Do private forest owners in Poland recognise Natura 2000 areas?

A bstract Private forest owners in Poland, like those in many other European Union countries, should be viewed as a diverse social group. Due to the size and diversity of private forest owners, one of the most effective ways to understand and categorise them is by examining their values, opinions, views and intentions. The analysis aimed to investigate differences between three respondent groups, distinguished by their level of knowledge about Natura 2000 sites. The research was conducted using the Computer-Assisted Personal Interview method, employing a standardised interview questionnaire that included both content questions and respondent metrics. Three levels of knowledge among respondents were identified: those who said they knew about Natura 2000 sites and correctly defined them (labelled as ‘experts’ – 397 respondents, 39.6%), those who knew what Natura 2000 sites were but did not confirm their knowledge with the correct definition (labelled as ‘amateurs’ – 224 respondents, 22.4%) and those who admitted they did not know what Natura 2000 sites were (labelled as ‘laypeople’ – 382 respondents, 38.0%). Forest owners can be considered a homogeneous group regardless of their knowledge of Natura 2000 sites, and awareness campaigns or financial support can be directed the same way across all groups. Irrespective of how forest owners were categorised, no differences were found in their approaches to types of services, forest functions, time spent on training topics or the tax amounts allocated. Controlling forest pests remains the most critical area of support for private forest owners.