The High Nature Value farming concept highlights the fact that broad farming types supporting high levels of biodiversity require targeted instruments to ensure their sustainability. This type of farming is predominantly based on semi-natural pastures and meadows – that are threatened with abandonment across Europe. Supporting High Nature Value farming directly benefits the conservation of  farmland habitats, both within the designated Natura 2000 sites and in the wider countryside. Protection of flagship sites is thus combined with support for the relevant farming systems at the landscape scale.

This scoping document aims to highlight some of the key features of the High Nature Value farming in the Western Balkans within the constraints of available data. It does not claim to be exhaustive and should be viewed as a starting point for further work on High Nature Value farming and its particular needs in the countries of the Western Balkans so that effective policies can be developed which will make a difference to High Nature Value farmers on the ground.