Preliminary results from a survey on environmental perceptions of inner areas

A web-based questionnaire assessed environmental impact perceptions and key farming challenges in marginal areas of Italy. The surveyed stakeholders (n=130) are mainly farmers, breeders, agronomists and researchers. The educational level accounts for 26.6% high school, 53.1% university degree, 18.5% higher education. Most of them are Italian (99.2%) and women (57.7%), with 62.3% aged 18-25, 23.8% aged 26-40, 10.8% aged 41-60, and 3.1% aged over 61. Geographically, 47.1% live in the North, 23.5% in the Centre, and 29.4% in the South of Italy. Out of 130 interviewees, 94.6% have an omnivorous diet, 2.3% are vegetarians and 1.5% vegans. Additionally, 5.2% are animal rights activists and 26% are environmentalists. While 60% of respondents felt to be fairly informed about protected areas, 46.9% had limited knowledge of productive activities’ role and effects within them. The primary information sources are the Internet and social media (61.5%). Climate change (36.9%), hydrogeological disruption (29.2%) and an increase in wildlife (26.2%) are having a significant impact on respondents’ daily lives. Major threats to protected areas are considered industrial and urban expansion (26.9%), pollution and littering (43.8% each), but also poor pasture management (20.8%). About 30% of respondents deemed national park policies effective. Among surveyed farmers (n=13), dairy cattle (Holstein, Jersey, Romagnola breeds) are raised in semi-intensive or semi-extensive systems mainly across rural areas of Italy. The average herd consists of 85 heads. The main challenges of breeding practices are extreme weather events, wildlife-related to crop damage, and fluctuating of public funding. The survey was approved by the Bioethics Committee of the University of Molise. The research is supported by project PRIN 20224L4WSR, funded by Next Generation EU (CUP: H53D23005120).