Timeline

The final event of LIFE WolfAlps EU was held from 17 to 19 May 2024, in Trento. A three-day event dedicated to the activities carried out in recent years by the project staff and to future prospects. The event was attended by about 230 people in presence and 1940 in streaming.

On November 16th and 17th the 5th EC monitoring visit took place at Aree protette Alpi Marittime.

The 5th international conference entitled “Towards large-scale wolf population monitoring-Challenges and perspectives” was organised by APAM, UNITO and METO and took place in Turin on September 19th in presence and online.

Within the framework of action C6 a series of public events on wildlife and rod safety in Valle di Susa, Italy, have been organised.

On 20 and 21 April, the Field Visit of the European Commission monitors took place, concluding the monitoring visit that took place online the week before.

FOURTH INTERNATIONAL LIFE WOLFALPS EU CONFERENCE “Is the grass always greener elsewhere?” took place in Barcelonette, France, on December 5 and 6.

The immersive exhibition “Through the eyes of the wolf” was inaugurated at MUSE. It will be open in Trento until February 29th 2023.

A brochure dedicated to the conservation issue of hybridization between wolves and dogs was delivered (in Italian)

Posters were produced on the WPIU Wolf Prevention Intervention Units with description of their functions and useful contacts for assistance in case of attacks.

A networking exchange between the LIFE WolfAlps EU and LIFE Safe Crossing projects was held from 4 to 6 July 2022, at the Alpi Cozie Protected Areas A three-day meeting and field activity to network and exchange experiences in order to increase effectiveness in the prevention of road accidents involving fauna, a topic to which the LIFE Safe Crossing project and LWA EU action C6 is dedicated

The first “Help shepherd” volunteers have been trained thanks to the Pasturs Project. They are ready to support the wolf predation intervention units (WPIU), and help breeders in the management and correct use of prevention systems, supporting the prevention strategy of the Lombardy Region and ERSAF.

The second thematic conference of LIFE WolfAlps EU took place in the Aosta Valley, at the Fortress of Bard. The theme of the conference was confidant and urban wolves. An in-depth look at ascertained cases in Italy, France, Slovenia and Germany, and guidelines for management.

The afternoon was instead dedicated to a round table to discuss the problem of confident and urban wolves together with the mayor of Arvier, a town in Valle d’Aosta affected by the presence of urban wolves, and representatives of hunters, breeders, local authorities and environmentalists.

The Operational Strategy for documenting and managing cases of bold wolves in the alpine regions is a document produced in the framework of the action A7 of LIFE LWA EU. The aim is to provide management guidance for the identification and documentation of bold wolves.

Annual meeting dedicated to all project partners to check the progress of the actions and plan future activities.

In Valle Pesio, one of the four sites identified for the study of the dynamics between prey (roe deer), predators (wolf) and human activities (hunting, tourism and the presence of domestic animals), the first two captures of roe deer were made.
The group involved in the study is made up of staff from the University of Turin, the Alpi Marittime Protected Areas and the Comprensorio Alpino CN5. Training and monitoring activities allowed the positioning of 8 boxtraps, 3 of which within the protected area and 5 in the territory of the Comprensorio Alpino CACN5.

The report on the results of the 2020/2021 monitoring in Slovenia was published.

12 packs were identified. The super population, which includes Slovenia and the neighbouring area of Croatia has an estimated size of 138 wolves (121-168; 95% confidence interval), while the estimated number for Slovenia alone is 120 wolves (106-147; 95% confidence interval).

A training day was held at the Parco dei Colli in Bergamo on the operational use of the Anti-poison Dog Units envisaged by the LIFE WolfAlps EU Project.
Organised by the Comando Unità Forestali, Ambientali e Agroalimentari dell’Arma dei Carabinieri/Comando Regione Lombardia, in collaboration with the Regione Lombardia, the occasion was useful to deepen the knowledge on the national system to contrast the poisoning of domestic and wild animals by means of baits and poisoned baits and the role of the various actors involved, including the Ministry of Health, the Zooprophylactic Institutes and the veterinarians of the public system.

The course is a replica of the one held in Chiusa Pesio The course was attended by 19 agents of the Forestry Corps of Valle D’Aosta.

The course was organized in the framework of Action A3, and is a replica of the course organized by APAM/CUFA in Chiusa Pesio on 21/10/2021. The course was realized thanks to the collaboration of the Valle D’Aosta Region, Carabinieri Forestali, the Metropolitan City of Turin, the Management Authority of the protected areas of the Maritime Alps with the contribution of the Experimental Zooprophylactic Institute of Piedmont and Valle D’Aosta.

The objective of the course is the training of personnel qualified in the procedures following cases of poisoning, who will be involved at local level, alongside the anti-poison dog teams in their own territory in case of intervention.

The course was divided into two parts: the first, theoretical, on the aspects of judicial police, and diagnosis and management of cases of poisoning, the second, practical, with examples in the field of finding alongside the anti-poisoning teams.

Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in  2021/2022, organized by Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in collaboration with APAM. 58 participants attended the workshop

Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in  2021/2022, organized by Liguria region (RELI): 3 online workshops held on 9/11, 10/11 and 18/11. 78 participants attended the workshop

Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in  2021/2022, organized by Ossola Protected Areas and Marittime Alps Protected Areas (APAM). 30 participants attended the workshop.

Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in  2021/2022, organized by Metropolitan City of Turin (METO). The online meeting was attended by 84 partecipants.

Second edition of a workshop for journalist organized by MUSE in collaboration with EURAC. The workshop focused on the human-wolf relationship, with a focus on human dimension, platforms for stakeholders and stewardship program

On 23 and 24 September, in Tarvisio, an international workshop for the transfer of good practices to fight the illegal poisoning of wildlife was held. The course is part of Action A3 of the LWA EU project, whose aim is to create an international coordination for the fight against crimes against wildlife.

The workshop was organized by the Italian Carabinieri Forestali (CUFA) and was attended by 20 agents of the Austrian and Slovenian Police Corps. The course was an opportunity for an exchange of knowledge on the problem of poaching and poisoning, with a focus in particular on antipoison dog units, on which CUFA has developed over the years a consolidated experience to share.

Workshop for journalist organised by MUSE and EURAC. Topics: conflicts with human activities, conservation issues, debunking of fake news on wolves.

In-presence workshop for coordination of the partners involved in the LWA EU predator prey study (actions A4 and C3). The worshop was hold in Stelvio National Park and lasted 2 days.

Second workshop for journalists organized by APAC-METO. The topic discussed were: monitoring, urban wolves, hybrids, Italian Action plan for wolf management and conservation.

3 days dedicated on an update on how the project is going and to evaluate it!

Also 2021 project annual meeting was online..waiting for the possibility to meet live!

The conference was organized by the project partner EURAC, with a live broadcast on Zoom that offered the possibility of simultaneous translation into Italian, French, German and Slovenian, and a live stream on Youtube and Facebook.

Eight hours of talks in which the international project partners illustrated the situation of the wolf in the four countries working together in the LWA EU, showing the contribution of the coordinated activities planned by the project to improve knowledge and coexistence with the wolf.

A complete overview of the wolf in France, Italy, Slovenia and Austria, with scientific data at hand on the current state of knowledge: population estimates, distribution, monitoring, damage and prevention and management. The day was therefore an opportunity to make the point of how the LWA EU develops in the different areas of intervention, as well as providing details of what has been done so far and all the work that will be carried out in the coming years.

For those who missed the conference or want to watch it again you can find the recordings  here

First training course organized by OFB for WPIUs which will work in France. Course was made of both theoretical and practical lessons, with visits to breeders in the area where WPIU will take action.

Coordination meeting of wolf prevention units (WPIU) of Piemonte to discuss and define the action protocol, with the aim of harmonize the interventions.

Associazione Cacciatori Trentini (ACT- Association of Trentino hunters) has become a LWA EU Steward!

ACT already collaborate with MUSE and the Autonomous Province of Trento, contributing to the wolf monitoring activities, and, in general, carnivores monitoring in the Province.

The main objectives of the stewardship agreement are:

• Go on with the collaboration in wolf monitoring activities by further training both ACT personnel and hunters and provide them with the necessary tools to a correct and efficient data collection on the field, as well as motivate them to pursue a long-term wolf monitoring on the territory.
• Favour a correct and objective information on wolf presence to hunters. To this purpose, informative-training meetings for ACT personnel and hunters in each hunting District/Reserve will be planned.
• production and publication of informative articles on the wolf in Association’s journal “Il Cacciatore Trentino”
• Start a study on wolf-prey relationship in Trentino

31 March marked the end of the systematic collection of wolf presence signs in the field, the “phase one” of the first national monitoring of the species launched in autumn 2020 by the Ministry for the Environment (now the Ministry for Ecological Transition) and coordinated by ISPRA.

The LIFE WolfAlps EU project has coordinated monitoring in all Italian Alpine regions, from Piedmont to Friuli Venezia Giulia, and in the Ligurian-Piedmont Apennines. In this area about 1000 operators were engaged, covering about 1250 transects, repeating them periodically from October to March to cover a distance of over 8000 kilometres.

Training course for operators of the North Piedmont WPIUs. They will be operational from the summer of 2021, although the supply of prevention materials (paid for by the Piedmont Region) has already been carried out in the summer of 2020 to fill a need.

Training course for operators of the Asti and Alessandria WPIU teams. They will be operational from the summer of 2021.

The objective achieved by the online workshop was to define common strategies and approaches to compare and combine the results of genetic analysis over the 4 years of the project and in the long term.

Preview of the results of the survey about wool: how much wool is produced in the Alps? Of which quality? What are the projects that have promoted its re-use: which succedeed, which failed and, above all, why? The little platform was concluded by establishing the next steps: by the end of 2020, identify possible supply chains and start ups to implement them.

A quick refreshing course organized by partner Città Metropolitana di Torino for the “historical” operators of the wolf monitoring of the Torino Province belonging to the Piemonte Wolf Network: presentation of the new App for monitoring and distribution of transects at Parchi Alpi Cozie in Salbertrand.

The Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park hosted in Sedico the technical meeting to train new operators who will be involved in the first national wolf monitoring, led by the Istituto Superiore per la Protezione e la Ricerca Ambientale (ISPRA).

The training of new operators was held in Avigliana: from October they will be involved in the first national monitoring of the wolf coordinated by ISPRA throughout Italy and entrusted to the the LIFE WolfAlps EU project for the Alpine regions.

The day was organized by the Cottian Alps Protected Areas with two theoretical sessions, one practical session and 200 operators involved.

Finally back on the field! From 4th to 6th September the first project summer school took place in Valle Gesso, organized by the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps: 28 motivated and curious teachers from all – or almost all – northern Italy, from nursery schools to agricultural institutes.

Three days of intense exchange and confrontation, where the theme of coexistence with the wolf was tackled without filters, so as to give everyone the tools to build an informed opinion and use the contents to develop ad hoc educational activities.

In July the first WPIU training course took place at HBLFA Raumberg-Gumpenstein in Austria. On the 2nd, 14 new WPIU members (machinery syndicate and AREC) received theoretical input on the biology of the wolf and on livestock protection measures. Moreover the different laws of the nine federal states of Austria where part of the discussion. The practical part took place on the 10th at the mountain Hauser Kaibling, near Irdning and was led by Reinhard Huber, AREC. The WPIU members learned how to apply the technical equipment for livestock protection.

Meeting in person is better, but technology helped us to overcome distances and all 19 project partners were able to meet in a virtual room to take stock of the progress of the project and plan the next steps.

Products, packages, training: a preliminary comparison to understand how to put the project at the service of an authentic ecotourism where the wolf becomes the right “excuse” to tell the territory in its natural and cultural richness and complexity.

More than 20 protected areas online to network and find ideas to engage kids in nature conservation.

All Alpine Countries discuss an integrated surveillance of the wolf status at the population level

Good old days before the pandemic, when you could sit around a table and define actions, calendars, deadlines…

A series of repeated sightings has aroused curiosity and fear: an evening to shed light and not create unfounded alarmism.

First intervention in class by the Parks Alpi Cozie and the Metropolitan City of Turin for the children of Piossasco, new frontier of the expansion of the wolf.

4 Alpine countries gathered around a table to find and implement concrete and coordinated solutions: from wolf monitoring to damage prevention, anti-poaching, ecotourism and communication.