Reconciling road verge management with grassland conservation is met with positive attitudes among stakeholders, but faces implementation barriers related to resources and valuation

Abstract

Road verges could provide habitats for threatened grassland species, but current verge management is suboptimal for achieving this. Altering verge management to favor grassland species is possible but depends on stakeholder attitudes and valuation. We describe the attitudes of 373 Finnish road verge stakeholders toward grassland-friendly verge management and investigate the drivers underlying these attitudes. We also assess the perceived feasibility of different grassland-friendly management alterations and identify barriers facing their implementation. Gathered with online questionnaires, the data for the study comprises open-ended and Likert scale questions and was analyzed with multivariate methods and linear mixed models. According to the results, valued verge attributes, such as perceived species-richness and safety, and personal familiarity with biodiversity and semi-natural grasslands structure stakeholder attitudes toward grassland-friendly management. Specific management alterations, such as readjusted mowing schedules, are viewed with varying positivity, but insufficient resources and compromised traffic safety are perceived to hinder their implementation.