Supporting the conservation of high nature value farmland in Transylvania

FFI is supporting local partner ADEPT in its work to conserve the high nature value farmed landscape of Transylvania’s Târnava Mare in Romania. This historic landscape is a highly biodiverse hotspot of European importance, provides livelihoods for thousands of farming families, and is also of high cultural value. The landscape incorporates wildflower-rich lowland pastures and meadows, old-growth woodland and farmed lands. The combination of small land parcels, traditional extensive livestock management systems and low fertilizer inputs creates a complex and unique habitat mosaic, which is under threat due to the abandonment of traditional management practices by small-scale farming communities, as well as agricultural intensification.

As well as helping ADEPT to build its institutional capacity, FFI is supporting the purchase of high nature value farmland including local biodiversity hotspots to be managed by ADEPT for conservation benefit in perpetuity. We have also supported the purchase of a traditional school building, which is being renovated for use as an education, outreach and tourism centre. Other activities include the creation of a pottery workshop that, in addition to reviving the tradition of ceramic production in the village of Saschiz, provides employment for a number of young local people.