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Agriculture: area under management practices potentially supporting biodiversity (SEBI 020) - Assessment published May 2010: Europe has significant areas of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland, which provide habitats for a wide range of species. Such areas are under threat, however, from intensification of farming and land abandonment. The mere presence of HNV farmland is of course not proof of sustainable management but promoting conservation and sustainable farming practices in these areas is crucial for biodiversity. Map 1 presents the first estimate of HNV farmland distribution and can therefore not yet be analysed for trends. Agri-environment schemes have been used widely to make agriculture more sustainable. Not all agri-environment measures are explicitly targeted on biodiversity, however, and further analysis is required to determine their effectiveness. Organic farming has developed rapidly since the beginning of the 1990s and continues to do so. While it is difficult to assess its impact on biodiversity it is assumed that this type of farming reduces stress on ecosystems and provides a wider range of niches for farmland species.
Located in Data and maps › Indicators › Agriculture: area under management practices potentially supporting biodiversity
Common Agricultural Policy reform – reducing the impact of farming: Today, the European Commission launched its proposals for the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) after 2013. The key objective is ‘to strengthen the competitiveness, sustainability and permanence of agriculture throughout the EU in order to secure for European citizens a healthy and high-quality source of food, preserve the environment and develop rural areas’. The proposals tie financial support more closely to environmental goals.
Located in News
Distribution and targeting of the CAP budget from a biodiversity perspective: The EU has highlighted the importance of using the Common Agriculture Policy (CAP) to prevent the abandonment of high nature value farmland and its intensification as a key action to halt biodiversity decline. The present report sets out to assess whether the current distribution of CAP funds is likely to favour the maintenance of farmland with high nature value (HNV). And it explores the extent to which CAP funds are likely to support the long-term economic and ecological sustainability of these HNV farming systems.
Located in Publications
Distribution of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland and mountain areas in Europe: -
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Estimating the environmentally compatible bioenergy potential from agriculture: Located in Publications
Freshwater - Drivers and pressures (Poland): SOER Common environmental theme from Poland
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Poland
High Nature Value Farmland in Europe: Based on Corine Land Cover (CLC), hence with same geographical coverage as CLC
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
High Nature Value farmland in the mountains of Turkey: The maps shows High Nature Value farmland in the mountains of Turkey, defined as areas above 750 m.
Located in Data and maps › Maps and graphs
Nature and biodiversity — SOER synthesis chapter 3: Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Synthesis › The European environment – state and outlook 2010: Synthesis
Nature protection and biodiversity - State and impacts (Poland): SOER Common environmental theme from Poland
Located in The European environment – state and outlook 2010 › Country assessments › Poland