High Nature Value Farming – Panoramas

The importance of European low-intensity farming for biodiversity

Much of EFNCP work endeavours to highlight the importance of farming systems and to influence policy and policy developments that affect livestock farming. But in the depths of policy debates it is easy to forget that the primary reason for trying to influence these policies is because of the overwhelming importance for nature of some areas of farmland. Unfortunately, often there is not the opportunity, time or space to describe the biology of such areas. This section aims to fill this gap.

Our new “HNV Farming Panoramas” follow in the course of the successful “HNV Showcase”. Whereas the latter focused on the nature conservation importance of Europe’s low intensity farmland with detailed “Information galleries” and additional information in the “Fact & Figures” section, the Panoramas offer short facts on the farming system, habitats and species of a specific site.

The areas chosen represent examples that individual members of the EFNCP network know well and which are part of the European ecological network NATURA 2000. The examples are not intended to be comprehensive or exhaustive but to give a feel for what the areas are like and to show why they are regarded as being of high nature value.