Abstract
The maintenance of most species-rich grasslands requires a targeted management intensity, balancing trade-offs between agricultural output and biodiversity conservation. As both management intensifi cation and abandonment lead to biodiversity loss, farmers are pivotal for maintaining and promoting it. However, benefits and challenges related to the management of species-rich grassland may be dif ferently perceived depending on the stakeholder categories. To better understand these differences, a survey was conducted in eight countries/regions of the Alps and Carpathians, in order to provide pol icy makers with knowledge elements for designing and implementing agricultural and environmental protection policies, taking into account the stakeholders’ perception of the relevance of several mea sures. A survey, yielding more than 2000 responses, was administered to nine stakeholder categories, selected for their direct or indirect involvement in the implementation of new policies designed to protect these habitats. Grazing and the combination of mowing and grazing were highly and equally rated by all stakeholder categories, whilst mowing from centre was the measure perceived as least rel evant. For most measures, the perception differed depending on the stakeholder category.