1. Conception for lands of high natural value – international agreements

2. Biological Diversity Convention 1992 – Rio de Janeiro; Three main objectives : 1. Conservation of biodiversity; 2. Sustained use of biodiversity components; 3. Sharing benefits arising from adaptation of genetic resources for commercial and other purposes through a fair and equitable manner;

3. Pan-European Biological and Landscape Diversity Strategy framework for development of consistent approach to the Convention on Biological Diversity; emphasis on the importance of landscape diversity for planning land use;

4. Kiev Resolution on Biological Diversity – May 2003 Until 2006, identification of all areas of high natural value in agricultural ecosystems in the Pan-European region according to selected general criteria will be completed; Until 2008, a significant portion of these areas will be managed in manners protecting biodiversity through use of adequate mechanisms, e.g. instruments for rural area development, agro-ecological programmes and biological agriculture which, among other things, will support their economic and ecologic viability;

5. European Environment Agency In 2001, EEA conducted an overall study to determine agricultural land indicators of HNV being aware of their increasing importance for the EU agricultural policy; Project focused on natural value rather than agricultural aspects;

6. European Environment Agency „Agricultural land of high natural value includes those regions in Europe where agriculture is the main (commonly dominating) method of land use and where agriculture supports or is united with high diversity of species and habitats or with presence of species subject to preservation in European scale or both.”

7. Project for planning agricultural lands of HNV on European level Preliminary plan of agricultural lands of high natural value for ЕС-15 made on the basis of two main sources: network of EU agriculture accounting data and land cover database (CORINE land cover 1990); Update targeted at assessment of the aims laid down during the Kiev Conference, as well as the implementation of the policy for development of rural areas 2007 – 2013; (monitoring indicators for RAD programmes);

8. Community strategic directions for rural area development EU ecological priorities: Biodiversity and conservation of agricultural and forest systems of high natural value; waters; climatic change; that: “…axis II should contribute the three priority issues on EU level: biodiversity and conservation of agricultural and forest systems of high natural value...”.

9. Why support biodiversity management? Systems of HNV are not always profitable for the farmers since the price paid by the customer does not include environmental added value, which a farmer creates by decreasing the intensity/investments compared to conventional agriculture. EAFRD monies provide opportunity for payments to farmers for these ecological “products”.

10. Thank you for your attention! Yulia Grigorova WWF Danube-Carpatian Programme e-mail: ygrigorova@wwfdcp.bg