Simple Summary
Many birds, especially farmland bird species, face drastic declines due to human actions. One of the possibilities for biodiversity conservation is the reintroduction of species where, besides ecological (biological) and legislative aspects, the social aspect should also be considered. Using a questionnaire, we assessed the attitudes and knowledge of general and vocational students (N = 576) regarding birds, in general, and grey partridges in particular. In general, students supported the conservation of all birds, but were not so eager to learn about them and were quite unsure about their reintroduction and its likelihood of success. Students’ knowledge about partridges was low. Study programme, willingness to volunteer (20% of all students), and amount of knowledge showed the most significant effects on students’ attitudes and beliefs. We highlight the importance of education about biodiversity and its conservation at the general and especially vocational (future stakeholders) school levels.
Abstract
As a farmland species, the grey partridge is facing a drastic decline all over Europe. In Vipava Valley (Slovenia), the species was last observed around 20 years ago. In this region, an initiative for reintroducing grey partridges was put forward, with much effort dedicated to breeding partridges and monitoring breeding success in a closed area. One of the initiative’s goals was to assess the local community’s attitudes, beliefs, and knowledge regarding birds and grey partridges. In this study, we investigated students’ attitudes toward birds in general, their attitudes toward and knowledge of grey partridges, and their beliefs about the feasibility of grey partridge reintroduction. Students generally supported the conservation of birds and grey partridges. However, they were neutral regarding learning about birds and undecided about the success of their reintroduction. Their beliefs regarding partridge reintroduction from the standpoint of natural heritage protection were slightly positive. The results showed that students were not familiar with the species. The study programme, willingness to volunteer, and amount of knowledge showed the most significant effects on students’ attitudes and beliefs. This study indicates that formal education should focus more on informing students about local biodiversity and related issues to raise local community awareness and engage them in conservation actions.