Selecting and testing the plant indicator species for developing result based agri-environmental payment schemes for high nature value grasslands in Bulgaria [Practice Abstract]
In recent years, several EU countries have introduced result-based payment (RBP) schemes to enhance the environmental services provided by agriculture – promoting biodiversity, improving landscape quality, and supporting better water management.
Despite a growing number of initiatives, these schemes remain relatively rare in Europe and are often implemented only as pilots. RBP approaches are generally considered most suitable where they can support existing farming practices and traditional land-use systems, rather than in areas requiring substantial ecological restoration. For this reason, they are particularly relevant for High Nature Value (HNV) farming systems.
In Bulgaria, STEP initiated a multi-stakeholder approach for the co-development of a RBAEP scheme for High Nature Value grasslands in 2022. STEP focuses on HNV grasslands within the Western Stara Planina Natura 2000 site (BG0001040 Zapadna Stara Planina i Predbalkan). The first stage of the co-design involved botanists developing lists of positive and negative indicator species per Natura 2000 grassland habitat, and recommendations for structural indicators to assess the conservation status of grassland habitats in the area. Habitat cover data was requested from and provided by the Ministry of Environment.
During the first year, the lists of positive and negative indicator species were tested and verified on-site at a pilot farm. Although the initial results were encouraging, the farmer recommended that the lists be shortened and refined. A revised version was subsequently tested on four additional farms.
Field tests conducted in 2023, 2024, and 2025 show that the official habitat classifications for the selected farms do not fully match the results of on-farm monitoring. This indicates that habitat data must be validated before the scheme can be tested on a larger scale; or an alternative approach needs to be considered.
Geographical location: Bulgaria, Western Stara Planina region
Keywords: Biodiversity, Certification, Transdisciplinary research
Country: Bulgaria, EU
