Institut für Sozialwissenschaften des Agrarbereichs

Permanent URI for this collectionhttps://hohpublica.uni-hohenheim.de/handle/123456789/18

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Exploring private financing for biodiversity conservation: Stakeholder perspectives and governance in the case of wildflower strips in Germany
(2024) Bücheler, Hannah; Bieling, Claudia; Feuerbacher, Arndt
This study explores the understudied role of privately financed ecosystem service provision in biodiversity conservation, focusing on the example of wildflower strips in Germany. Using qualitative methods, it investigates the diversity of private financing schemes, stakeholder involvement, scheme implementation and farmers motivations to engage in private schemes. The results draw on literature-based stakeholder analysis and expert interviews, including ecol- ogists and practitioners, in three German federal states: Baden-Württemberg, Bavaria and Lower Saxony. Findings include a stakeholder map, the identification of four types of private financing schemes, and the formulation of 17 design criteria covering ecological, economic, and social aspects. These criteria aim to guide providers and sponsors and to emphasise the diverse nature of private wildflower strip financing schemes and their role as crucial links among farmers, the private sector, and society. The study highlights private schemes as viable alternatives to public funding but raises concerns about quality control and coordination with public measures. Combining publicly funded agri-environment schemes with private financing is controversial among stakeholders. Government intervention could formalise the private market, improving control and protection, possibly limiting private sector flexibility and attractiveness due to higher levels of bureaucracy. In any case, transparency in management and financial structures is crucial. Policy recommendations overall include incentivising private sector conservation involvement, offering tax credits for private financing, improving government mechanisms, streamlining coordination of public and private conservation at the landscape level and fostering stakeholder networking. Consequently, this study lays a foundational framework for further exploration into the realm of private financing in biodiversity conservation.
Social assessment of miscanthus cultivation in Croatia: Assessing farmers' preferences and willingness to cultivate the crop
(2023) Marting Vidaurre, Nirvana A.; Jurišić, Vanja; Bieling, Claudia; Magenau, Elena; Wagner, Moritz; Kiesel, Andreas; Lewandowski, Iris
Social aspects of miscanthus cultivation have been investigated in a limited way in the scientific literature. Adopting existing frameworks for social life‐cycle assessment enables assessments to include numerous social aspects; however, the relevance of these aspects depends on the local context. This study aims to identify the most relevant social aspects from the farmers' perspective using a previously proposed framework for the assessment of the stakeholder ‘farmer’. It is based on a case study for miscanthus production in Sisak Moslavina in Croatia. The existence of abandoned lands in Croatia presents an opportunity for the cultivation of miscanthus as a potential source of biomass for the production of bio‐based materials and fuels. The study seeks to assess the feasibility of cultivating miscanthus in the region, taking into account potential challenges and opportunities, as well as farmers' willingness to adopt the crop, and to understand the reasons behind land abandonment. We conducted a survey among 44 farmers in the region and used a scoring method to identify the most relevant social aspects. The aspects most valued by the farmers were health and safety, access to water, land consolidation and rights, income and local employment, and food security. Responses to the question of whether they would adopt the crop highlight the importance of an established market, good trading conditions and profitability of cultivation. The survey also enabled an understanding of farmers' preferences with respect to the production conditions of crops. The farmers regarded the provision of subsidies as one of the main factors that render a crop attractive. Opportunities for the adoption of the miscanthus cultivation include high yields and low input requirements. Barriers include land conflicts and land availability. Despite the opportunities for miscanthus development in the region, there are important challenges to consider for successful implementation of the crop.

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