Combining approaches to support High nature value farmland in southern Transylvania, Romania
Keywords:
Common Agricultural Policy, Eastern Europe, farmland biodiversity, HNV, low-intensity agriculture, Natura 2000, nature conservation, NGOAbstract
The region of Târnava Mare in Southern Transylvania contains extensive semi-natural open landscapes maintained by predominantly low-intensity farming, which is widespread in Romania and indeed many areas of Eastern Europe. Threats to these species-rich habitats from agricultural intensification and land abandonment have been increasing in recent years, to a large extent linked with Romania’s accession to the EU in 2007. At the same time, however, the opportunities for biodiversity conservation in the area have expanded. In 2008, the region became a Site of Community Importance (SCI) as part of the Natura 2000 network, and farmers have applied agri-environment schemes as part of the EU Common Agricultural Policy since 2006. Furthermore, the Târnava Mare region has been the location of several EU and nationally funded projects combining research, practical and information measures. In this article, we review these various instruments from the practical perspective of an NGO that has been working since 2004 to support High Nature Value farmland and rural communities in this region. We focus on three major support measures – agri-environment schemes, Natura 2000, and publicly funded conservation projects – and consider their effects individually and collectively. We conclude that the presence of multiple instruments can have synergistic effects on the conservation of semi-natural open habitats such as HNV farmland, and that this overlap provides a certain amount of resilience: if one instrument fails, another may fill the gap. Cross-cutting projects combining research with activities to tackle the “problem” of the socio-economic undesirability of low-intensity farming as well as the “symptom” of the loss of HNV farmland are also particularly important in this context.
Downloads
References
Akeroyd, J. R. & Bădărău S. 2012: Indicator plants of the High Nature Value dry grasslands of Transylvania. Fundaţia ADEPT Transilvania, Saschiz, 16 pp.
Akeroyd, J. R. & Page N. 2011: Conservation of High Nature Value (HNV) grassland in a farmed landscape in Transylvania, Romania. Contribuţii Botanice 46: 57–71.
Akeroyd, J. R., Sutcliffe L. M. E., Popa R. & Page N. 2013: The LIFE project STIPA: Saving Transylvania’s important pastoral agroecosystems (Romania). In: Baumbach, H. & Pfützenreuter, S. (eds.):Steppenlebensräume Europas – Gefährdung, Erhaltungsmassnahmen und Schutz. TMLFUN, Erfurt, pp. 341–350.
Bullock, J. M., Pywell, R. F., Burke, M. J. W. & Walker, K. J. 2001: Restoration of biodiversity enhances agricultural production. Ecology Letters 4: 185–189.
Bullock, J. M., Pywell, R. F. & Walker, K. J. 2007: Long-term enhancement of agricultural production by restoration of biodiversity. Journal of Applied Ecology 44: 6–12.
Cizek, O., Zamecnik, J., Tropek, R., Kocarek, P. & Konvicka, M. 2011: Diversification of mowing regime increases arthropods diversity in species-poor cultural hay meadows. Journal of Insect Conservation 16: 215–226. DOI: 10.1007/s10841-011-9407-6.
Dahlström, A., Iuga, A.-M. & Lennartsson, T. 2013: Managing biodiversity rich hay meadows in the EU: a comparison of Swedish and Romanian grasslands. Environmental Conservation 40: 194–205. DOI: 10.1017/S0376892912000458.
ENRD 2013: State of the Total Public and EAFRD expenditure per measure. European Network for Rural Development, Brussels. URL: http://enrd.ec.europa.eu/app_templates/enrd_assets/pdf/monitoring_indicators/financial_and_physical_indicators/rdp/b_financial-expenditure-2013_a_eu27.pdf.
Fischer, J., Hartel, T. & Kuemmerle, T. 2012: Conservation policy in traditional farming landscapes. Conservation Letters 5: 167–175. DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00227.x.
Gallup 2011: Raport de cercetare: Evaluarea nivelului de informare şi înţelegere al populaţiei privind Reţeaua Ecologică Natura 2000 [Survey: An evaluation of the level of information and understanding in the population regarding the Natura 2000 ecological network]. WWF Danube Carpathian Programme, Bucharest, 82 pp.
Hartel, T. & Moga, C. I. 2010: Manual de bună practică în managementul habitatelor de pajişte cu arbori seculari [Good-practice guidebook for the management of wood-pasture habitats with veteran trees]. Mihai Eminescu Trust, Sighişoara, 100 pp..
Hartel, T., Nemes, S., Öllerer, K., Cogălniceanu, D., Moga, C. I. & Arntzen, J. W. 2010a: Using connectivity metrics and niche modelling to explore the occurrence of the northern crested newt Triturus cristatus (Amphibia, Caudata) in a traditionally managed landscape. Environmental Conservation 37: 195–200. DOI: 10.1017/S037689291000055X.
Hartel, T., Schweiger, O., Öllerer, K., Cogălniceanu, D. & Arntzen, J. W. 2010b: Amphibian distribution in a traditionally managed rural landscape of Eastern Europe: Probing the effect of landscape composition. Biological Conservation 143: 1118–1124. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.02.006.
Hochkirch, A., Schmitt, T., Beninde, J., Hiery, M., Kinitz, T., Kirschey, J., Matenaar, D., Rohde, K., Stoefen, A., Wagner, N., Zink, A., Lötters, S., Veith, M. & Proelss, A. 2013: Europe Needs a New Vision for a Natura 2020 Network. Conservation Letters 6: 462–467. DOI: 10.1111/conl.12006.
Iojă, C. I., Pătroescu, M., Rozylowicz, L., Popescu, V. D., Vergheleţ, M., Zotta, M. I. & Felciuc, M. 2010: The efficacy of Romania’s protected areas network in conserving biodiversity. Biological Conservation 143: 2468–2476. DOI: 10.1016/j.biocon.2010.06.013.
Keenleyside, C., Arblaster, K., Baldock, D., van Dijk, G. & Szemplinska, M. 2007: The relationship between the CAP and biodiversity. DLG Government Service for Land and Water Management, Utrecht, 66 pp..
Keenleyside, C., Beaufoy, G., Tucker, G. M. & Jones, G. 2014: High Nature Value farming throughout EU-27 and its financial support under the CAP. Institute for European Environmental Policy, London, 172 pp..
Kleijn, D., Baquero, R. A., Clough, Y., Díaz, M., De Esteban, J., Fernández, F., Gabriel, D., Herzog, F., Holzschuh, A., Jöhl, R., Knop, E., Kruess, A., Marshall, E. J. P., Steffan-Dewenter, I., Tscharntke, T., Verhulst, J., West, T. M. & Yela, J. L. 2006: Mixed biodiversity benefits of agri-environment schemes in five European countries. Ecology Letters 9: 243–254. DOI: 10.1111/j.1461-0248.2005.00869.x.
Loos, J., Dorresteijn, I., Hanspach, J., Fust, P., Rakosy, L. & Fischer, J. 2014: Low-intensity agricultural landscapes in transylvania support high butterfly diversity: implications for conservation. PLoS One 9: e103256.
Loos, J., & Kirkland, P. 2014: Establishing butterfly monitoring in Romania. Oedippus 29: 32–38.
Luca, L., & Toderiţă, A. 2012: Why isn’t agricultural association attractive? Romanian Center for European Policies, Bucharest, 17 pp.
MARD 2007: National Rural Development Programme 2007–2013. Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Government of Romania, Bucharest, 812 pp.
MARD 2014: National Rural Development Programme for the 2014–2020 period. Official version 1 (1st July 2014). Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development: Government of Romania, Bucharest, 665 pp.
Mikulcak, F., Newig, J., Milcu, A. I., Hartel, T. & Fischer, J. 2013: Integrating rural development and biodiversity conservation in Central Romania. Environmental Conservation 40: 129–137. DOI: 10.1017/S0376892912000392.
Nikolov, S. C., Demerdzhiev, D. A., Popgeorgiev, G. S. & Plachiyski, D. G. 2011: Bird community patterns in sub–Mediterranean pastures: the effects of shrub cover and grazing intensity. Animal Biodiversity and Conservation 34: 11–21.
Öllerer, K. 2012: The flora of the Breite wood pasture (Sighişoara, Romania). Brukenthal Acta Musei 7: 589–604.
Oppermann, R., Beaufoy, G. & Jones, G. (eds.) 2012: High Nature Value Farming in Europe: 35 European countries – experiences and perspectives. verlag regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher, 544 pp.
Page, N., Popa, R., Huband, S., Balan, A. & Sutcliffe, L. M. E. 2012: Romania. In: Oppermann, R., Beaufoy, G. & Jones, G. (eds.): High Nature Value Farming in Europe: 35 European countries – experiences and perspectives. verlag regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher, pp. 346–357.
Paracchini, M. L. & Oppermann, R. 2012: Public goods and ecosystem services delivered by HNV farmland. In: Oppermann, R., Beaufoy, G. & Jones, G. (eds.): High Nature Value Farming in Europe: 35 European countries – experiences and perspectives. verlag regionalkultur, Ubstadt-Weiher, pp. 446–450.
Paracchini, M. L., Petersen, J.-E., Hoogeveen, Y., Bamps, C., Burfield, I. & van Swaay, C. 2008: High Nature Value Farmland in Europe. JRC, Luxembourg, 102 pp.
Plieninger, T. & Bieling, C. 2013: Resilience-based perspectives to guiding High-Nature-Value farmland. Ecology and Society 18(4): Article 20. DOI: 10.5751/ES-05877-180420.
Prazan, J. & Theesfeld, I. 2014: The role of agrienvironmental contracts in saving biodiversity in the post-socialist Czech Republic. International Journal of the Commons 8: 1–25.
Rákosy, L. 2012: Indicator butterflies and moths of the High Nature Value dry grasslands of Transylvania. Fundaţia ADEPT Transilvania, Saschiz, 54 pp.
Roellig, M., Dorresteijn, I., von Wehrden, H., Hartel, T. R. & Fischer, J. 2014: Bear activity in traditional wood-pastures in southern Transylvania, Romania. Ursus 25: 43–52.
Scheele, B. C., Boyd, C. E., Fischer, J., Fletcher, A. W., Hanspach, J. & Hartel, T. 2014: Identifying core habitat before it’s too late: the case of Bombina variegata, an internationally endangered amphibian. Biodiversity and Conservation 23: 775–780. DOI: 10.1007/s10531-014-0624-7.
Schmitt, T. & Rákosy, L. 2007: Changes of traditional agrarian landscapes and their conservation implications: a case study of butterflies in Romania. Diversity and Distributions 13: 855–862. DOI: 10.1111/j.1472-4642.2007.00347.x.
Speta, E. & Rákosy, L. 2010: Wildpflanzen Siebenbürgens. Plöchl, Freistadt, 624 pp.
Stoate, C., Báldi, A., Beja, P., Boatman, N. D., Herzon, I., van Doorn, A., de Snoo, G. R., Rakosy, L. & Ramwell, C. 2009: Ecological impacts of early 21st century agricultural change in Europe – A review. Journal of Environmental Management 91: 22–46. DOI: 10.1016/j.jenvman.2009.07.005.
Sutcliffe, L. M. E., Batáry, P., Kormann, U., Báldi, A., Dicks L. V., Herzon, I., Kleijn, D., Tryjanowski, P., Apostolova, I., Arlettaz, R., Aunins, A., Aviron, S., Balezentiene, L., Fischer, C., Halada, L., Hartel, T., Helm, A., Hristov, I., Jelaska, S. V., Kaligarič, M., Kamp, J., Klimek, S., Koorberg, P., Kostiuková, J., Kovács-Hostyánszki, A., Kuemmerle, T., Leuschner, C., Lindborg, R., Loos, J., Maccherini, S., Marja, R., Máthé, O., Paulini, I., Proença, V., Rey-Benayas, J., Sans, F. X., Seifert, C., Stalenga, J., Timaeus, J., Török, P., van Swaay, C., Viik, E. & Tscharntke, T. (in press): Harnessing the biodiversity value of Central and Eastern European farmland. Diversity and Distributions. DOI: 10.1111/ddi.12288.
Sutcliffe, L. M. E., Paulini, I., Jones, G., Marggraf, R. & Page, N. 2013: Pastoral commons use in Romania and the role of the Common Agricultural Policy. International Journal of the Commons 7: 58–72.
Tucker, G.M., Petterson, D., Donkin, P., Brockhurst, C., Stephenson, B., Leay, M. & Crabtree, B. 2003: Review of Agri-Environment Schemes – Monitoring Information and R & D Results. Report for the UK Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, London, 125 pp.
Van Swaay, C., & Warren, M. 2012: Developing butterflies as indicators in Europe: current situation and future options. De Vlinderstichting/Dutch Butterfly Conservation, Wageningen, 24 pp.
Wegener, S., Labar, K., Petrick, M., Marquardt, D., Theesfeld, I. & Buchenrieder, G. 2011: Administering the Common Agricultural Policy in Bulgaria and Romania: obstacles to accountability and administrative capacity. International Review of Administrative Sciences 77: 583–608.
Weigelt, A., Weisser, W. W., Buchmann, N. & Scherer-Lorenzen, M. 2009: Biodiversity for multifunctional grasslands: equal productivity in high-diversity low-input and low-diversity high-input systems. Biogeosciences 6: 1695–1706.
Wilson, J. B., Peet, R. K., Dengler, J. & Pärtel, M. 2012: Plant species richness: the world records. Journal of Vegetation Science 23: 796–802.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Authors guarantee that the work is their own original creation and does not infringe any statutory or common-law copyright or any proprietary right of any third party. In case of claims by third parties, authors commit their self to defend the interests of the publisher, and shall cover any potential costs.
More in: Submission chapter
