ISSN: 2067-533X INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CONSERVATION SCIENCE Volume 9, Issue 3, July-September 2018: 549-564 www.ijcs.uaic.ro HOW DO PUBLIC INSTITUTIONS ON NATURE CONSERVATION AND AGRICULTURE CONTRIBUTE TO THE CONSERVATION OF SPECIES-RICH HAY MEADOWS? Agnes BALAZSI 1,2,3 , Florin PACURAR 2 , Alin MIHU-PINTILIE 1,4 , Werner KONOLD 1 1 Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Institute of Landscape Management, Tennenbacher Strasse 4, 79106 Freiburg i. Br., Germany 2 University of Agricultural Sciences and Veterinary Medicine Cluj-Napoca, Department of Grassland Management and Forage Crops, St. Calea Mănăştur 3-5, 400372, Cluj-Napoca, Romania 3 Sapientia Hungarian University of Transylvania, Environmental Science Department, St. Calea Turzii 4, 400193, Cluj- Napoca, Romania 4 Interdisciplinary Research Department – Field Science, ARHEOINVEST Platform, Alexandru Ioan Cuza University of Iasi, St. Lascar Catargi 54, 700107, Iasi, Romania Abstract In recent decades, to the conservation of species-rich hay meadows throughout Europe has been given major attention. Yet, those habitats are at risk mainly due to intensification or abandonment, even in the countries where extensive traditional farming still exists. The member states still face difficulties on different levels when implementing EU policies. In this paper we (i) compare the implementation of EU conservation policies, (ii) analyse the gap between scientific knowledge and knowledge of public administration and (iii) follow the collaboration between institutions for nature conservation and for agriculture in the German federal state of Baden-Württemberg and Romania. We applied a comparative case study design and methods, analysing five aspects for each case: (1) public administration structure, (2) management of protected areas, (3) monitoring of habitats and species, (4) reward systems and (5) stakeholders’ awareness. The results demonstrate that even though the structure of public administration in Germany enables multi-level governance, a functional system itself seems insufficient to assure the favourable conservation status of species-rich hay meadows. In Romania, organizational changes may be needed in the ministerial structures that are responsible for nature conservation and agriculture in order to increase institutional stability and capacity. In both cases, a conservation or agricultural approach to species-rich hay meadows in terms of formal institutional understanding (legislation) cannot cover the complexity of those semi-natural systems; thus it is suggested that there needs to be some mechanism for connecting social-ecological and cultural dimensions. Keywords: Species-rich; Hay meadows; Nature conservation policy; Management plans; Agri-environment; Public administration. Introduction In 2011, the European Commission adopted a new strategy to halt the loss of biodiversity [1]. There are two main policies through which biodiversity conservation objectives can be achieved in the EU: one is the Natura 2000 (N2K) network and the other is the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP). The N2K network is the most powerful biodiversity conservation policy tool of the European Union; it aims to ensure favourable conservation status for habitats and species in Europe [2]. The N2K network is based on two directives: one