Determining the ecological value and farmers' perceptions of set‐aside land

Abstract Set‐aside fields are widely considered effective measures for maintaining biodiversity and ecosystem services in agricultural landscapes, although their ecological value depends on specific management and landscape context. Here, we assessed a multidimensional index of the ecological value of plant communities in 16 set‐aside fields representing four different management types in northwest Saxony, Germany. Moreover, we used interview data to explore how farmers in the same study region perceive the ecological, economic, and social aspects of set‐aside fields. Annual and perennial self‐vegetated fallows had a higher ecological value than annual or perennial sown flowering areas. In most cases, perennial set‐asides (self‐vegetated or sown) had higher species richness, greater species diversity, and higher total abundance than the corresponding annual set‐asides. Differences in soil parameters or landscape diversity were small, and differences in the ecological value were primarily driven by the management type and not by the landscape context. Farmers highlighted the value of perennial set‐asides as habitat for wildlife and acknowledged their economic and social value, especially in areas with low soil productivity. However, farmers' overall confidence in the broader ecological value of set‐asides remained limited. Our case study illustrates the inherent complexity of evaluating the success of conservation measures, which depends not only on the biodiversity outcomes but also on farmers' perceptions of these measures and thus their willingness to implement them and their ways of managing them.