Supporting Rural Communities in Slovenia to reduce Conflicts with Bears and Wolves through Institutional Collaboration, Policy, and Education

Introduction

The main goal of the LIFE VARNA PAŠA project is to improve acceptance and coexistence between humans, gray wolves, and brown bears, thus ensuring the long-term persistence of both species in the human-dominated landscape of Slovenia.

Problem Statement

The project will tackle this problem by focusing on the mitigation of conflicts that arise from wolf and bear attacks on livestock and other human property.

Consortium and Approach

The diverse consortium of seven partners from the forestry, agricultural, and academic sectors will take a systemic approach to the development of a state-of-the-art livestock protection scheme. This scheme will be integrated into the new Rural Development Programme after 2027.

Stakeholder Engagement

To achieve this goal, project partners will work closely with a diverse body of stakeholders, including:

• Governmental institutions
• NGOs
• Professionals
• Farmers
• General public involved in the large carnivore conservation discourse

Education and Knowledge Transfer

Furthermore, the project recognizes the important role of education in long-term knowledge transfer and as an investment into future generations of stakeholders. Special attention will be put on work with:

1. Farms
2. Vocational schools
3. Universities

In cooperation with these entities, we will develop different educational modules that will ensure the transfer of conflict mitigation and livestock protection knowledge even after the project's end.

Work Packages

The LIFE VARNA PAŠA project is based on three distinct but interconnected work packages that ensure a holistic approach to problem-solving by incorporating work on different scales, from governmental decision-making institutions to end users.

Local Context

Work within one country will enable us to address the environmental, cultural, political, and socio-economic conditions specific to Slovenia.

Conclusion

Through best practices and a thoroughly developed holistic approach to damage prevention, the project aims to set an example for other countries to follow and thus contribute to wolf and bear conservation in the EU.