Explaining farmers' conservation behaviour : Why do farmers behave the way they do?

Abstract This paper attempts to illustrate the use of a structured social psychology methodology, the Theory of Planned Behaviour, in explaining how and more crucially why farmers manage the existing wildlife and landscape features on their holdings. The hedge management behaviour of Bedfordshire farmers is studied to illustrate the theory and it was found that the more ‘conservation minded’ ones regarded the conservation benefits of hedge management more likely to be true and value them more highly than other farmers do. Such farmers also felt under greater social pressure to manage their hedges. This use of the Theory of Planned Behaviour suggests that it can provide a useful insight into farmers' decision-making processes and their conservation behaviour.

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