Europes ecological backbone.pdf

Land cover and uses
Box 7.6 Identifying HNV farmland types in Turkey
Turkey's rich biodiversity has been vital in the development of agriculture, horticulture and animal
husbandry over more than 10 000 years (Lise and Stolton, 2010). Approximately half (53 %) of country's
area is used for crop and livestock production. While the share of agriculture in total GDP has been
declining each year (for example, from 26.1 % in 1980 to 9.2 % in 2006), almost a third of the Turkish
population are involved in agriculture. The High Nature Value (HNV) farming concept is highly relevant due
to the long history of traditional agriculture. This results in many important semi-natural habitats and large
areas of low intensity agriculture, which provide key habitats for wildlife.
Following the typology developed by the EEA and UNEP (2004), a typology of HNV farming systems in
Turkey was developed within the 'Supporting the Development of a National Agri-environment Programme
for Turkey' project, implemented in 2006–2008 by the Bugday Association for Supporting Ecological Living
and the Avalon Foundation (Redman and Hemmami, 2008). The main types are:
• extensive crop production (predominantly HNV Type 2 farmland — mix of semi-natural vegetation and
low intensity cropland) with crop rotations using mainly local cultivars of cereals, pulses and forage
crops in dry land areas combined with extensive livestock grazing;
• extensive livestock production (predominantly HNV Type 1 farmland — 100 % semi-natural) with
highland mixed farming systems (rangeland grazing with meadows and forage crops used for hay, and
some cropping); and with alpine farming systems (grazing on alpine pastures with meadows for hay),
with some traditional mountain pastoralism;
• extensive forest farming (predominantly HNV Type 1 and Type 2 farmland) with mixed farming
systems (rangeland grazing with meadows and forage crops used for hay, and some cropping)
(see photo below); extensive livestock grazing with no cropping; and traditional mountain pastoralism.
An HNV map of Turkey was developed through three stages of mapping: 1) land use and current
agricultural practices; 2) Mapping of key biodiversity areas and biodiversity values from the national
database for vascular plants, birds, mammals, amphibians, reptiles, butterflies, freshwater fish and
dragonflies; 3) local breeds of cattle, sheep and goats. The map was finalised using CLC data, and
shows that 25.9 million ha of Turkey (33.3 % of the total area) is classified as HNV farmland, of which
66.7 % (17.2 million ha) is in the mountains (Map 7.8). These areas require specific natural resource and
agriculture management systems and new incentive schemes.
Source:
Yildiray Lise (United Nations Development Programme Turkey Office); Melike Hemmami, Murat Ataol and
Doğa Derneği (Nature Association, Turkey).
Photo:
© Yildiray Lise
Extensive mixed farming systems, associated with
villages in the lowland areas, dominated by livestock
(cattle and sheep) in Küre Mountains National Park,
Turkey.
Europe's ecological backbone: recognising the true value of our mountains
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