cultivar_22_Final_EN

24 ANALYSIS AND PROSPECTIVE STUDIES CULTIVAR Issue 22 APRIL 2021 ated with woods and forests. These assessments of losses and gains can, however, be highly variable depending on the geographical region (e.g., Sirami et al . 2008; Queiroz et al . 2014; Regos et al . 2014). In terms of plant diversity, some species are dependent on the maintenance of farming ecosystems. Illustrating this is the plant diversity on farm- land in the Peneda-Gerês National Park, where Lomba et al . (2012) found that 20% of the species were exclusive to meadows. EU-wide, Halada et al . (2011) have shown that no less than 63 types of val- uable conservation habitats listed in the Habitats Directive are totally or partially dependent on continued farming. Given farming’s diverse (positive and negative) impacts on biodiversity, various alternative ideas exist concerning how to address this relationship (Tscharntke et al. 2012). One of these (known as “land sparing” 1 ) advocates the total separation of productive and conservation areas, i.e. the inten- sification of farming for profit and production in the most suitable areas, completely setting con- servation issues aside and arguing that in this way the necessary production of food can be achieved in a smaller geographical area, leaving more land for biodiversity conservation. This idea ignores the biodiversity values associated with more extensive farming areas which depend on the continuation of agriculture even in marginal and unprofitable areas. Another proposed approach (“land shar- ing”) advocates the maintenance of these areas, arguing that in addition to biodiversity, they pre- serve other important ecosystem services (scenic value, traditional products, water quality, etc.) that should be valued in the context of a multifunctional landscape. There are also those who defend the 1 “As opposed to “land sharing”. adoption of management strategies to maintain biodi- versity even in more inten- sive farming situations, from a perspective of “ecological intensification” (Bonmarco et al . 2013). In this context, elements of biodiversity can be used as a source of important services for farm- ing (pest control, pollination, soil fertility) that should be enhanced as substitutes for anthropogenic inputs. Eco- logical intensification aims to maintain or raise produc- tivity while minimising envi- ronmental impacts by incor- porating ecosystem services in agricultural production systems. The Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) at the University of Porto is currently running several projects that address this topic and trying to quantify how far biodiver- sity can be an important provider of pest control services in vineyards and olive groves. The contribution of farms using extensive practices to maintaining biodiversity has been formally acknowl- edged since the 1990s, when the concept of “High Nature Value farmland” was coined by Beaufoy et al . (1994). This concept was later incorporated into the rural development policies (Common Agricultural Policy, CAP) and implemented through subsidies (under agro-environmental and other measures) to boost the low income of these farms as compensa- tion for the services the farmers who manage these areas provide society, particularly in preserving agri- cultural biodiversity. 2. High Nature Value farmland: what is it and why is it important? High Nature Value farmlands (HNVf) include rural areas where agriculture constitutes the main (usu- ally dominant) land use, and in which the underly- ing farming practices support or are related tohigh … “land sparing” advocates the total separation of productive and conservation areas, i.e. the intensification of farming for profit and production in the most suitable areas… Another proposed approach (“land sharing”) advocates the maintenance of these areas, arguing that in addition to biodiversity, they preserve other important ecosystem services… Ecological intensification aims to maintain or raise productivity while minimising environmental impacts by incorporating ecosystem services in agricultural production systems.