Since 2008 High Nature Value Farmland (HNVF) has been an impact indicator in European Rural Development Programmes (RDP’s). This report explains how we have approached the task of identifying HNVF in England to meet this requirement for the 2014 – 2020 RDP for England. The three types of HNVF, identified by the European Environment Agency (EEA) (EEA, 2004) have been defined in an English context, and the spatial distribution of each type mapped to meet the RDP requirement.
This report gives a summary of the analysis undertaken for each type, together with the associated mapping and figures, and the final combined map and area of HNVF in England at 31st March 2015. Using this method approximately 18% of England, or approximately 25% of farmland, has been identified as being of High Nature Value