Researcher Aki Kadulin from the Estonian University of Life Sciences, and a member of SHOWCASE, attracted the audience with her poster presentation on 1-2 February 2024 at the annual conservation conference organised by the Estonian Nature Foundation in Tallinn, Estonia. This year the conference focused on the vital ecosystems of marine and wetland areas, bringing together eminent experts from universities, government agencies, and non-governmental organisations. In particular, the conference, which was nationally broadcast online, also attracted considerable attention from the wider public in Estonia.

Aki Kadulin took centre stage with a poster presentation on the SHOWCASE project, focusing on Estonia's coastal grasslands. She introduced the SHOWCASE project and presented the preliminary results of farmers' preferences and their perceptions of biodiversity management in a poster presentation. These results were based on an online questionnaire sent out to farmers in Estonia and in-depth face-to-face interviews in the Estonian Biodiversity Experimental Area, prepared by the project partners (Kati Häfner, Verena Scherfranz and Dr Lena Schaller).

The results revealed invaluable insights into Estonian farmers' preferences regarding the design of biodiversity measures and their perceptions of the monetary and non-monetary costs associated with such initiatives. Focusing on the importance of traditional farming practices, the study underlines the value these practices bring to both nature and society.

Photo: Aki Kadulin presenting at the annual conservation conference in Estonia