The concept of HNV farmland is a novelty for the South Eastern Europe (SEE) countries. But even in the absence of detailed studies it is clear that the generally very extensive character of agriculture in these countries suggests that there are large areas of HNV farmland in a variety of farming systems. It comes as no surprise that the region is considered as the ‘green gold’ of South Eastern Europe (Plantlife) and the ‘green lungs’ of Europe (EEA). Many of the conservation important landscapes and habitats were created by the centuries old practices of extensive grazing and low-input small-scale cropping throughout the SEE region. The inter-linkage between HNV farming, biodiversity and traditional landscapes is very strong. The recent decline in rural population and in the number of livestock animals has led to land abandonment, especially in mountainous areas. This harms biodiversity by shrinking the area of farmland of high natural value and thus the mosaic of habitats for wildlife. At the same time, intensive agriculture is expanding, which also threatens biodiversity.