This edited volume documents the current nature conservation status of arable habitats in Europe. Arable farming systems have evolved in the European landscape over more than ten thousand years and now occupy nearly 30% of the European land area. They support species that have life cycles closely synchronised with traditional cereal growing, many of which have experienced massive declines throughout Europe. For example, in Britain, of the 100 plant species exhibiting the greatest declines in the latter half of the 20th century, 47 were typical of arable land. Despite this the habitat and many of the species associated with it remains unprotected across much of Europe. The 22 chapters cover a range of topics, including: · Regional accounts describing the impact of changing agricultural practices on the arable flora; · The results of research and surveillance projects on the soil organisms, bryophyte flora, invertebrate fauna and pollinators of arable habitats; · The potential for designing multifunctional and resilient agricultural landscapes; The use of ex situ conservation to aid the reintroduction of rare arable plants; · Case studies illustrating how changing agricultural practices have impacted on bird populations in Europe; · The roles of remote sensing in monitoring agricultural systems; · How agri-environment schemes can help restore the biodiversity in arable habitats; and · A look forward at ways to help ensure the future security of the species associated with arable habitats. It is clear that the biodiversity of arable land throughout Europe has undergone major changes, particularly during the second half of the 20th century, and that these changes are continuing into the 21st century. We need to develop a deeper appreciation of farmland wildlife and its integration into farming systems to ensure its future security in a world where value is increasingly expressed in terms of material profit. This book is particularly relevant to practitioners, policy-makers and managers working in the fields of nature conservation, agri-environment schemes and land management, and to researchers working in the fields of conservation biology, terrestrial ecology, nature conservation, applied ecology, biodiversity, agriculture, agricultural ethics and environmental studies.

The European Landscape is under stress of changing land use and a changing attitude of its users. Globalization, the disappearance of the iron curtain and the recent EU enlargement to 25 countries have changed the economic and environmental dimensions of Europe. Europe is changing its face from a western and eastern part to one European Union and to fast connections between its centres of activity. The rural and cultural heritage of Europe has to be adapted to cope with this change. However, its landscape is worth to be conserved as well, because it represents the European history in the same way as castles and churches. It even more represents the history of the common people, because it has been the tradition of the rural population that made these landscapes. It cannot be prevented that Europe is changing and it is good that Europe adapts to the new dimensions of the world. We, in Europe, have to define what we think is important and what must be conserved, what can be adapted to be used for new functions and what can be abolished because it has no value. These decisions will determine the new dimensions of the European landscapes. The Frontis Workshop on the New Dimensions of the European Landscape was held on 10-12 June 2002. Wageningen University and Research Centre organized this workshop aiming to develop visions on the landscape in Europe, its development and design in the future and to strengthen the international network in landscape planning.

The Rio Summit has pointed to the urgency for the development of an international conservation policy; and the post-Maastricht debates in Europe have highlighted the need for the EU to reassess structural funding in nature conservation, as well as the influences on policy and practice. This book is a 'route map' through the legislative and policy frameworks and explains how conservation works in Europe. It goes through the policies for nature conservation in the European Community and its constituent member states and sets out the mechanisms for delivering this policy. An understanding of the European legislative framework is now vital as its influence on local practice increases. Practitioners in the fields of countryside conservation and general land management will find the book an essential guide to the working of the EU, as well as helping an appreciation of their local role within the wider community objectives. This will, for example allow a better understanding of the grant system which many managers are now using.

On title page: Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife & Natural Habitats (Bern Convention)

This plan sets out the policies and actions needed to ensure an adequate, effective and well-managed network of protected areas in Europe. It outlines how potential areas should be integrated with other sectors, such as agriculture, forestry and tourism; sets out priorities at European, sub-regional and national level; proposes actions to strengthen the legal framework, planning and management of Europe's protected areas, and explains how to create the public support necessary for success. Over 200 individuals and institutions have contributed to what has become IUCN's largest-ever exercise in regional collaboration between government agencies, NGOs and the individual staff of protected areas.

Four unique pan-European CORINE Land Cover datasets—CLC1990, CLC2000, CLC2006, and CLC2012— and three datasets concerning changes between 1990 and 2012 have presented the first-ever opportunity to observe the European landscape by means of land cover and its change. This book brings together all these datasets to demonstrate the methods of identification, analysis and assessment of the European land cover and its changes that took place during the intervals of 1990–2000, 2000–2006, and 2006–2012. It provides examples in which CLC data plays a role in offering solutions to European environmental problems such as the monitoring of urban dynamics, land fragmentation, ecosystems mapping and assessment, and high nature value farmland characteristics. Existing environmental problems require new approaches, and European Landscape Dynamics: CORINE Land Cover Data indicates a set of outlooks for CLC data generation that produce more detailed levels of analysis and bottom-up approaches while addressing the relationship of CLC data to the Infrastructure for Spatial Information in Europe (INSPIRE). It also discusses the future of CLC data generation. A valuable resource of up-to-date information, it is useful to professionals such as scientists, territorial planners, and environmentalists as well as students of geosciences and all those who are interested in cognition of the European landscape, its changes and development.

A detailed description and analysis of European nature conservation and its achievements, focussing on the EU and last forty years.