important plant areas in central and eastern europe - hirc.botanic.hr ...

Section 6Habitats and land usesAgriculture and grasslandsAgriculture, from horticulture to arable fields and grazing land, has shaped the landscapeand environment of Europe for millennia.Agricultural fields and grasslands provideunique habitats for many thousands of species of plants and animals.Agriculture employsmillions of people in Europe and is the focal point of human, animal and plantinterdependence.High Nature Value (HNV) farmland in CEEThe Dobris Assessment 1995 highlighted the damage to biodiversity on westernEuropean farmland due to the extensive use of pesticides, fertilisers, intensive grazing,and the reseeding and fertilising of grazing land. Countries such as the U.K. have lostmore than 90% of their semi-natural grasslands in the last 50 years.The KievDeclaration (2003) and the Message from Malahide (2004) also highlighted the need tobring High Nature Value Farmland under biodiversity sensitive management.The central and eastern European (CEE) region contains much of the European extentof natural and semi-natural grasslands, some of the most rapidly declining habitats inEurope. Practises such as low intensity grazing and annual hay mowing have maintainedthe delicate balance of species rich grassland and prevented the growth of scrub andforest.Threatened grassland habitats30 inland grassland habitats are recognised as threatened in the EU Habitats Directiveand 17 by the Council of Europe, Bern Convention. In CEE these range from thesteppes and dry grasslands of the south and east, mountain hay meadows, wetland andforest meadows, to the Alvar meadows of the north. Many of the endemic plant speciesof southern Europe depend on the existence of these grasslands for their survival.Thesehabitats rely on sustainable grazing and are particularly vulnerable to changes inagricultural production and rural economies, such as intensification or landabandonment.IPAs and grassland habitats517 IPAs (65%) contain grassland habitats.439 IPAs (55%) contain EU Habitats Directive threatened grassland habitats.296 IPAs (37%) contain priority grassland habitats.97 IPAs (12%) contain Bern Convention threatened grassland habitats.132 IPAs (17%) were assessed for species richness of grassland habitats under Criterion B.Grazing or livestock agriculture was recorded at 267 IPAs (34%)Hay making or mowing was recorded at 114 IPAs (14%)Threats from agriculture at IPAsThe most widespread threat to IPAs from agricultural activity comes from abandonmentor reduction in the land management.Agricultural intensification or expansion is also asignificant threat.Afforestation affects a large number of IPAs, some of the afforestationmay occur on existing grasslands.217 IPAs (27%) are threatened by land abandonment or reduction of management126 IPAs (16%) are threatened by an intensification of grazing86 IPAs (11%) are threatened by general agricultural expansion or intensification.80