LIFE WILD WOLF Meeting in Ljubljana in Slovenia

From February 5 to 7, 2024, the Biotechnical Faculty of the University of Ljubljana hosted a meeting of the LIFE WILD WOLF project team. This project, titled "Measures to Preserve the Natural Behavior of Wolves in Populated European Landscapes," involves 17 partners from the Czech Republic, Croatia, Italy, Greece, Germany, Portugal, Sweden, and Slovenia. Over 40 team members gathered at the University of Ljubljana, Department of Biology to report on progress in various project actions, discuss potential challenges, and create a detailed plan for activities in 2024. 

The second day of the meeting focused on communication training, organized by Dr. Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek, who leads the project’s research on public knowledge and beliefs about wolves, in collaboration with external consultant Bernard Le Roux from the Swedish organization DFG - Dialogues Facilitation Gothenburg.

The training aimed to equip project team members with skills to handle interactions with various interest groups, each with different values and opinions on wolf management. The goal was to identify potentially conflict-prone situations and respond in ways that facilitate constructive dialogue.

The final day of the meeting took place at the DINA Pivka Large Carnivore Center, where participants focused on participatory models for collaboration with local communities. The day concluded with a guided tour of the large carnivore center.