In this study it has been investigated the impact of recreation activities on herbaceous layer in three Long Term Socio-Ecological Research (LTSER) sites in Romania – Braila Islands (BI), Neajlov Catchment (NC) and Bucegi-Piatra Craiului (BPC). This work is part of a multi-site experiment developed at pan-European level– Vegetation response to trampling along a European transect: interactions between trampling, vegetation type and history. The objective was to evaluate and compare the effects of tourism management practices on biodiversity in forests and grassland ecosystems. The results indicated that recreation activities have negative effects on vegetation. Values of Impact Vegetation Index (IVI) shows greater tolerance of vegetation in BPC site, followed by BI and NC sites. Comparing the IVI variation within biogeographic region, it appears that his value is higher in forest ecosystems, which illustrates a stronger anthropogenic pressure on vegetation in grassland ecosystem. These observations provide key elements for developing strategies to address future management plans of protected areas.