Rewilding with large herbivores: Direct effects and edge effects of grazing refuges on plant and invertebrate communities

We conclude that when natural grazing refuges are not present, the creation of grazing refuges may thus be an effective management tool to increase diversity. Because exclosure edges support the highest multidiversity, maximising the edge length will have most beneficial effects for grassland flora and fauna, which can be achieved by creating many small, rather than few large refuges, or by creating serrated rather than straight edges. Such positive effects can be expected to be beneficial to higher trophic levels such as birds and other vertebrates.