Transcript High Nature Value farming concept: What does it mean? What is it for? How can it be used? Guy Beaufoy EFNCP Spain.

High Nature Value farming concept:
What does it mean?
What is it for?
How can it be used?
Guy Beaufoy
EFNCP
Spain
Mainstream agriculture in EU is intensive and
very low in biodiversity (wildlife)
Since 1960s :
more intensification = less nature on farmland
Butterfly trends 1970-1995 (RDB)
10
Trend +/- se (%)
0
-10
-20
-30
generalist species
(25)
Wetland specialist
species (9)
Forest specialist
species (29)
Species groups
Grassland
specialist species
(124)
All species(377)
Number of PBA´s
Meanwhile, farmland that has not been intensified
is of increasing value for nature.
300
all PBA´s
PBA´s with M. arion
250
200
150
100
50
0
Agriculture
Forestry
Nature
conservation
Tourism
Other
Urban
Military
Land-use on Prime Butterfly Areas
Industrial
Unknown
Semi-natural grazing in Western Isles of Scotland
Natura 2000 habitats:
 Wet and dry heathland
 Blanket bog
 Alpine and coastal grasslands
Low-intensity crop
mosaics with seminatural vegetation
Crex crex
Crucial actors for nature conservation
What is High Nature Value (HNV) farming?
 Farming that creates conditions of high
biodiversity (diversity of wild fauna and flora);
 and/or maintains particular wildlife species of
conservation concern.
 In other words, the farmland itself is rich in
wildlife.
Why is HNV farming rich in nature?
 HNV farming is low intensity :
•
Low livestock densities per hectare
•
Low nutrient inputs (nitrogen)
•
Low use of biocides
•
Low-intensity use of land, leaving space for
nature
Why is HNV farming rich in nature?
 HNV farmland includes significant areas of
semi-natural vegetation
 There is usually diversity resulting from a mix
of landuses and/or vegetation types
Low-intensity management
Livestock
Nitrogen
Biocides
HNV
Type 1
% of semi-natural
land cover
Grass, scrub
Trees
Field margins
Water bodies
Type 2
Diversity of
land cover
Crops
Fallows
Grass, scrub
Trees
Water bodies
Why is HNV farming important for nature
conservation?
 Many of Europe’s most valued natural areas
are maintained by HNV farming…
 including many Nature Parks, and the Natura
2000 ecological network.
 HNV farming is also crucial to conserving
biodiversity outside protected areas…
 and helping to achieve the EU’s aim of halting
biodiversity decline by 2010.
Semi-natural grazing land (Extremadura, Spain)
Natural values maintained by mountain grazing
Hay meadows
Black vulture
Cytisus purgans formations
Nardus grasslands
“Cambrionales”
It is also a business that must earn a living for the farmer
HNV olives:
Net income -400€/ha
Intensive olives:
Net income 1400€/ha
How can we make HNV olive
farming viable, without
intensifying production?
Nature conservation is also farm economics
 HNV farming is widespread in marginal areas where
physical conditions have prevented intensification.
 It faces fundamental problems of economic survival
due to:
 Marginal physical conditions and location.
 Labour requirements (e.g. shepherding).
 Competition from intensive farming.
 Competion from other landuses, such as afforestation
and irrigation.
 Increasing rules and regulations.
How can we prevent abandonment of HNV farms?
 For basic economic viability, farms need
income support payments.
 For long-term sustainability, farms need
investment aid and advice.
 Farming practices can be made better for the
environment through agri-environment
payments.
How can we target this support at HNV farms?
 European Environment Agency started making
maps of where nature is found on farmland:
•
Landcover types that are expected to be HNV,
especially grazing land
•
Location of designated areas, such as Natura
2000
•
Known species populations
Probable High Nature Value farmland
using mainly semi-natural vegetation,
CORINE land cover
Source: EEA
Indicators of nature value
Important Bird
Areas
Source: Birdlife
EEA map overlaying landcover with nature
value
Maculinea arion
from Spain
upperside
© FAUNA IBÉRICA
Distribution and trend of M. arion in Europe
decrease 15-25%
decrease 25-50%
decrease 50-75%
decrease ≥75%
†
extinct (in NL)
~ stable
?
unknown
Maculinea arion
Traditional land use: extensive cattle
grazing in Spring and Autum favours
large populations of Maculinea
M. alcon
Why is declining ?
Possible causes
What is optimum management?
Biebrza NP
What is optimum management?
What is optimum management?
Extensive grazing
We don’t know where all the species are, but we
do know they need farms with:
- high proportion of semi-natural grazing
- low livestock density per ha
Why not support these farms directly?
Can we target CAP payments on farming systems
that we know are good for nature?
 All CAP payments are administered on the
basis of information about the farm.
 The IACS and LPIS systems contain data for
each farm on:
•
the use of each land parcel
•
the number of livestock on the farm
 With the right data, we can target support on
HNV farming systems, without knowing where
all the species are.
Thank you! Merci!
¡Gracias!