Conservation practiced by private forest owners in Southwest Germany – The role of values, perceptions and local forest knowledge

Policies aiming to integrate biodiversity conservation into forest management rely on the engagement of local forest owners. This requires the mobilization of their experiences and site-specific knowledge, which is not only factual knowledge, but deeply connected to individual values, attitudes and practices adapted to local contexts. Although the objectives, attitudes, and motivations of private forest owners (PFO) have been analyzed extensively, few studies focus on how biodiversity conservation can be integrated into their forests. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the interrelation between conservation practices, perceptions, and locally held forest knowledge, we conducted a survey of PFOs in southwestern Germany. Using a logistic regression analysis, we sought to identify predictors of respondents' conservation practices, defined by the retention of deadwood and non-use of forest areas. Perceptions about positive conservation impacts increased the likelihood of implementing conservation practices, while forest-related variables such as property size and frequency of timber harvest had no significant effect. Our results show that PFOs' perceptions of biodiversity conservation affect their management approaches, which can provide ecologically valuable stepping-stones for conserving biodiversity on a landscape-scale. This may complement officially protected forest areas and formal conservation programs. Forest policy needs to consider that forest ownership entails not only economic values, but others such as identity, family heritage and personal responsibility for conserving natural resources. Both extension services and conservation incentives should be adapted accordingly.