The Influence of Emotional-Motivational, Socio-Economic and Cognitive Factors on the Conservation of Extensive Grasslands in the Natura 2000 Areas of the Northeast Slovenia

Srednjeevropski ekstenzivni travniki so habitati z visoko biodiverziteto. Njihove površine upadajo predvsem zaradi intenzifikacije kmetijske rabe, spremembe njihove namembnosti ali opuščanja. S temi procesi so ob biodiverziteti ogrožene tudi ekosistemske storitve (ES) teh habitatov. Njihovo ohranjanje je odvisno od upravljalcev, na katere vplivajo čustveno-motivacijski, družbeno-ekonomski in spoznavni dejavniki. V disertaciji smo dejavnike in njihov vpliv na namero in aktualno gospodarjenje s travniki analizirali s teorijo načrtovanega vedenja. V raziskavo so bile vključene tri ciljne skupine: osnovnošolci, lastniki in nelastniki travnikov. Dejavnike smo merili s 612 vprašalniki v letih 2019 in 2020 v SV Sloveniji in jih analizirali z opisno statistiko, neparametričnimi testi, analizo glavnih komponent in konfirmatorno faktorsko analizo s strukturnim modeliranjem enačb. Ugotovili smo, da moramo za namero osnovnošolcev ohranjati ekstenzivne travnike in krepiti pozitivna stališča do ohranjanja in nadgraditi njihovo poznavanje travnikov. Za namero lastnikov moramo krepiti zaznani nadzor nad gospodarjenjem s travniki, pozitivna stališča do ohranjanja in uravnalnih ES travnikov, okoljsko motivacijo in sprejemljivost nekaterih zahtev kmetijsko-okoljskih podnebnih plačil. Za namero nelastnikov moramo krepiti zanimanje za travnike in gospodarjenje z njimi, pozitivna stališča do kulturnih ES, zaznani nadzor nad gospodarjenjem in poznavanje gospodarjenja z njimi.Central European extensive grasslands are high biodiversity habitats that are mainly declining due to agricultural intensification, use change, and grassland abandonment. These processes threaten biodiversity as well as the ecosystem services (ES) of the grasslands whose maintenance depends on managers influenced by emotional-motivational, socio-economic, and cognitive factors. The dissertation analyses the factors and their influence on the intention and current grassland management by using the theory of planned behaviour. The study included three target groups: primary school students and grassland owners and non-owners. Factors were measured by 612 questionnaires in Northeast Slovenia in 2019 and 2020, and analysed with descriptive statistics, non-parametric tests, principal component analysis, and confirmatory factor analysis with structural equation modelling. The results show that primary school students’ intention to preserve extensive grasslands requires strengthening positive conservation attitudes and improving their grassland knowledge. Owners’ intention requires strengthening perceived control over grassland management, positive attitudes towards conservation and regulating grassland ESs, environmental motivation, and the acceptability of certain requirements of agri-environmental climate payments. Last but not least, non-owners’ intention requires strengthening the interest in grasslands and their management, positive cultural ES attitudes, perceived control over grassland management, and grassland management knowledge