Mapping HNV farmland and forest areas

HNVFarmFor_Bio, is a national project in Ireland which aims to identify, characterise and map the extent of High Nature Value (HNV) farmland and forest areas in Ireland.

The project characterises HNV farmland and forests as “those areas where low intensity agricultural practices maintain or contribute to a high level of biodiversity” and HNV forests as “all natural forests and those semi-natural forests in Europe where the management supports a high diversity of native species and habitats.”

The team, which includes researchers from Galway Mayo Institute of Technology, University College Dublin, Teagasc, have been developing methodologies to assess the quality of HNV areas in terms of their biodiversity value and their potential contribution to a range of vital ecosystem services e.g. carbon storage and water quality. They are also investigating potential incentives for the maintenance and enhancement of these areas. They are also designing a range of agri-environment, climate and forestry measures to assist improved targeting of climate and biodiversity actions in Ireland. These actions contribute to CAP implementation and meeting biodiversity objectives nationally.

“Farming sustains the biodiversity of these landscapes and is integral to maintaining their high nature value” quote from the project.

This project from Ireland is funded by the Department of Agriculture Food and the Marine Research Stimulus Fund which began at the end of 2019. Find more information on their website.

Website: hnvfarmforbio.ie

Have you read the thematic newsletter on biodiversity (May 2023) from the EU CAP Network Support Facility for Innovation & Knowledge exchange including EIP-AGRI? Click here.