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eco.montJournal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management
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Verlag der Österreichischen Akademie der Wissenschaften Austrian Academy of Sciences Press
A-1011 Wien, Dr. Ignaz Seipel-Platz 2
Tel. +43-1-515 81/DW 3420, Fax +43-1-515 81/DW 3400 https://verlag.oeaw.ac.at, e-mail: verlag@oeaw.ac.at |
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DATUM, UNTERSCHRIFT / DATE, SIGNATURE
BANK AUSTRIA CREDITANSTALT, WIEN (IBAN AT04 1100 0006 2280 0100, BIC BKAUATWW), DEUTSCHE BANK MÜNCHEN (IBAN DE16 7007 0024 0238 8270 00, BIC DEUTDEDBMUC)
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Eco.mont Vol. 15 Nr. 1, pp. 46-53, 2022/12/27
Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research and Management
During the last 30 years, a natural return of wolves has been recorded at local, national and international levels over several mountain ranges in the Alps and, more recently, in both hilly areas and plains in Europe. Accepting the natural return of wolves in human-dominated landscapes is a major challenge, especially in places where memories and experience of coexistence have been lost. After the success of the LIFE WolfAlps project, which ended in May 2018, the European Commission has approved and co-financed LIFE WolfAlps EU (2019–2024), a new project to support wolf– human coexistence at European and pan-Alpine scales. As the expansion of the wolf population knows no administrative boundaries, the presence of the species requires actions effective at local level to improve its coexistence with humans on an international scale. The new, international project works to support local communities in the prevention of wolf attacks, and decision makers in the adoption of the best possible solutions to improve management of wolves, thus improving public acceptance of their expanding distribution and populations, notwithstanding the potential risks. Concrete actions are being implemented to involve all stakeholders interested in and affected by the wolf’s presence, in order to make human–wolf coexistence possible across borders, traditions and beliefs.
Keywords: wolf, coexistence, alps, livestock farming, damage prevention, anti-poaching, wolf-dog hybridization