Young farmers’ willingness to protect species at risk in Prince Edward Island

Abstract

While agriculture is a driver of global biodiversity loss, agricultural lands provide important habitat for many species. The Canadian Species at Risk Act exists to protect species from extinction, however, it does not afford adequate protection for species or their habitats on private lands. Under the federal legislation, only listed migratory or aquatic species are protected on private land, necessitating an approach of voluntary stewardship by landowners. Therefore, it is critical to understand their attitudes and willingness to protect species at risk on their private land. Building on previous research with older farmers, this article presents a case study of young farmers in Prince Edward Island where almost all of the land is privately owned, with almost half representing farmland. Using an online survey and follow-up semi-structured interviews, the knowledge and attitudes of young farmers (18–50 years) and their willingness to engage in voluntary stewardship and protection of species at risk on their land was investigated. Similar to older farmers (51 years and older), almost all participants knew what was meant by the term ‘species at risk’ but were not familiar with the federal Act. As with older farmers, almost all agreed that such species should be protected and were willing to change their land management strategies in order to do so. While recognizing their own important role in protecting species at risk, farmers also said that provincial government should engage with them, providing more education and, in some cases, financial compensation to enable them to protect species at risk on their farms.