Colias myrmidone is extinct in most European countries of its historic range, and few populations remain in Poland, Slovakia, and Romania. In Romania, this butterfly occurs in traditional farming landscapes of Transylvania dominated by high nature value (HNV) grassland. Parts of these landscapes were recently designated as Natura 2000 areas. In this article, we share insights from our engagement in these Natura 2000 areas, in which agricultural intensification as well as abandonment threaten the survival of Colias myrmidone. We unravel which factors hinder the effective conservation of this rare farmland and ecotone species despite the legally binding nature of Natura 2000 and financial support for HNV grassland in Romania through the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Firstly, current financial incentives to maintain low-intensity agricultural practices are insufficient to avert land-use intensification or abandonment. Secondly, a lack of knowledge of the wider landscape beyond target areas limits our understanding of population dynamics and dispersal, which impedes the ability to inform conservation management adequately. Thirdly, the target areas have unclear governance arrangements regarding responsibilities and powers, which prevents transparent collaboration and management structures. To improve support for the HNV systems that are crucial for the conservation of endangered species of traditional agricultural landscapes at the local level, we recommend greater collaboration in conservation governance with small-scale farmers, co-development of management plans, and a shift toward results-based payments for conservation actions. At the EU level, we recommend adapting the CAP to genuinely support small-scale farming and to establish a pan-European monitoring scheme for indicator species of HNV farmland such as Colias myrmidone.

中文翻译：

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欧盟保护罗马尼亚高自然价值农田濒危物种的政策效果有限

Colias myrmidone 在其历史范围内的大多数欧洲国家已经灭绝，波兰、斯洛伐克和罗马尼亚的种群数量很少。在罗马尼亚，这种蝴蝶出现在以高自然价值 (HNV) 草原为主的特兰西瓦尼亚的传统农业景观中。这些景观的一部分最近被指定为自然 2000 区域。在本文中，我们分享了我们参与这些 Natura 2000 领域的见解，在这些领域，农业集约化和遗弃威胁着 Colias myrmidone 的生存。尽管 Natura 2000 具有法律约束力，并且通过共同农业政策 (CAP) 为罗马尼亚的 HNV 草地提供财政支持，但我们还是要弄清楚哪些因素阻碍了这种稀有农田和交错带物种的有效保护。首先，目前维持低强度农业做法的财政激励措施不足以避免土地使用集约化或废弃。其次，缺乏对目标区域以外更广泛景观的了解限制了我们对人口动态和扩散的理解，这阻碍了充分告知保护管理的能力。第三，目标领域的职责和权力的治理安排不明确，阻碍了透明的协作和管理结构。为了加强对在地方一级保护传统农业景观濒危物种至关重要的 HNV 系统的支持，我们建议在保护治理方面与小规模农民加强合作，共同制定管理计划，以及转向基于结果的保护行动付款。在欧盟层面，我们建议调整 CAP 以真正支持小规模农业，并为 HNV 农田的指示物种（如 Colias myrmidone）建立泛欧监测计划。