Semi-natural meadow conservation under pressure

Despite their high nature conservation value and protection through the EU Habitats Directive (92/43/EEC), extensively managed semi-natural grasslands are often disappearing rapidly from European landscapes. Given the limited success of agricultural policy interventions in curbing grassland loss, a better understanding of farmers’ decision-making regarding grassland management is needed. This study explored the determinants of extensively managed meadow conservation in two lowland regions in Slovenia using mixed methods – qualitative analysis of interviews with farmers and quantitative modelling using machine learning. The results of our quantitative model indicate that the most influential predictors of extensive meadow preservation are increased plot size, greater distance from roads, higher share of rented land and share of meadows on the farm, as well as close proximity to water. These meadows thus often seem to be productively marginalised due to flooding, remoteness or low drainage. While farmers in our interviews valued extensive meadows for their aesthetic beauty, it is the productive value and social norms that typically drive their decisions favouring grassland intensification. Although some farmers appreciated the possibility of being compensated for extensive grassland management under agri-environmental measures, these measures do not act as a sufficient motivator for extensive meadow conservation.