Private forest owners’ participation behavior related to an incentive conservation program: a case study of Natura 2000 contracts in France

Natura 2000 is a European Union network of protected areas. In France, all forest owners whose forests are located in a Natura 2000 site are eligible to enroll in a biodiversity conservation program by signing a Natura 2000 contract. In this case, the forest owner benefit from financial support that covers all additional costs for conservation and restoration measures and is also exempt from certain taxes such as land tax. Natura 2000 contracts were created as incentive-based conservation tools to enhance landholders’ participation to improve some identified ecological outcomes. Since landowners are very heterogeneous in terms of their preferences and values, it is crucial to understand the determinants of participation for those who signed the proposed contracts. Our study has several objectives: first, to ascertain whether the conservation program is attractive for the private forest owners who want to conserve the biodiversity of their land; second, to investigate which types of forest owners are the most likely to participate; and third, to determine the type of region the most conducive to implementing Natura 2000 programs.