LIFE WILD WOLF knowledge shared at international mountain livestock conference
On 16 June 2026, Tomaž Skrbinšek from the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana, a partner in the LIFE WILD WOLF project, delivered an invited keynote lecture at the Mountain Grassland and Livestock Joint Conference in Landquart, Switzerland.
His presentation, entitled “Using Genetic Monitoring for Evidence-Based Management of Large Carnivores in the Alps,” opened the conference session “You never walk alone: land-use conflicts or coexistence?”. The session examined interactions between wildlife, livestock farming and other forms of land use in mountain landscapes.
In his keynote, Skrbinšek explained how advances in molecular genetics are providing increasingly powerful tools for large carnivore monitoring and management. Genetic monitoring can be used to estimate the abundance and distribution of carnivore populations, follow their expansion, investigate diet and feeding behaviour, and assess their demographic and genetic conservation status.
Such information provides an essential scientific basis for management decisions. It can help authorities and other stakeholders design more effective conflict-prevention measures, evaluate the impacts of large carnivores on livestock and wild prey, identify individual animals, and support proportionate interventions when management action is required.
The presentation also addressed the broader social context of large carnivore recovery in Europe. Although the return of wolves and other large carnivores represents an important conservation achievement, the costs and challenges associated with their presence are not distributed equally. Farmers, livestock keepers, pastoralists and rural communities are often the people most directly affected.
For this reason, successful conservation must combine reliable scientific evidence with practical support for the people sharing the landscape with large carnivores. Building trust among scientists, authorities, farmers and local communities is fundamental for achieving long-term coexistence.
Participation in the conference enabled the University of Ljubljana team to share knowledge and experience relevant to the LIFE WILD WOLF project with an audience extending beyond the specialist large-carnivore community. The event brought together researchers and practitioners working on mountain grasslands, livestock production, pastoralism, biodiversity and rural development—sectors that are directly connected with many of the challenges addressed by the project.
The conference also provided an important opportunity for networking, exchanging experiences and strengthening links with experts working on livestock farming and sustainable management of European mountain landscapes.
Through activities such as this invited keynote, LIFE WILD WOLF knowledge reaches scientific and professional communities that can apply and further disseminate evidence-based approaches to large carnivore management and human–wildlife coexistence.
