This new film from Bulgarian Innovation Hub Society for Territorial and Ecological Prosperity (STEP), is made in partnership with the Bulgarian Society for Protection of Birds (BSPB). It is the second in a short series of films (you can see the first one here)
Targets to improve biodiversity
The EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030 identified an urgent need to bring back at least 10% of agricultural area under ‘high-diversity landscape features’. The green architecture of the new CAP reflects the need for a more coherent approach to supporting farmers to maintain, restore and create landscape features of biodiversity value.
Watch the film here
in Bulgarian but with closed captions subtitles
The CAP Strategic Plans are the tool to promote improved maintenance, restoration and creation of landscape. This is outlined as agricultural landscapes through conditionality (Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC) 8). Additional funding is also available within eco-schemes, under agri-environment-climate measures, targeting various landscape features.
Derogation threatens to protect ecosystems
However, on 31 January 2024, the EC put forward a derogation ( https://ec.europa.eu/commission/presscorner/detail/en/ip_24_582) for farmers to comply with GAEC 8 by only cultivating nitrogen-fixing crops and catch crops, that according to the scientific assessment have minimal to no value for biodiversity and therefore cannot be seen as a way to protect the ecological infrastructure.
Bulgarian eco-scheme - for nature and climate smart farming
The video Eco-scheme for Maintenance and improvement of the ecological infrastructure, which looks at the Bulgarian CAP Strategic Plan, tells us not only what the landscape elements crucial for the preservation of the plants and animals are, but also how to maintain them in a nature-friendly way.
The series "Agriculture with care for nature" were created jointly by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPS) and the Society for Territorial and Ecological Prosperity (STEP) with the support of the civil initiative "Good food, good farming".
Agriculture With Care for Nature is a joint initiative between BSPB and STEP with the support of the civil initiative Good Food, Good Farming.
Find out more
Watch the film here (in Bulgarian but with closed captions subtitles)
Watch Eco-scheme for extensive maintenance of permanently grassed areas
Subscribe to STEP’s YouTube channel
Find out more about STEP and the HNV Innovation Hub