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New publication on citizens' and farmers' perceptions of ecosystem services


In addition to forage production, grasslands provide other valuable ecosystem services such as climate regulation, erosion mitigation, and recreation. A new SUSALPS study, published in the journal Ecosystem Services, shows that farmers attach high relevance to ecosystem services when managing grassland. At the same time, citizens consider grassland very suitable to provide the mentioned ecosystem services, only the production of energy crops was considered unimportant and unsuitable. The publication also analyzed differences in the perception of both stakeholder groups. For example, fodder production is clearly more important for farmers. In contrast, citizens attach greater importance to recreation. The article also highlights heterogeneity within the actor groups and different factors that influence valuation. A summary of the article was posted in the blog Science4Sustainability.