Local stakeholders? willingness to conduct actions enhancing a local population of Grey Partridge on Gotland ? an exploratory interview study
The population of Grey Partridge is decreasing worldwide as a result of anthropogenic activities. Increased agricultural production, requiring homogenous farming landscapes and increased use of pesticides are believed to be the main factor causing population declines in the Grey Partridge. Actions to enhance Grey Partridge populations are available; however, those actions are vain if the acceptance to conduct them is low. To gather information about acceptance among farmers, hunters and the County Administrative Board towards 18 available actions enhancing the Grey Partridge population, nine face-to face interviews were conducted as an exploratory case study. The results showed that willingness to conduct enhancing actions differ between and within the groups of stakeholders. Actions receiving highest acceptance are strongly connected with actions beneficial for the Grey Partridge during autumn and winter. Farmers reported a slightly negative attitude to actions requiring refraining of arable land without getting financial compensation. Results from this study can be used as guidance for creating a management plan to enhance the population of Grey Partridge on Gotland.