Grassland-based systems are no longer seen exclusively as livestock production enterprises but as

multiple use systems with important consequences for the global environment. They are crucial for

the protection of ecosystem goods and services, for tourism and for mitigating climate change. Wellmanaged

grasslands provide important benefits such as increased water infiltration and retention or

improved nutrient cycling, associated with organic matter accumulation in the soil, as well as increased

plant growth and species diversity. Thereby, grassland management is also an adaptation strategy for

climate change, as it reduces the risks associated with prolonged drought periods and unreliable rains

that characterise Mediterranean regions. There is an urgent need to assess the interaction between

climate change and grasslands to identify appropriate options that can help farmers to manage forage

resources under increasing drought conditions and market globalisation. The challenge is then to

improve grassland productivity, pasture persistence and resilience under these constraints. Scientific

advances in grassland management and new strategies in plant improvement may undoubtedly

contribute to this aim.

This publication is the outcome of the 14^th Meeting of the FAO-CIHEAM Inter-regional Cooperative

Research and Development Sub-Network on Mediterranean Pastures and Fodder Crops titled "New

approaches for grassland research in a context of climatic and socio-economic changes" which took

place in Samsun (Turkey) from 3 to 6 October 2012, and includes the invited and selected papers

presented at the Meeting.