European agriculture is characterized by large-scale intensification combined with regional land abandonment. The net effect is a loss of traditional, often extensive, farming systems with high biodiversity. The need for measures to conserve this 'high nature value (HNV) farmland' is recognized in e.g. the pan-European Biodiversity and Landscape Strategy, the 2003 declaration on biodiversity of the European Environment Ministers, and the EU rural development policy documents.

In support of these policy processes, EEA and UNEP presented a preliminary map of HNV farmland in 2004. This map has recently been updated on the basis of land cover data (CORINE 2000), refined and regionally differentiated selection criteria, and additional biodiversity datasets which include European inventories of Natura2000 protected areas, Important Bird Areas and Prime Butterfly Areas, as well as national inventories of semi-natural grasslands in some member countries. To improve accuracy, a panel of European experts has reviewed both the methodology, as well as the corresponding results.

The final map shows the probability of occurrence of HNV farmland across Europe. The total coverage of HNV farmland is estimated at 30% of Europe’s farmland. The majority of this HNV farmland (approx. 80%) is outside protected areas.

Full details can be found here: http://agrienv.jrc.ec.europa.eu/activities_HNV.htm