The disappearance of landscape elements not used for agricultural purposes could be observed in recent years on farmlands in many areas of the world. These are usually linear landscape elements that mark the boundaries of crop fields, characteristic of the traditional farmlands in Europe. Patch landscapes elements are woodlots (mid-field clumps and shelterbelts), single trees, gravel pits, bogs and water reservoirs. The work presents quantitative characteristics of landscape elements which are not used for agricultural production in an area of intensive farming of the Wroclaw Plain (SW Poland, Lower Silesia Province). It also determines the relation between linear landscape elements and certain types of habitats not used for agricultural purposes. In the study area the overall number of such landscape elements was 336. Patch biotopes (mid-field clumps, shelterbelts, reed beds, bogs and water reservoirs) (n=186) occupied an area of 109.03 ha. The overall length of linear biotopes (water-edge woodlots and avenues) (n=194) was 53.065 km. Abandoned fields (n=94) occupied an area of 399.84 ha. The presence of linear landscape elements (roads, watercourses and railway lines) had a significant effect on the number of habitats not used for agricultural purposes in the 18 precincts studied. The preservation of landscape diversity is of vital importance in the process of spatial planning in farmlands. This should be effected through the preservation and restoration of habitats not used for agricultural purposes, and development of a network of connections between particular landscape components, enabling the displacement of living organisms.

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