Turning the Tide: An Analysis of Factors Influencing the Adoption of Biodiversity-Enhancing Measures on Agricultural Land at the German Baltic Coast

Kathleen Schwerdtner Máñez (), Wanda Born and Susanne Stoll-Kleemann
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Kathleen Schwerdtner Máñez: Institute of Geography and Geology, Department of Sustainability Science and Applied Geography, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
Wanda Born: Institute of Geography and Geology, Department of Sustainability Science and Applied Geography, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany
Susanne Stoll-Kleemann: Institute of Geography and Geology, Department of Sustainability Science and Applied Geography, University of Greifswald, 17489 Greifswald, Germany

Sustainability, 2023, vol. 16, issue 1, 1-18

Abstract: The agricultural sector plays a major role in turning the tide of biodiversity loss. In the European Union, land use decisions and biodiversity are strongly influenced by the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). Despite massive investment in subsidies to incentivize environmentally friendly farming practices, the CAP has so far failed to preserve the biodiversity of Europe’s farmland. A simplistic understanding of farmers’ motivations, dominated by rational, economic cost–benefit considerations, is one of the reasons for this failure. Our study contributes to this discussion through the identification of factors influencing the decision making of farmers. Through a case study approach in a biodiversity-rich region on the German Baltic coast—the so-called hotspot 29—we classify a number of personal, social/group, and external factors relevant to the implementation of biodiversity-enhancing measures on agricultural land. Applying a model of pro-environmental behavior, we illustrate the interlinkages between factors and outline potential solutions to support biodiversity-enhancing behavior.

Keywords: agriculture; behavior change; conservation; policy interventions; pro-environmental behavior (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2023
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