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Toward effective nature conservation on farmland: making farmers matter

  1. Geert R. de Snoo1,2,
  2. Irina Herzon3,
  3. Henk Staats4,
  4. Rob J.F. Burton5,
  5. Stefan Schindler6,7,
  6. Jerry van Dijk8,
  7. Anne Marike Lokhorst9,
  8. James M. Bullock10,
  9. Matt Lobley11,
  10. Thomas Wrbka6,
  11. Gerald Schwarz12,
  12. C.J.M. Musters1

Article first published online: 5 NOV 2012

DOI: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00296.x

Issue

Conservation Letters

Conservation Letters

Volume 6, Issue 1, pages 66–72, February 2013

Additional Information

How to Cite

de Snoo, G. R., Herzon, I., Staats, H., Burton, R. J.F., Schindler, S., van Dijk, J., Lokhorst, A. M., Bullock, J. M., Lobley, M., Wrbka, T., Schwarz, G. and Musters, C.J.M. (2013), Toward effective nature conservation on farmland: making farmers matter. Conservation Letters, 6: 66–72. doi: 10.1111/j.1755-263X.2012.00296.x

Author Information

  1. 1

    Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands

  2. 2

    Centre for Ecosystem Studies, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 47, 6700 AA Wageningen, the Netherlands

  3. 3

    Department of Agricultural Sciences, University of Helsinki, P.O. Box 27, Helsinki, Finland

  4. 4

    Institute for Psychological Research, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9555, 2300 RB Leiden, the Netherlands

  5. 5

    Centre for Rural Research, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway

  6. 6

    Department of Conservation Biology, Vegetation & Landscape Ecology, University of Vienna, Rennweg 14, A-1030 Vienna, Austria

  7. 7

    CIBIO, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Campus Agrário de Vairão, Universidade do Porto, 4485–661 Vairão, Portugal

  8. 8

    Department of Innovation and Environmental Sciences, Faculty of Geosciences, Utrecht University, P.O. Box 80115, 3508 TC Utrecht, the Netherlands

  9. 9

    Communication Strategies, Wageningen University, P.O. Box 8130, 6700 EW Wageningen, the Netherlands

  10. 10

    Centre for Ecology & Hydrology, Benson Lane OX10 8BB Wallingford, United Kingdom

  11. 11

    Centre for Rural Policy Research, University of Exeter, Rennes Drive EX4 4RJ Exeter, United Kingdom

  12. 12

    Johann Heinrich von Thünen Institute, Institute of Farm Economics, Bundesallee 50, 38116 Braunschweig, Germany

*C.J.M. Musters, Institute of Environmental Sciences, Leiden University, P.O. Box 9518, 2300 RA Leiden, the Netherlands. Tel: +31 71 527 5618; fax: +31 71 527 7434. E-mail: musters@cml.leidenuniv.nl

  1. Editor Andras Baldi

Publication History

  1. Issue published online: 11 FEB 2013
  2. Article first published online: 5 NOV 2012
  3. Accepted manuscript online: 4 OCT 2012 05:18AM EST
  4. Received 12 June 2012 Accepted 21 September 2012

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Keywords:

  • Agri-environment scheme;
  • AES;
  • biodiversity on farmland;
  • farmers behavior;
  • benchmarking biodiversity;
  • noneconomic instruments

Abstract

Until now the main instrument to counteract the loss of biodiversity and landscape quality in the European countryside has been agri-environment schemes (AES), which offer short-term payments for performing prescribed environmental management behaviors. In our opinion this approach is, in its current set-up, not a sustainable way of enhancing biodiversity and landscape quality. Here we will argue that conservation in agricultural areas is also a social challenge. To change farmers’ behaviors toward more sustainable conservation of farmland biodiversity, instruments should aim to influence individual farmer's motivation and behavior. We should aim to place farmland biodiversity “in the hands and minds of farmers.”

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