Two stakeholder platform meetings held in Slovenia in 2024
Two stakeholder platform meetings held in Slovenia in 2024
The municipality of Pivka, situated in a region where large carnivores are part of the natural environment, faces unique challenges in its efforts to address people’s concerns about large carnivore conservation. To enhance understanding and communication about these issues, the municipality established the Dina Pivka Large Carnivore Centre under the Interreg Slovenia-Croatia Carnivora Dinarica project. The centre has excelled in educating visitors and school groups about large carnivores and their importance in the ecosystem.
Identifying gaps and opportunities
As part of the project, preparatory interviews were conducted in Pivka area to better understand the background, identify key stakeholders, and set goals for the local stakeholder platform. These interviews revealed a gap in centre’s engagement with local residents, particularly stakeholders such as farmers and hunters, who often face the direct impacts of coexisting with large carnivores. Additionally, the centre was found to lack a comprehensive communication strategy for engaging with local stakeholders or managing communication during crisis or emergency situations, such as an increase in damages caused by large carnivores. These findings underscored the need for a dedicated local stakeholder platform to enhance dialogue and collaboration.
First meeting: Establishing foundations
The first stakeholder platform meeting of the LIFE Wild Wolf project took place at the DINA Pivka Large Carnivore Centre on April 17th. Participants focused on identifying challenges faced by the centre and propose actionable solutions. Through collaborative group discussions, a SWOT analysis was conducted to pinpoint strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats related to the centre’s functioning in the local environment. Target groups for future engagement and communication were identified, laying the groundwork for prioritization in subsequent meetings.
Second meeting: Addressing farmers’ concerns
The second meeting took place on June 11th bringing together representatives of diverse groups, including hunters, foresters, livestock breeders, forest owners, and the tourism sector. While initially planned to follow a set agenda, the meeting shifted its focus from the proposed agenda to address pressing concerns raised by farmers. Key topics discussed included the abundance and management of large carnivore populations in cultural landscapes and the challenges related to damages and compensations.
Positive Outcomes and Future Plans
Both meetings received positive feedback from participants, who appreciated the platform’s focus on fostering open dialogue and addressing their specific concerns. All attendees expressed a strong interest in participating in future meetings, signalling a growing commitment to collaborative efforts for improving animal husbandry practices and large carnivore management for better coexistence.
These stakeholder meetings mark a significant step forward in improving communication and cooperation between the Dina Pivka Centre and the local community.
