Pastoral landscapes are farmed in many different ways, reflecting the variety of pasture and livestock types (breeds of cattle, sheep and goats) in Europe. Some farming systems make use mainly of grasslands that may be sown or semi-natural vegetation. Others exploit pastures of shrubs, for example heather moorland is a very extensive type of pasture in Atlantic regions. Especially in southern Europe, silvo-pastoral systems are widespread, making use of a diverse forage resource combining trees, shrubs and grasses. These land uses are of immense environmental value and are very much part of the utilised agricultural area of European farmers. These same land uses are often rich in landscape elements, such as large hedges and patches of scrub and woodland that also form part of the traditional farming use, providing browse, shelter and shade. EU rules and statistics should recognise these facts, but often do not.