Improving coexistence with large carnivores in Europe

through communication, cross-border cooperation and the exchange of knowledge.

What do we do

The purpose of this LIFE project is to provide a discussion space for people to share and learn about experiences of managing the presence of large carnivores. This includes various approaches across Europe, and aims to highlight the associated social, economic and ecological challenges. Topics include monitoring, conflict mitigation, damage prevention, security concerns, long-term effects on agriculture and hunting, management practices, as well as assisted economic opportunities.

We invite everyone to share their experiences with us.

More information about the project

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Here you will find stories of cohabitation from all over Europe

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News

05.03.2020

February 2020 Carnivore Damage Prevention News

LIFE EuroLargeCarnivores is happy to announce a new issue of the Carnivore Damage Prevention newsletter which is partly funded by the project for the next two years.

Carnivore Damage Prevention News (CDPNews) is a professional newsletter focused on the complex challenges presented by the coexistence of large carnivores and human activities. It acts as a forum to raise awareness of practical solutions, to facilitate collaboration among researchers, policy makers, agricultural consultants, hunters and farmers and to improve knowledge exchange between countries as well as across the boundaries of traditional disciplines. CDPnews aims to con-tribute to the application of evidence-based knowledge which can be used for the benefit of livestock farmers and to inform wildlife management policy.

05.02.2020

Successful Livestock Damage Prevention Conference Salzburg 2020

From January 21-23th 2020 the LIFE Project EuroLargeCarnivores together with AGRIDEA (Swiss Association for the Development of Agriculture and Rural Areas), the Bundesverband Berufsschäfer e.V., the EU PLATFORM ON COEXISTENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE AND LARGE CARNIVORES and the European Landowners Organization invited to an international conference on livestock protection in the Alpine region at the Heffterhof in Salzburg.

More than 200 participants used this platform to exchange perspectives with a wide range of experts and practitioners from Austria and abroad. Around 40 speakers from the USA and Europe presented solutions for coexistence with wolves. Showcase projects in livestock protection informed about funding opportunities and the practical implementation of conflict mitigation measures such as electric fences and livestock guarding dogs.

For further information please email us at info@eurolargecarnivores.eu

12.12.2019

Workshop on harmonizing the monitoring of large carnivores in the Carpathians

28 November 2019

From 25 to 28 November specialists from Slovakia, Czech Republic, Poland, Serbia, Hungary, Romania and Ukraine, as well as Italy and Austria, met in Coltes in the Romanian Carpathians to start a scientific exchange about large carnivore monitoring. The international workshop was organized by WWF Romania and the Carpathian Convention Secretariat with the aim to set ground for a coherent and standardized monitoring system in the Carpathian region. The meeting was facilitated by LIFE EuroLargeCarnivores as one of the core actions within the project with the idea to identify and promote best-practices and encourage the development of joint monitoring plans on population level.

The 35 experts presented case studies and best practices in monitoring bear, wolf and lynx populations in their countries. These set the stage for a fruitful discussion about the best approach for monitoring methods and activities on the national and the regional level. "We want to harmonize the monitoring system, which is a complex issue starting from the definition of monitoring. How to deal with all that data produced with different methods, how to interpret that data? Who is responsible for the monitoring, public institutions or NGOs? Who will finance it? We need stability in financing and methodology. Hopefully we will be able to make some progress" , stated Bożena Haczek, from the Ministry of Climate in Poland. The participants agreed to properly address the raised questions in the next years and to establish a system that is capable to provide reliable scientific data about the distribution, population trends, connectivity and challenges for the species. A final report will compile results and recommendations from at least three regions of Europe with large populations of bears, wolves or lynx.

The participants also generated and discussed innovative ideas for two likewise important topics - ecological connectivity and transboundary cooperation to fight illegal killings. These issues will also be key points of an “Action Plan on Large Carnivores Conservation in the Carpathians”, a strategic document set up by the Carpathian Convention Secretariat and its Working Group on Biodiversity due to be adapted in October 2020 at COP6 in Poland. All three topics – monitoring, transboundary cooperation and fighting illegal killings – are steps towards coexistence and the implementation of the developed methods will be part of this LIFE project in the next years.

18.11.2019

Conference on Livestock Protection in the Alpine Region

The paths of large carnivores do not respect national borders. It is therefore even more important, that people from the affected regions and from different European nations meet and exchange views. When the wilderness enters livestock areas, action must be taken. But which have proven themselves? Are there any new insights? We are inviting to an international conference on "Protection of Livestock from Large Carnivores - Focus on Wolves" in Salzburg this coming January. It is intended to be a forum for the knowledge and experience of a wide variety of stakeholders. Find out more.

25.09.2019

FVA Stakeholder Report

This document reports the activities and results obtained within the Preparatory Action #A2 “Stakeholder Analysis” of the LIFE Project EUROLARGECARNIVORES (LIFE16 GIE/DE/000661 - B1) “Improving human coexistence with large carnivores in Europe through communication and transboundary cooperation”. A participatory stakeholder identification process in all partner countries was followed by fourteen facilitated stakeholder-mapping workshops. The regional project partners conducted the process in the local languages, with methodological and coordinative support by the Forest Research Institute of Baden-Württemberg (FVA), Germany. The preliminary report was submitted in December 2018, this final version was provided to WWF D in April 2019.

The comparative Stakeholder Network Analysis shows that the composition and quality of the stakeholder networks as well as the degree of interconnectivity with the project partners differ substantially. One most important result is the country specific inhomogeneity of stakeholder groups, often perceived as homogenous by outsiders, requires special attention in further project activities. The Network Analysis also reveals indirect positive relations between different stakeholder groups and the potentially important role of commonly trusted actors. These findings offer starting points for strengthening the functionality of stakeholder networks for conflict mitigation and for developing new strategies for future project partners’ activities.

Recommendations are formulated for three crucial topics: 1) Approaches to broaden and strengthen the stakeholder networks, 2) Starting Points for Conflict Mitigation, and 3) Hotpots in stakeholder engagement: Local People, Wolf (Damage) Experts, Poachers, (Conflicting) Ministries and Administrations, Tourism, Infrastructure, and Media.

We are currently preparing a scientific publication to Frontiers of Ecology including findings presented in this report.