Farming

Farming in the area: High Nature Value (HNV) landscapes

Târnava Mare is a typical High Nature Value (HNV) landscape – an important concept for biodiversity conservation, which emphasizes that:

  • man-made or semi-natural landscapes often have higher biodiversity, or natural richness, than wilderness areas, and are just as worthy of conservation effort
  • HNV farmland (HNVF) is often found outside defined protected areas
  • active local support is essential to the success of protecting HNVF landscapes.


The need for conservation measures to be designed with local consultation, to ensure ‘buy-in’ by local communities, is especially great in economic landscapes such as HNVF. Local benefits will be persuasive. Measures to protect high biodiversity landscapes on which people depend for a living must be linked to local prosperity, or they will fail.

HNV landscapes are fragile. Application of artificial fertilizers would seriously damage or destroy the wildflower meadows, allowing coarse or vigorous grasses to invade.

The most substantial threats to wild plants and animals and their habitats in HNV landscapes are:

  • intensification of grassland management, with nutrient over-enrichment by fertilizers or high stocking rates, or over-grazing, especially by sheep

  • abandonment of land and cessation of traditional land management practices such as mowing or scrub clearance.

Târnava Mare as a model for the conservation of HNV farmed landscapes across Europe Fundatia ADEPT is carrying out projects in:

Biodiversity Conservation

ADEPT has funded and coordinated considerable work in creating an inventory and GIS-database of habitats and species that are protected under EU Habitats Directive, and work continues on urgently-needed practical management prescriptions. At the same time, ADEPT is carrying out research on how to measure the effectiveness of these habitat/species conservation management prescriptions, and how to improve them.

Related Projects

RBAPS - Results-Based Payments for Biodiversity: A New Pilot Agri-Environment Scheme for the Tarnava Mare and Pogány Havas Regions

A “results-based” agri-environment scheme which is targeted at High Nature Value hay meadows, rewarding practical management that produces good quality hay and protects wild species.
Funded by: DT Enviroment Brussels
Project Duration: 2016 - 2019 (3 years)

Research: identification and conservation of the habitats and species of Târnava Mare as a model for European conservation Romania

Studies necessary to justify protection for Târnava Mare site.
Funded by: UK Darwin Initiative and Orange Romania
Project Duration: 2004 - 2007 (4 years)

STACCATO - SusTaining AgriCultural ChAnge Through ecological engineering and Optimal use of natural resources

Focus on the analysis and evaluation of Ecosystem Services (ESS), both in isolation and in concert, and their sensitivity to land use patterns in agriculturally dominated landscapes
Funded by: a BiodivERsA funded EU project
Project Duration: 2014 - 2018 (4 years)

Târnava Mare SCI: Saving Transylvania’s Important Pastoral Ecosystem (STIPA)

Improvement of the conservation status of Sighișoara-Târnava Mare SCI Natura 2000 site, a priority dry grassland habitat.
Funded by: the LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity Programme of the European Union and Fundația Orange
Project Duration: 2011 - 2014 (3 years)

Wild Flower Europe – Celebrating rural cultures and landscape

Celebrating artistic and cultural diversity in rural communities and promoting this diversity in Europe
Funded by: DG Culture - European Commission
Project Duration: 2012 - 2014 (2 years)

Agri-environment management

ADEPT is promoting farmer participation in agri-environment schemes, and has advised on the design of these schemes in Romania. At the same time, ADEPT is carrying out specific research on the management of High Nature Value grasslands: identifying indicator species, and devising ways of measuring the biodiversity benefits of agri-environment management prescriptions and of improving their effectiveness.

Related Projects

RBAPS - Results-Based Payments for Biodiversity: A New Pilot Agri-Environment Scheme for the Tarnava Mare and Pogány Havas Regions

A “results-based” agri-environment scheme which is targeted at High Nature Value hay meadows, rewarding practical management that produces good quality hay and protects wild species.
Funded by: DT Enviroment Brussels
Project Duration: 2016 - 2019 (3 years)

STACCATO - SusTaining AgriCultural ChAnge Through ecological engineering and Optimal use of natural resources

Focus on the analysis and evaluation of Ecosystem Services (ESS), both in isolation and in concert, and their sensitivity to land use patterns in agriculturally dominated landscapes
Funded by: a BiodivERsA funded EU project
Project Duration: 2014 - 2018 (4 years)

Research

A growing weight of evidence on the progress of grassland conservation across Europe indicates a steady decline in grassland habitat extent and quality, in grassland diversity, and in wildlife associated with grasslands including butterflies.

Various reasons have been proposed for this decline including European policy (especially CAP) and the failure of the biodiversity conservation elements (specifically agri-environment) within the rural development axes to address the threats. Intensification of farmland and development of transport, housing and industry have also been cited in terms of the fragmentation of habitat.

In spite of considerable state- and NGO-sector involvement in implementation of national and EU environmental legislation in many member states, decline continues unabated. The objectives of the 2010 countdown initiative are not being met.

ADEPT is carrying out monitoring of the negative effects of the above factors, and positive effects of agri-environment schemes, Fundatia ADEPT has identified indicator wild flower and butterfly species. The role of habitat scale, mosaic management and connectivity as positive factors for species conservation, will be contrasted to loss in habitat area, quality and fragmentation leading to species loss, will be observed.

ADEPT is managing experimental management plots under EU LIFE Aquila pomerine project, as well as monitoring of sites restored under the EU LIFE  STIPA project.

Related Projects

RBAPS - Results-Based Payments for Biodiversity: A New Pilot Agri-Environment Scheme for the Tarnava Mare and Pogány Havas Regions

A “results-based” agri-environment scheme which is targeted at High Nature Value hay meadows, rewarding practical management that produces good quality hay and protects wild species.
Funded by: DT Enviroment Brussels
Project Duration: 2016 - 2019 (3 years)

Research: identification and conservation of the habitats and species of Târnava Mare as a model for European conservation Romania

Studies necessary to justify protection for Târnava Mare site.
Funded by: UK Darwin Initiative and Orange Romania
Project Duration: 2004 - 2007 (4 years)

STACCATO - SusTaining AgriCultural ChAnge Through ecological engineering and Optimal use of natural resources

Focus on the analysis and evaluation of Ecosystem Services (ESS), both in isolation and in concert, and their sensitivity to land use patterns in agriculturally dominated landscapes
Funded by: a BiodivERsA funded EU project
Project Duration: 2014 - 2018 (4 years)

Târnava Mare SCI: Saving Transylvania’s Important Pastoral Ecosystem (STIPA)

Improvement of the conservation status of Sighișoara-Târnava Mare SCI Natura 2000 site, a priority dry grassland habitat.
Funded by: the LIFE+ Nature and Biodiversity Programme of the European Union and Fundația Orange
Project Duration: 2011 - 2014 (3 years)

Wild Flower Europe – Celebrating rural cultures and landscape

Celebrating artistic and cultural diversity in rural communities and promoting this diversity in Europe
Funded by: DG Culture - European Commission
Project Duration: 2012 - 2014 (2 years)

Improving incomes from High Nature Value farming

HNV landscape conservation actually depends on a healthy HNV farming economy. Adding value to local food is not a luxury for small-scale farming communities – it is a means of survival.  ADEPT is implementing a range of measures to create demand for products, and to boost local income from agriculture linked to the marketing image of the HNV landscape.

Related Projects

RBAPS - Results-Based Payments for Biodiversity: A New Pilot Agri-Environment Scheme for the Tarnava Mare and Pogány Havas Regions

A “results-based” agri-environment scheme which is targeted at High Nature Value hay meadows, rewarding practical management that produces good quality hay and protects wild species.
Funded by: DT Enviroment Brussels
Project Duration: 2016 - 2019 (3 years)

AgriSpin – Space for innovations in Agriculture

The Agrispin Project aims at creating space for agricultural innovations, through amplifying good examples of innovation support systems and through multiactor learning about ways to stimulate innovation and remove obstacles.
Funded by: the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 652642
Project Duration: 2014 - 2017 (3 years)

Promoting sustainable production for small-scale farming communities in a Natura 2000 landscape in Transylvania

Support rural communities in bringing local benefits from the traditional land management.
Funded by: Innovation Norway
Project Duration: 2009 - 2011 (2 years)

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