Life Eurolargecarnivores

The WWF is run at a local level by the following offices...

Zimbabwe

LIFE EuroLargeCarnivores

We aim to improve human coexistence with large carnivores in Europe through awareness raising and transboundary cooperation.

What is the issue?

The status of large carnivores in Europe varies widely depending on region and species. The landscapes that the wolf, lynx, bear and wolverine are returning to are as diverse as the reactions of the human communities living there.
The return of these animals evokes emotions ranging from fear to elation. Conflicts arise, especially with farmers raising livestock, for whom it is vital to find practical solutions for coexistence.
Large carnivores in proximity to people raises a range of contentious issues and results in polarized discussions. These can often magnify underlying social challenges and quickly escalate to become highly political exchanges. What is needed is an objective space for fact-grounded discussions and the development of cost-effective and long-term management solutions.

What are we doing?

LIFE EuroLargeCarnivores provides a platform to gather and share knowledge on human-large carnivore coexistence among various stakeholders across the European Union. A range of approaches to managing social, economic and ecological challenges will be made widely available, as will good practices in transboundary cooperation. Topics include monitoring, human-wildlife conflict, mitigation and prevention, the discussion of fears and safety concerns, herding practices, but also poaching, economic opportunities and investment requirements.

How do we do this?

The goals of the project are to:

Boost the awareness of authorities and introduce communication tools that are customized to specific geographical and cultural contexts
Inform and actively engage key actors in a consensus-driven approach taking into account their needs and responsibilities; we need to develop cross-border, interdisciplinary ways of engaging formerly passive actors to bring new perspectives and knowledge to large carnivore management
Contribute to an EU-wide common understanding of stakeholder-oriented population-based large carnivore conservation strategies
Contribute to the implementation of EU policies and provide support to further EU policy development related to large carnivore management
Provide local stakeholders such as farmers with direct engagement opportunities and customized learning experiences through a trusted peer-to-peer approach.

Who do we work with?

WWF Adria is one of 16 partners in this project coordinated by WWF Germany. The majority of the partners are international WWF offices together with the Forest Research Institute of Baden-Wuerttemberg, Eliante in Italy, and the Elmauer Institute.
Within the project we want to work together with a variety of stakeholders and exchange knowledge beyond borders. If you live or work with large carnivores we invite you to share your valuable experiences with us.