Since 2018, I have been involved in a very interesting project on the establishment of regional platforms to support dialogue in conflicts related to Large Carnivores in the European Union. Conflits with large carnivores (Lynx, Bear and Wolf) have increased in Europe over the past 20 years after the implementation of the Habitat Directive in 1992 but the diversity of situations requires interventions that are specifically adapted to each context. As a consequence, the EU Platform on Coexistence between People and Large Carnivores supported EU parliamentarians to suggest funding regional platforms on people and large carnivores in areas with ongoing conflicts focused on large carnivore presence.

Our project, a service contract with the European Commission-DG Environment, aims to provide a space for dialogue to local relevant stakeholders  to discuss potential solutions for conflicts around large carnivores in the national, regional or local context. The project is managed by Instituto di Ecologia Applicata (IAE) and supported by a team including facilitators-mediators, social scientists and communicators. The team’s goal is not to propose particular solutions but to support the parties affected in discussing the problems and potential solutions together.

We currently implemented platforms in Italy , Spain and Romania and will be exploring new platforms in France, Sweden and Finland.

For more information:

http://ec.europa.eu/environment/nature/conservation/species/carnivores/regional_platforms.htm