The challenge of environmental monitoring: the example of HNV farmland

Assessment of the environmental outcomes associated with agricultural and rural policy is becoming increasingly important. The High Nature Value (HNV) Farmland indicator included within the EU's Common Monitoring and Evaluation Framework for rural development is taken as an example of the parameters used for environmental monitoring. The different methods used across the EU to estimate the extent and condition of HNV farmland are compared, and issues and challenges related to different approaches are discussed.