In this indicator, we address the proportion of areas with high natural value from two different perspectives. By examining this indicator, we present a share of HNV land in 38 European countries, and at the same time we track changes in the proportion of high natural value areas at the national level. In both cases, the focus is on agricultural land.

The indicator represents and assesses the proportion of agricultural land with high natural value. It thereby indicates the extent to which agricultural land is diverse in terms of the diversity of land use and mosaic coverage of agricultural land. In the first part (KM05-1), it shows the proportion of agricultural land with high natural value (HNV) in Slovenia and compares it with the proportion of HNV agricultural land in other EU countries based on uniform Corine Land Cover data at a scale of 1:100,000. In the second part (KM05-2), it monitors changes in the proportions of land use with characteristics of high natural value based on detailed national data at a larger scale (1:5,000) from the RABA database (MKGP).

The share of agricultural land (AL) in Slovenia has changed only minimally, from 32.7% in 2002 to 32.9% in 2024. At the national level, we annually monitor land use changes in significantly finer detail (1:5,000). Among the 20 land use categories, five are considered HNV: 1222 (Extensive orchards), 1321 (Wet meadows), 1410 (Agricultural land undergoing afforestation), 1500 (Trees and shrubs), and 1800 (Agricultural land overgrown with forest trees).

The combined share of these five categories increased from 10.1% in 2002 to 15.3% in 2024 (101,912 ha). Between 2018 and 2024, the shares fluctuated only slightly, between 15.7% (2019) and 15.3% (2024). These changes are small, within a few tenths of a percent, and mainly reflect the subjectivity of photo interpretation. Compared to the previous report, which covered data up to 2022, the values remain practically unchanged – confirming the absence of a clear trend of increase or decrease in the proportion of HNV land uses.

Monitoring the proportion of HNV areas at the EU level

At the EU level, the proportion of HNV areas in agricultural land, expressed as the sum of CLC categories 242 - Complex cultivation patterns and 243 - Land principally occupied by agriculture, with significant areas of natural vegetation is 21.9%. It is worth noting that even a significant share of contiguous agricultural land, such as class 211 – non-irrigated arable land, also reflects the diversity of the fragmented ownership structure. With this share, Slovenia ranks 4th among EU countries and 5th among 38 European countries. When considering only category 243 – Agricultural land with a significant proportion of natural vegetation – Slovenia ranks 3rd in the EU (after Malta and Bulgaria). We can conclude that an exceptionally large share of Slovenia’s agricultural land demonstrates high natural value, measured with a uniform methodology and in comparable time periods.