HNV farmland in the mountains of England

Mountain areas in England support extensive livestock production, with sheep moving seasonally between agriculturally improved, semi-improved and higher altitude unimproved land, and beef cattle staying on the lower slopes or around the farm. Historically, cattle were more prevalent, but were replaced gradually by sheep as wool became more profitable (Dark, 2004; Williamson, 2002) and, more recently, due particularly to changes in agricultural subsidies (Winter et al., 1998). Generations of farmers have adapted to and manipulated this environment, leading to over 70 recognised vegetation communities (Backshall et al., 2001), which are synonymous with this High Nature Value (HNV) landscape supported by other land management such as sporting estates.