Goat paddock grazing improves the conservation status of shrub-encroached dry grasslands

European dry grasslands are predominantly semi-natural communities. Commonly, they have been used as pastures for sheep and goats. Due to their richness in biological diversity and the large number of threatened species, they are recognized as being of high conservation value. However, in the last few decades, a dramatic decline in dry grassland areas has been observed throughout Europe. Pasture abandonment followed by grass and shrub encroachment are the main causes of dry grassland loss, especially at isolated marginal sites. The introduction of goat paddock grazing can be an efficient method for restoring shrub-encroached dry grasslands, but most recommendations are still based on anecdotal evidence. Hence, this study investigated the impact of goat paddock grazing with a relatively high grazing pressure (0.6 to 0.8 LU/ha/yr) over seven years on habitat structure and species richness in six encroached dry grassland localities of the lower Saale River valley in Central Germany. In each paddock, we analyzed 25-m(2) plots in highly (initial woody species cover of >= 25%) and less encroached areas (initial woody species cover < 25%) and compared the development of woody species, grass encroachment indicators, litter cover and the share of bare soil as well as the coverage and number of target and ruderal species with that of ungrazed control plots. We observed the following effects of restorative goat paddock grazing: Woody plants and litter layer cover declined significantly in all paddock plots. In addition, the share of bare soil increased significantly in the less encroached paddock plots. The number of target species increased significantly in the formerly highly encroached plots, whereas the already high target species richness slightly increased on originally less encroached plots. Besides short-lived target species, even red list species were able to colonize the grazed plots. Furthermore, we observed a slightly increasing number of ruderal species, but at a very low level of coverage. An opposite trend was recorded in the ungrazed plots: The cover of woody and competitive grass species, as well as litter coverage, increased significantly over time. While the cover of target species decreased significantly in the highly encroached plots, the number of target species stayed stable in both types of control plots, showing the restoration potential of the encroached grasslands. Based on our findings, we conclude that goat paddock grazing with a relatively high grazing pressure can be an effective tool to restore encroached dry grasslands. The reduction of encroachment and the increasing number of target species correlates with the improved conservation status of these highly valuable dry grassland habitat types. Finally, recommendations for the implementation of restorative goat grazing are given.