Additional file 4: Bibliographic Checking Strategy Relevant Review Articles Subjected to Bibliographic Checking Reference Chemini, C. and A. Rizzoli (2003). "Land use change and biodiversity conservation in the Alps." Ibex Journal of Mountain Studies 7: 1-7. Crabtree, J. and D. MacDonald (1999). "Agriculture's impact on natural capital in hill and mountain areas of the EU: an evaluation of policies for the agrienvironment." García-Ruiz, J. M. (2010). "The effects of land uses on soil erosion in Spain: A review." CATENA 81(1): 1-11. García-Ruiz, J. M. and N. Lana-Renault (2011). "Hydrological and erosive consequences of farmland abandonment in Europe, with special reference to the Mediterranean region – A review." Agriculture, Ecosystems & Environment 140(3–4): 317-338. Hobbs, R. and V. A. Cramer (2007). "Why old fields? Socioeconomic and ecological causes and consequences of land abandonment." VA Cramer, and RJ Hobbs, Old fields: Dynamics and restoration of abandoned farmland: 1-14. IEEP (2004). "Land abandonment, biodiversity and the CAP: land abandonment and biodiversity, in relation to the 1st and 2nd pillars of the eu’s common agricultural policy; outcome of an international seminar in sigulda, latvia, 7-8 October, 2004." MacDonald, D. and J. R. Crabtree (2000). "Agricultural abandonment in mountain areas of Europe: Environmental consequences and policy response." Journal of Environmental Management 59(1): 47. Mariotte, P., A. Buttler, et al. (2013). "How do subordinate and dominant species in semi-natural mountain grasslands relate to productivity and land-use change?" Basic and Applied Ecology 14(3): 217-224. Martin (2013). "Impact of moorland grazing and stocking rates (NEER006)." Russo, D. (2006). "Effects of land abandonment on animal species in Europe: conservation and management implications." Università degli Studi de Napoli Federico, Napoli, Italy. Tappeiner, U. and A. Cernusca (1993). "Alpine meadows and pastures after abandonment. Results of the Austrian MaB-programme and the EC-STEP project INTEGRALP." Pirineos : Revista de Ecología de Montaña 141-142: 97118. Number of Relevant Titles in Reference List 1 0 11 27 0 0 3 0 12 7 0 Referenced Articles Relevant at Title Reference Beguería, S., López-Moreno, J.I., Lorente, A., Seeger, M., García-Ruiz, J.M., 2003. Assessing the effect of climate oscillations and land-use changes on streamflow in the Central Spanish Pyrenees. Ambio 32 (4), 283–286. BRITTON, A.J., PEARCE, I.S.K. & JONES, B. 2005. Impacts of grazing on montane heath vegetation in Wales and implications for the restoration of montane areas. Biological Conservation 125, pp512-524. Cernusca, A., Tappeiuer, U., Bahn, M., Bayfield, N., Chemini, C., Filat, F., Graber, W., Rosset, M., Siegwolf, R. and Tenhunan, J. (1996). ECOMONT: ecological effects of land use changes on European terrestrial mountain ecosystems. Pirineos 147–148, 145–171. Chauchard, S., Carcaillet, C., Guibal, F., 2007. Patterns of land-use abandonment control tree-recruitment and forest dynamics in Mediterranean mountains. Ecosystems 10, 936–948. CRITCHLEY, C. N. R., MITCHELL. R. J., ROSE, R. J., GRIFFITHS, J. B., JACKSON, E., SCOTT, H.& DAVIES, O. D. (in press) Re-establishment of Calluna vulgaris in an eight-year grazing experiment on upland acid grassland. Journal for Nature Conservation DELÉGLISE, C., LOUCOUGARAY, G & ALARD, D. 2011a. Effect of grazing exclusion on the spatial variability of subalpine plant communities: A multiscale approach. Basic and Applied Ecology 12, 609-619. DELÉGLISE, C., LOUCOUGARAY, G & ALARD, D. 2011b. Spatial patterns of species and plant traits in response to 20 years of grazing exclusion in subalpine grassland communities. Journal of Vegetation Science 22, 402-413. Douglas, T.D., Kirkby, S.J., Critchley, R.W., Park, G.J., 1994. Agricultural terrace abandonment in the Alpujarra, Andalucía, Spain. Land Degradation & Rehabilitation 5, 281–291. Duarte, F., Jones, N., Fleskens, L., 2008. Traditional olive orchards on sloping land: sustainability or abandonment? Journal of Environmental Management 89,86–98. EVANS, D. M., REDPATH, S. M., ELSTON, D. A., EVANS, S. A., MITCHELL, R. J. & DENNIS, P.2006b. To graze or not to graze? Sheep, voles, forestry and nature conservation in the British uplands. Journal of Applied Ecology, 43, 499-505. Farina, A. (1991). Recent changes of the mosaic patterns in a montane landscape (north Italy) and consequences on vertebrate fauna. In: Land Abandonment and its Role in Conservation. Options M´editerran´eennes—Seminar Series A—No. 15 CIHEAM Centre International de Hautes Etudes Agronomiques M´editerran ´eennes Zaragoza, Spain. García-Ruiz, J.M., Lasanta, T., Ortigosa, L., Ruiz-Fla˜no, P., Martí, C., González, C., 1995. Sediment yield under different land uses in the Spanish Pyrenees. Mountain Research and Development 15 (3), 229– 240. García-Ruiz, J.M., Ruiz-Fla˜no, P., Lasanta, T., 1996b. 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