Fundatia ADEPT Transilvania
Transcript of Fundatia ADEPT Transilvania
Fundatia ADEPT Transilvania
Learning from across Europe: HNV in Romania
Torino, 5 november 2013, Răzvan Popa
• Agricultural area 14.7 m ha of which 9.6 m ha eligible (5m ineligible owing to rocks/trees or to , less 1ha holding size)
Romania general situation
Farm sizes:
• 72% of Romania’s 3.9 million holdings are under 1 ha in area,
35% of Romania’s UAA. Not eligible unless applied for
in group applications.
• 9% of holdings are 1- 5 ha in size, 5% of UAA
• 18% of farms are 5-50 ha in size, accounting for 20% of UAA.
• 2% of holdings >50 ha in size, 40% of UAA.
FERME % din RO % din SAPS
ferme suprafață ferme suprafață
eligibile SAPS
Subzistență și semisubzistență (1-10 ha) 23,87% 20,38% 93,20% 31,20%
"familiale" (10-100 ha) 1,46% 10,80% 5,70% 16,54%
"comerciale" (>100 ha) 0,28% 34,13% 1,11% 52,26%
neeligibile SAPS "neviabile" (<1 ha) 74,39% 34,69% - -
Romania general situation
• Thus 40% of UAA is in
holdings under 5ha, and
40% over 50ha – highly
polarised
• 35% of UAA ineligible
owing to small holding size
or trees / rocks
• Areas important for
Habitats and Birds
Directives habitats and
species are strongly
associated with smaller
holding sizes in hilly and
mountain areas
Approximate HNV grassland distribution in
Romania (Corine): about 5m ha
Millions of hectares of grassland habitats and associated
species protected at European levels
…extensive grazing on permanent grasslands
…. and areas of mosaic landscape with wildflower-rich haymeadows, trees and scrub offering biodiversity
connectivity and refuges
Threatened by
• Abandonment
• Intensification especially overgrazing
No Natura 2000 payments in Romania – what are the
consequences?
Introduced in 2007
•214/1. High Nature Value Grassland
•214/2. Traditional farming – non-mechanised additional package to
214/1
•214/3. Grassland supporting important birds
•214/4. Green cover crops
Introduced in 2011
•214/5. Organic agriculture
Introduced in 2012
•Extension of 214/1, new measures 214/6 Maculinea (Fundatia ADEPT
in cooperation with MARD)
•214/7 Red-Breasted Goose (BirdLife partner SOR in cooperation with
MARD)
How should we protect this biodiversity values?
Romania a-e payments?
How were Measures 214/1 and 214/2 HNV
grassland payments targeted?
How were Measures 214/1 and 214/2 HNV grassland payments targeted?
HNV area based on communes with more than 50% permanent grassland – rough but effective!
Rețeaua Natura 2000 și HNV în România
How much of Romania’s HNV farmland is covered
by N2000 sites?
P1 & P2
Very simple rules that are effective in the protection of
many HD and WBD habitats and species. Thus helping to
achieve the aims of N2000, within and outside designated
sites.
214/1. High Nature Value Grassland, Euros 124/ha
•Annual mowing or grazing obligatory. Mowing only after 1
July.
•Limited stocking rates (max 1L.U. per ha)
•Limited fertilisers, no artificial fertilisers
•Scrub clearance strictly checked (not known control
procedures by farmers, farm register etc)
214/2. Traditional management. Additional Euros 58/ha
•No machinery allowed (grazing or hand-mowing)
Romania a-e payments (Measure 214)
ADEPT Farm Advisory Service has shown value of local extension
services. 7 x nr. of farmers and 5 x the area in agri-environment schemes
compared to neighbouring areas without Farm Advisory Service .
Comparative take-up of agri-environment in communes in which ADEPT was
active, compared to other communes in Mures county, 2009 (official data)
Improving farmer participation in a-e payments Role of farm advisory services: a-e payments too complex for small farmers
Benefits: keeping farmers on the land
• These shepherds get €124 /ha basic grassland a-e
payments + €58 ha non-mechanisation + €100+/ha
direct payments = total €282 per ha per year
• They are not changing their behaviour. But without a-e
payments they would not continue. Multiple
biodiversity and other ecosystem service benefits
Measure 214 also supports community grazing A-e payments, when used by common grazing associations, are reversing the decline in cattle numbers. Calva: 40 farmers, 1,000 ha, 250,000€/year, being invested in communitry projects This is important for maintaining hay meadow management: common grazing helps small herd owners. Each farmer with 2-3 cows mows at different times creating an ideal mosaic for biodiversity.
Scrub clearance
is strictly enforced
under measure
214
But the rough-and-ready criterion for HNV grassland in Romania left some gaps.
Some HNV mapped by Corine is not included by the current rule of thumb, more than 50% grassland per commune
Imaginative cooperation between NGOs and Ministry has allowed some of these gaps to be filled
Additional measure from 2012:
Protecting traditional grazed orchards ADEPT, Romanian Lepidopterological Society and MARD
Additional 195.000 ha of extensive orchards are now eligible, from 2012, for
grassland payments throughout HNV area, under modified Measure 214/1
Euros 9m per years
additional incentive
payments.
Very important for
the survival of
biodiversity-rich
traditional grazed
orchards
New measure 214/6 Maculinea package • Using butterflies as umbrella species for damp grassland
conservation outside designated HNV area
• Additional 26 communes in Cluj and Bucovina eligible although
outside “HNV” area
• walk-behind mowers permitted, innovative
• Of the 2.5m ha eligible ha for HNV grassland payments in
Romania, 50% (1.2m ha) is under grassland a-e payments
(124+58+SAPS Euros/ha), 230,000 farmers.
• Romania have exceeded a-e funding budget by end of the
period (i.e including all agreements entered into by 2013)
• App. 700mil added Axis 2 (230mil Measure 214) – planned
5% total NRDP 2014
A-e is Romanian RDP’s most successful measure in terms of
participation, and use of budget (performance indicators –
How about additional indicators??)
• How did it achieve this?
• Has it been effective for Natura 2000?
Romania’s use of agri-environment schemes
Axis 2
26,46% of all EAFRD financial allocation
Measures of Axis 2
- Measures 211 and 212 – Payments to areas facing
natural or other specific constraints
- Measure 214 – Agro-environment payments
- Measure 215 – Animal welfare
- Measure 221 – First afforestation of agricultural land
Experiences from 2007-2013
implementation of NRDP
Measures 211 and 212
Payments to areas facing natural or other specific constraints
Experiences from 2007-2013
implementation of NRDP
End of 2012
211 Rate of NRDP realization
- 76,3% (320k/420k holdings);
- 70,9% (1.785k/2.520k ha);
- 67,2% (408mil./607mil. euro);
212 Rate of NRDP realization
- 42,3% (127k/299k holdings);
- 89,4% (1.605k/1.795k ha);
- 42,9% (211mil./493mil. euro);
Measures 214
Agro-environment payments
Experiences from 2007-2013
implementation of NRDP
Package 1: High Nature Value
Grassland
Obj.: To maintain high nature value
grassland
1.191.589 ha/2012
Package 2: Traditional farming
Obj.: To maintain wildlife by applying
traditional farming practices
943.310 ha/2012
Pilot Package 3: Grassland supporting
important birds
Obj.: To ensure an adequate
management of grasslands having
importance for bird conservation
5.785 ha/2012 – Crex crex
28.446 ha/2012 – Lanius minor and
Falco Vespertinus
Measures 214
Agro-environment payments
Experiences from 2007-2013
implementation of NRDP
Package 4 Green Cover Crops
Obj.: To ensure water and soil protection
151.677 ha/2012
Package 5: Organic farming
Obj.: Protecting natural resources by
sustaining organic farming
Package 6: Grassland important for
butterflies (Maculinea sp.)
Obj.: To ensure an adequate
management of grasslands for butterflies
conservation
2.042 ha/2012
Package 7: Arable land important for
Branta Ruficollis as feeding area
Obj.: To ensure an adequate
management of arable land as feeding
area for Branta Ruficollis
48.041 ha/2012
Success??
of a-e in Romania
• Simple design – may be some gaps resulting from simple
definitions e.g. of HNV, but these are compensated for by the
high uptake resulting from the simplicity
• Simple application process – a page in the IACS that needs
boxes ticked, and a signature
• Ministry has normal relationship with practical NGOs who know
what the Ministry needs for new measures (good justification,
clear criteria, clear monitoring)
•Attractive payment levels
The future CAP 2014-2020 RO • Key: keep the farmers on the land, and maintain small-scale farming and community
communities as much as possible
• N2000 payments are just one of the support measures that need to be used to achieve this.
We need to provide integrated, innovative approaches to landscape-scale conservation,
bringing together a range of support payments and technical assistance. Use N2000 site
management plans?
• Design regional schemes – or schemes under individual management plans – to ensure
schemes suit local conditions. Use N2000 site management plans?
• Use group agreements to achieve scale, and to include land that is otherwise excluded as
under 1ha (Art.36)
• local partnerships including NGO farm advisory services in order to promote uptake of
schemes (ROPAC, CATAR, Natura 2000 Coalition, Univerties etc/regional – PEI)
• Maintain Rural Development Programme budget which supports local economy. The
greener Rural Development pillar where numerous public goods can be achieved was cut by
13,2% while the Pillar 1 was increased by 2,6%
• Maintain biodiversity-friendly landscape elements in agricultural land, 61% of farmland
in Romania does not fall under the Pillar 1 greening obligation to provide ecological
landscape features (Ecological Focus Areas)
• Maintain sustainable arable systems with crop diversification, 44% of arable land in
Romania does not have to carry out obligatory crop diversification in exchange of direct
payments
• Clear definition for small-farmer (Family Farm) in RO
The future CAP 2014-2020 RO Pillar 1
1. Remove nitrogen-fixing crops from Ecological Focus Areas: crops such as lucerne do not
meet EFA biodiversity objectives. (Art. 32 of DP regulation.)
2. Increase GAEC 4 to include all cultures of weeded crops including maize etc, sunflower, to
prevent soil degradation, pesticide pollution, etc..
3. Support maintenance of biodiversity-important landscape features such as scrub, trees
and small ponds, etc. through Pillar 1 (by being included in eligible areas, see HZR Art
77.2.c.), and Pillar 2 payments (through agri-environment measures).
4. Transfer funds from Pillar 1 to Pillar 2 in order to increase Rural Development Programme
payments, which are very important for rural economic vitality, biodiversity, water quality and soil
quality. (Art. 14 of DP regulation.)
5. Offer higher payment per hectare for the first 20 ha of Direct Payments, to give extra help for
smaller-scale farms to invest in modernisation and growth. (Art. 28g of DP regulation)
6. Use the small farmer scheme to allow simplified payments for the smallest farms, up to a
limit of 3 ha approximately (depending on calculations of budget use), in order to simplify both
applications and controls. (Art. 47 of draft DP regulation.)
7. Ensure support of Active farmers, avoid funding of non-active farmers. (DP regulation Art.
9.) This could be encouraged by ruling that farms over 30 ha be registered as legal persons.
8. Ensure protection of HNV grasslands at farm level, by recognising them as environmentally
important grassland. ( (DP regulation Art. 31.1.)
Pillar 2
1. Ensure Rural Development Programme contains only truly sustainable and detailed measures,
so meeting Rural Development priorities 4 and 5 (environment related)
2. Ensure an increase of funding for high quality environmental measures, such as agri-environment-climate, forest-environment and Natura 2000 measures, and that the 30% mandatory minimum on agri-environment-climate will not be affected by the increased requirements for payments for Areas of Natural Constraint. (RD Recital para. 28.)
3. Ensure that agri-environment measures are based on experience from previous period and new data available, including altitude/mowing dates, pasture/meadow distinction, stocking rates for grassland types.
4. Offer Natura 2000 payments in order to contribute to RD Priority 4. (Art. 9 (c) (iv) and Art.31 of draft RD regulation.)
5. Offer funding for quality schemes in order to contribute to Priority 3. (Art. 17 of draft RDP regulation.)
6. Offer the Cooperation Measure, a measure of key importance for Romania to promote associations between smaller farmers, so increasing competitiveness, helping to meet RD Priority 3. (Art. 36 of draft DP regulation.)
7. Agrobiodiversity Measure for plants and animals / local breeds
The future CAP 2014-2020 RO
Multumesc pentru atentie!
Thank you for attention!
Fundatia ADEPT Transilvania
www.fundatia-adept.org
www.discovertarnavamare.org