Aim: The implementation of Grazing Management Plans (GMP), a specific policy and management tool, aimed at enhancing farm productivity, while preserving plant diversity, soil, and landscape. The GMP are based on rotational grazing systems (RGS) with animal stocking rate adjusted to keep it balanced with grassland carrying capacity. The aim was to test the five‐year effects produced by GMP implementation on botanical composition, plant diversity, and soil nutrient content on sub‐alpine and alpine pastures. Location: Val Troncea Natural Park, western Italian Alps. Methods: A total of 199 vegetation transects was carried out in summer 2011 and repeated in summer 2016. The botanical composition was recorded and plant diversity indexes, i.e. species richness and Shannon diversity (H’ index) were computed. Moreover, the mean soil nutrient content was indirectly estimated through the computation of Landolt N indicator value (N index) for each transect. Pair‐sample statistical tests and PERMANOVA were perfomed at different levels: on the whole vegetation dataset, on vegetation communities (i.e. vegetation types and ecological groups), and considering functional pools of species. Results: Considering the whole vegetation dataset, species richness, H’ index, and N index significantly increased from 2011 to 2016. Moreover, species richness significantly increased in almost all the vegetation ecological groups, with the highest increase within mesotrophic one. The H’ index significantly increased in eutrophic, pre‐forest, and thermic groups, while N index increased in all the vegetation groups, except in the eutrophic and snow‐bed ones. A significant difference in botanic composition was detected within oligotrophic, mesotrophic, and thermic groups. The number and cover of nitrogen‐poor high‐elevation species increased in all groups and this result could be probably related to the effects produced by livestock, which promoted seed transportation and increased connectivity amongst different communities. The meso‐eutrophic species number and cover significantly increased within thermic, mesotrophic, and pre‐forest groups, suggesting a greater use of such areas by livestock under RGS than continuous grazing system. Conclusions: The implementation of a RGS with stocking rate adjustments proved to be an effective and a sustainable management tool to enhance botanical composition and plant diversity of sub‐alpine and alpine grasslands over a five‐year span.
