EU Platform on Coexistence between People & Large Carnivores

Autumn has been a busy time for the EU Platform on Coexistence between People and Large Carnivores. Two regional workshops, co-organised between different Platform members, took place in late September and early November. As always with the regional workshops, the aim was to examine the specific situation regarding large carnivores in different regional settings and to facilitate a joint-learning process between the EU Platform members and those people in the workshop area who are affected by or interested in large carnivores.

The second workshop in Montenegro was unusual, both because it took place outside the EU and because it involved all the countries in the Dinara-Pindos-Balkan region. The idea behind the workshop, to establish a regional platform crossing the borders of EU and non-EU countries to cover the whole of the Dinara-Pindos-Balkan range for large carnivores, fits well both with the aims of the EU Platform itself, and the regional platforms pilot project which is helping to establish groupings in different European countries.

The first workshop, held in Goslar, focused on support for livestock managers in protecting their flocks against large carnivore depredation. Several very interesting examples were presented of how Rural Development under the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) has been used successfully by regions to address depredation issues. This has been a recurring theme for the EU Platform and one that is receiving increasing attention elsewhere. The European Parliament recently commissioned a report which provides very useful background facts and figures on livestock production and on the issue of depredation across Europe. This was also discussed during the European Biodiversity Conference, an annual high level conference organised by the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO) at the beginning of December. One of the issues discussed in detail at the regional workshop was the extent to which the full costs of damages and protection measures can be covered. The Commission’s recent statement that the full costs of livestock depredation can be covered by state aid is therefore welcome news.

Jurgen Tack

Scientific Director of the European Landowners’ Organization (ELO)
Co-chair of the EU Platform on Coexistence between People and Large Carnivores

In the Dinara-Pindos-Balkan region, brown bear, wolf and lynx populations are shared among ten EU and non-EU countries but there is little transnational dialogue on the topic currently, and consequently, widely varying monitoring and management approaches. The regional workshop of the EU Platform aimed at initiating and incentivizing cross-border communication and collaboration.

At the regional workshop, Platform members, authorities and stakeholders from the region, exchanged information and experiences on population statuses and management approaches. Good practice examples on transboundary management and the EU Platform’s work were presented. The aim was to start a process of long-lasting transnational communication and collaboration on large carnivores including assessing the interest in establishing a future large carnivore platform in the region. Participants agreed on a workshop statement  and plan to initiate a dialogue involving a broader range of stakeholder groups. More information on the workshop aims and outcomes is available on the webpages of the EU Large Carnivore Platform.

Member states use very different funding approaches to compensate and/or prevent livestock depredation by large carnivores. The workshop aimed at discussing the use of the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) and identifying barriers to uptake these measures.

As a side event to the biannual Pathways Europe 2018 conference, Platform members and practitioners exchanged information on the current use of the EAFRD as well as national and regional funding to prevent livestock depredation. Presentations also addressed the opportunities of the Common Agricultural Policy after 2020. The discussion identified administrative burdens and acceptance of measures as main barriers of Rural Development Programme usage. Usage could be improved through a simplification of the application process and controls; focusing on most efficient instruments to prevent depredation; enabling exchanges of experience between the applicants for funding; as well as by engaging local experts in giving advice. These findings are outlined more fully in the common workshop statement. More information on the workshop aims and outcomes is available on the webpages of the EU Large Carnivore Platform.

The EU Platform aims to engage with similar regional groupings which focus on conflict around large carnivore presence in different areas in the EU. A EU-funded project establishing platforms in three member states began in January 2018.  

The pilot project on the establishment of regional platforms on people and large carnivores works together with stakeholders to discuss issues around large carnivore coexistence on the national, regional or local context. The process for establishing regional platforms has begun in three Member States.

In Grosseto, Italy, two interactive workshops with around 30 participants representing livestock breeding industry, conservation and animal welfare interests as well as local authorites were held in September and November 2018. The membership of the platform and its mission have been the main focus of the first discussions. In Romania, three fact-finding missions have been carried out with the aim of understanding the current situation and discussing where the platform should be located. A first platform meeting in Harghita County is planned for January 2019. In Avila, Castille y Leon, Spain two fact-finding missions, involving interviews with multiple stakeholders and the authorities, have focussed on understanding the situation and discussing what the main purpose of the platform will be. Full reports describing each of the meetings and missions so far and listing interviewees and participants, are available on the platforms webpage.

The Commission has amended the European Union Guidelines for State aid in the agricultural sector in order to allow Member States to grant full compensation to farmers for damages caused by protected species such as large carnivores including the indirect costs such as veterinary bills and labour costs. This also allows member states to cover the full costs of prevention measures such as building electric fences or acquiring guard dogs.

The IUCN Specialist Group, the Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE), has updated the figures on large carnivore populations and ranges across Europe for the period 2012-16. The estimates are based on a questionnaire distributed to a network of researchers, wildlife managers and environmentalists working on large carnivore management, including the LCIE members themselves and other experts. The questionnaire was supplemented by peer reviewed publications and technical reports. The new information is available per species on the LCIE website.

The European Parliament commissioned a study on the current status of large carnivores in Europe and their impact on livestock from the available data on compensation payments and from field research. The revival of wolves and other larges predators and its impact on farmers and their livelihood in rural regions of Europe also provides recommendations on livestock protection measures.

The Europarc Conference 2018 took part in the Cairngorms National Park in Scotland last month. In a workshop on Fear versus facts: effective communication, a means to improve co-existence with large carnivores in protected areas several different case studies on communicating about large carnivores to improve coexistence with large carnivores in protected areas were presented. Experts in large carnivores and protected area professionals discussed means to address fear and agreed on further actions and trainings.

The ELO’s annual European Biodiversity Conference focused on the role of private landowners in implementing the biodiversity strategy. Presentations included an overview from the Platform Secretariat on how EU funds can be used by private landowners to support coexistence measures with large carnivores.

The provincial administration of Trento, Italy, supports the presence of shepherds and their flock of sheep on Alpine pastures and forests - a region where also wolves, lynxes and bears occur. Prevention tools (mostly electric fences or livestock guarding dogs) and support with the installation and maintenance of prevention measures are financed by the provincial government. Since 2016, in addition to provincial financing, Rural Development support under the European Agricultural Fund for Rural Development (EAFRD) has been used to co-finance prevention measures. No livestock manager with these measures in place has experienced an attack.  

For more information see the detailed description of the case study on the Platform website.

A report describing ten good practice case studies is also available.