Vision for Biodiversity

The study “Zielvorstellung Biodiversität” ties in with the nature awareness study of the Federal Agency for Nature Conservation and focuses on the groups of actors in agriculture and forestry that are particularly relevant for biodiversity conservation. The socio-empirical study interviews the aforementioned actors with regard to their awareness of biodiversity loss, their attitudes and objectives towards nature and ecosystem services, and their assessment of the importance of biodiversity for the future. 

Research approach

Ongoing environmental changes, such as biodiversity loss and climate change, also affect agriculture and forestry. At the same time these are key sectors for the conservation and improvement of biodiversity in Germany. Therefore, agricultural and forestry stakeholders are the focus of the socio-empirical study “Zielvorstellung Biodiversität”. This study examines the attitudes and objectives of the actors with regard to nature and ecosystem services as well as the awareness of biodiversity loss and the attribution of importance to biodiversity. The willingness of actors to actively implement biodiversity-promoting measures is also examined. The results provide a better understanding of how transformative practices and actions towards biodiversity conservation can be achieved. To this end, further knowledge about the experience and acceptance among the mentioned key actors is important.

The data collection will be conducted in two steps: In the first step, expert interviews will be accomplished. These serve to prepare a representative telephone and online survey. This survey will then determine the respondents' attitudes towards biodiversity, nature and ecosystem services. The study also covers topics such as the perception, impact and evaluation of previous measures for the protection of biodiversity as well as objectives and assessments of the scope for action within the groups of actors. 

Background 

The improvement of biodiversity is a central goal of the international community in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). Biodiversity conservation is directly related to food production, groundwater quality, and security of supply for the population. The decline in biodiversity is caused by a complex interplay of many factors. This is why social science disciplines are needed in addition to natural science and technology. After all, if measures to protect and promote biodiversity are to be implemented successfully, they must be actively accepted and implemented by key stakeholders who have a major influence on the management of cultivated landscapes. Acceptance of these measures is in turn influenced by individual factors such as attitudes and value orientations. Likewise, normative aspects and legal framework conditions of the respective institution as well as economic necessity, from which individuals' scope for action can be derived, must be taken into account. 

Funding

The project “Zielvorstellung Biodiversität” is funded by the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) within the framework of the BMBF Research Initiative for the Conservation of Biodiversity (FEdA).