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LIFE13 NAT/SI/000314
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Public awareness survey on the LIFE Kočevsko project impacts (LIFE13 NAT/SI/000314)

Published on 9. 2. 2016 under News
Public awareness survey on the LIFE Kočevsko project impacts (LIFE13 NAT/SI/000314)

In January, we conducted a public awareness survey in cooperation with Parsifal SC d.o.o., to assess the attitude of the general public living in the target area towards nature conservation, preservation of the biotic diversity, and how informed they are on the project. Key findings of the survey are presented below, full report is available “hyperlink” here.

Overview of the key findings of the survey:

  • Majority (77, 6%) of the respondents feel nature preservation and keeping the nature intact is important. Average rating is 4.1 which is above average.
  • Half (50%) of the respondents feel it’s important to them, that society allocates resources for preservation of animal and plant species and their habitats. Average rating is 4.2, which is above average.
  • Majority (61, 0%) of the respondents is familiar with the meaning of the term Natura 2000.
  • More than half (54, 0%) of the respondents consider Natura 2000 to be an opportunity for development, while almost a third (31,7%) feel it only brings restrictions and limitations. The rest are undetermined.
  • Respondents’ awareness of the fact that they live in the Natura 2000 area is high (71, 2%).
  • Majority (78, 1%) of respondents had no positive or negative experiences related to living in the Natura 2000 area, while 11, 8% reported having negative and 10, 1% positive experiences. Individuals who reported having either negative or positive experiences were given follow up questions on the experiences. The most common positive experiences of living in the Natura 2000 area, reported by respondents were preservation of nature, care for environment and tourism development. Most common negative experiences reported by the respondents were poor accessibility, lack of roads, heightened risk of bear encounters, pressure on the local population and restrictions on farming, construction and economic activity in the region.
  • Majority (77, 8%) of the respondents have never heard of the LIFE Kočevsko project. Respondents who have heard of it, mainly read about it in national or regional printed media (26, 3 %), heard about it on the radio (22, 5%) or from family, friends and acquaintances (15, 2%).
  • Majority of the respondents would not attend a lecture or participate in the project activities related to nature in the Kočevska region.