20.500.12556/RUL-181384 Semi-natural meadow conservation under pressure farmers’ decision‑making in intensifying lowland agricultural systems 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. high nature value farming mixed methods semi-natural grassland Slovenia kmetijstvo varstvo narave polnaravni travniki ohranjanje kmetje stališča Slovenija true false true Angleški jezik Slovenski jezik Članek v reviji 2026-04-03 12:16:07 2026-04-03 12:16:09 2026-04-04 04:47:29 0000-00-00 00:00:00 2026 0 0 Str. 153-171 Issue 63 2026 0000-00-00 Zaloznikova Objavljeno apc 0000-00-00 0000-00-00 2026-03-31 631:502 1314-3301 10.3897/natureconservation.63.186090 274179075 RAZ_Alif_Ziva_2026.pdf RAZ_Alif_Ziva_2026.pdf 1 AE8DF4DB39D27E6FB3F5075045B79D43 af1780c803f99243228e143e50a0ca9aa711e907e0eedb7f380bf60d82ed7b05 030244fa-2f46-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=231799 https://natureconservation.pensoft.net/article/186090/ 1 f878616e-2f45-11f1-b0ab-0050569b8976 https://repozitorij.uni-lj.si/Dokument.php?lang=slv&id=231798 Biotehniška fakulteta 0 0 0