills, in association with deciduous forests (fig.6), and in the southern part in association with arable land.Secaş commune, located in the north-east of Timiş county, overlaps the Lipovei Hills, the relief being typical of the hills, with altitudes varying between 140 -311 m (fig.8).
Surfaces used as grasslands can also be found in the "Agricultural land with natural vegetation" category, lands extending over 14.07% of the territory (fig.9).Also, part of the wooded pastures of the analyzed area are included in the category "Transition areas with shrubs".The distribution of land according to the mode of use highlights the significant share of grassland areas, respectively 33.55% (fig.10, fig.11).
The areas of grasslands are dispersed throughout the territory of Bara commune, their total area being 2362 ha.
Balinţ ATU is located in the north-east of Timiș county, in the hydrographic basin of the Bega river.Balinţ ATU is characterized by relief specific to low hills, with altitudes between 106 -220 m, the average values being 138 m (see fig. 12).From figure 13, it can be seen that the land fund has a structure dominated by arable land (59.43%).Grasslands are present in a percentage of 16.65% in the category of pastures, but also numerous entities included in other categories (transition areas with shrubs, agricultural lands with natural vegetation, etc.).
From the point of view of the territorial distribution, the grassland surfaces are grafted centrally, on all forms of relief and in all environmental conditions of the analyzed territory (fig.12).
According to the National Institute of Statistics, at the level of 2017 (the last one in the database), livestock numbers are high in the 5 ATUs analyzed (table 1), but so are the areas of large grasslands.The largest herd of sheep is recorded in Secaş ATU (14134) on an area of 3030 ha of pasture.Balinţ ATU has the largest herd of cattle (509), a herd of 7440 sheep and 413 goats on an area of 926 ha of grasslands.Following the transformation of livestock into LSU (Livestock Unit) with the help of conversion coefficients, it is found that in Balinţ ATUs, one hectare of pasture has 1.74 LSU, as a result of the fact that in the commune there is an increase in the number small animal.In the other municipalities, where we have a larger number of animals per hectare of pasture, it is between 0.67 LSU (Secaş ATU) and 0.80 LSU.In this situation, the cultivation of fodder plants becomes mandatory in order to complete the fodder requirement, during the summer as well as the winter (table 2).In Banat, small and medium-sized farms, along with other agricultural sectors, are the subject of projects for local communities financed by European programs (Imbrea, 2011a).

CONCLUSIONS
From a physical and geographical point of view, the area of interest is characterized by complex and variable environmental conditions.The landform imprints different morphostructural and morphometric characteristics that are reflected in the "behavior" of climatic factors, in the structure of the vegetal and soil cover, but also in the way of organizing and using the territory.
Thus, in the case of Brestovăţ ATU, the relief presents a hilly aspect, with altitudes between 114 -311 m, in terms of land use, deciduous forests dominate (32.58%) and pastures represent 29.45% of the total area.Farmers in the locality own a herd of 2176.54 large animals, specifically sheep breeding.One hectare of pasture has 0.72 LSU.
The relief of Ghizela commune presents a hilly aspect, with altitudes between 103 -251 m.In the structure of the land use, the category of deciduous forests (31.53%) and arable land (26.44%) predominates, and the percentage owned by pastures is 24.51%.In the town of Ghizela, a livestock of 1711.56UVM is raised, which feed on the 2257 ha of grasslands, so that one hectare of pasture has 0.76 LSU.
The administrative territory of the Secaş commune overlaps the Lipovei Hills, the relief being specific to the hills, with altitudes that vary between 140 -311 m.In the Secaş commune, the areas of grasslands dominate (52.14%), being distributed over the entire surface of the territory.A total of 2033.04LSU are grown in the locality, which indicates that one hectare of pasture has 0.67 LSU.
The distribution of lands in Bara ATU, commune in the hilly area of Timiş county, highlights the significant share of grassland areas (33.55%), their total area being 2362 ha; per hectare of pasture, returning 0.80 LSU.
Balinţ ATU, located in the hydrographic basin of the Bega river, is characterized by relief specific to low hills, with altitudes between 106 -220 m.The land fund of the commune is dominated by arable land (59.43%), grasslands being in a percentage of 16.65% .One hectare of pasture has 1.74 LSU.
The grasslands in the hill area analysed are important resources for local communities, provide livestock and are a vital form of sustainability for livestock farms.

Figure 2 .
Figure 2. Air temperature and atmospheric precipitation -multiannual average values (2016 -2022) (processing after Climate Databases, 2023) 2. Research methodology The analysis of the area of interest was done by geospatial methods, applied with ArcGIS 10.4 software (Simon et al., 2017; ArcGIS documentation, 2023).Geospatial data, literature data were used (Rusu, 2007; Lillesand et al., 2014; Baldwin et al., 2014; Cojocariu et al., 2019; Simon et al., 2018; Şmuleac et al., 2020) and data collected through direct field observations.The working methodology was carried out in several stages:1.Delimitation of the study area -a representative area was selected in terms of range, grassland cover and physico-geographical aspect on the territory of Banat and located in the hill area, with different altitudes;2.Definition of the experimental device -from within the previously established area, the five ATUs Brestovăţ, Ghizela, Secaş, Bara and Balinţ were selected; The analysis focused particularly on grassland areas, but in order to identify restrictive environmental conditions, the territory as a whole was considered;3.Meadow analysis -for establishing spatial entities, respectively land used as grasslands, geospatial data were used (Corine Land Cover database, 2018 edition), data taken from commune municipalities and highresolution spatial images (orthophotoplans taken from ANCPI); for the physico-geographical characterization of the meadow units, they were superimposed with the Digital Elevation Model (EU-DEM, 2023), thus extracting, in the GIS environment, information on altitude, slope, slope orientation;

Figure 3 .
Figure 3. Altitude (left) and slope (right) of the study areasThe most complex agro-forestry and silvopastoral systems can be found in the area analysed, given the following aspects(Munteanu and Munteanu, 1998;Rogobete et al., 2015):the existence of human resources employed in agriculture, more "generous" than in plain areas or in the area of influence of large cities where employment in the tertiary sector predominates; a lower rate of population ageing and migration phenomena compared to mountain areas; the presence in land use of "typical" pasture areas near arable land, but also at the forest edge.The administrative-territorial unit Brestovăţ is located in the north-east of Timiş county.The relief is hilly, with altitudes between 103 -311 m, being located in the Lipovei Hills.On the territory of Brestovăt commune, the largest areas belong to deciduous forests (32.58%).

Figure 4 .
Figure 4. Spatial distribution of land use classes in Brestovăţ ATU (processing after CLC, 2023)

Figure 6 .
Figure 6.Spatial distribution of land use classes in GhizelaATU (processing after CLC, 2023)

Table 2 .
Possible load of LSU/ 1 ha of grassland