PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
Out of the 33 populations of European large carnivores, only four can be found within a single country, implying that 88% are trans-boundary in nature. Some of the populations span as many as eight EU member states. Given that legislations, socio-economic conditions, management approaches, acceptance levels, protection status and many other parameters differ (sometimes very strongly) among countries, introducing population level management and conservation methods can be a challenge. This problem is rooted in the lack of coordinated action and insufficient communication among conservation actors, authorities and stakeholders in different countries. The project threfore aimed to establish instruments to help overcome the following main barriers to transboundary cooperation:
- A lack of awareness of conservation actors, local and national authorities of the importance of communicating, coordinating management and monitoring large carnivores;
- A gap in the communication capacity of the aforementioned actors;
- A lack of knowledge on how to reduce human-wildlife conflicts and how to maximise the benefits that large carnivores bring, such as the ecological role they play and heir socio-economic impact; and
- A lack of regional, national and Europe-wide exchange on best practices among affected communities, stakeholders and authorities (e.g. livestock protection measures, tourism concepts).
OBJECTIVES
EUROLARGECARNIVORES aimed to improve transboundary cooperation and population management of large carnivores in Europe. Specific objectives were:
- Boost awareness among local and national authorities and introduce communication tools customised to the geographical and cultural situation;
- Inform and actively engage key actors in a consensus-driven approach on their needs and responsibilities;
- Develop cross-border, interdisciplinary pathways to engage formerly passive actors and 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 the EU policy paper "Key actions for large carnivore populations in Europe";
- Give added value to existing large carnivores projects (LIFE and other programmes) by promoting their results and sharing best practices;
- Provide local stakeholders such as farmers with direct engagement opportunities and customised learning experiences through a trusted peer-to-peer approach; and
- Provide support to EU policy development through concrete documentation of the contribution to the abovementioned EU policy paper.
RESULTS
Between 2017 and 2022, the EuroLargeCarnivores (ELC) team, which consisted of 16 partners in 17 European countries, carried out a variety of awareness-raising, communication, demonstration and networking activities to achieve its ambitious goals to improve transboundary cooperation and population management of large carnivores in Europe.
The project:
- developed scientifically sound recommendations for the future funding of coexistence under the LIFE program,
- provided local support to hundreds of people living and working with large carnivores,
- developed and sustained an annually measured coexistence indicator based on livestock damage data,
- involved numerous journalists in project activities and raised awareness of coexistence measures,
- triggered many publications, offered support and produced and published numerous scientific and popular articles and brochures, video guides, infographics, etc,
- supported government processes at regional and national level related to large carnivores and promoting cross-border cooperation, and
- maintained an active European network of experts in the field of human-wildlife coexistence.
With more than 3,000 people reached, considerable knowledge was gained on the key issues concerning the management large carnivores and the best lessons learned were applied in project's communication and awareness-raising activities.
A large share of this conservation work focused on livestock damage prevention measures. LIFE ELC contributed to include such measures in Rural Development Programmes so that financing would be available under the CAP, through a number of communication and lobbying activities across several Member States.
The project has showcased the essence of coexistence between humans and large carnivores through its collection of “stories of coexistence” from across Europe. By gathering the experiences of 70 individuals who live and work alongside wolves, bears, lynxes, and wolverines, this initiative has illuminated the ways to coexist in shared landscapes. These narratives span from the Carpathians to the Pyrenees and from the Scandinavian wilds to the dense forests of Poland, providing a rich tapestry of life intertwined with large carnivores.
