The natural wealth of our country is associated with agricultural areas. Some types of Polish meadows and pastures are ranked among the richest biocenoses in Europe, in terms of species diversity. Due to their unique landscape amenities, rural areas are considered a tourist attraction. Particular attention should be paid to semi-natural communities whose gradual disappearance is caused by the fact that traditional farming methods have been abandoned. The main components of agricultural landscapes characterized by high floral and faunal diversity are extensively used grasslands, coppices and boundary strips. As regards biodiversity, the key role is played by once-cut meadows, with a great abundance of rare plant species, that serve as nesting sites to birds. Poland provides habitat for 25% of the European stork population and 15% of the European partridge population. 200 000 pairs of ortolan buntings can be found in our fields, and every fourth lark lives in Poland. The population density of breeding pairs that nest in coppices ranges from 25 to as many as 420 per ha. The efforts made to raise funds for protecting agricultural landscapes in Poland may be supported by the information about the their positive effects on biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity protection, defined as a primary goal of governmental policy in the National strategy for the conservation and sustainable utilization of biological diversity, is expected to determine the conditions and possibilities for further development of Poland in the 21^st century.

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