LIFE lynx held an International Lynx conference in Slovenia at the end of March with the involvement of several platform members including hunters (FACE members from over 10 countries) Here they shared information on lynx reintroduction projects across the EU. The conference resulted in the signature of a networking agreement of exchange of information on lynx presence.

The Interreg project LECA was launched in April 2023 and will run for three years. The project introduces a new monitoring approach of large carnivore populations in the Carpathians to help with conflict management between humans and large carnivores. It involves local stakeholders from six different countries and eleven regions.

LIFE WolfAlps EU published a report “The wolf alpine population in 2020-2022 over 7 countries” in April 2023, providing an update of the status of the Alpine wolf population in 2020-2022, based on shared standard monitoring rules set in place.

The LIFE WILD WOLF project was launched at the beginning of the year, focusing on the wolf’s long-term conservation in Europe and reduce human-related conflicts in rural, but especially in urban and peri-urban areas. The project, running until August 2027 is implemented in eight countries: Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Italy, Portugal, Slovenia and Sweden.

The final conference of LIFE SAFE-CROSSING was organised on 17-18 of May, featuring presentations from nine European countries and North America as well as a round table with key stakeholders and a field trip. Simultaneously, a video presenting the project’s activities was released.

LIFE LynxConnect and LIFE SAFE-CROSSING with the Spanish Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge organised a joint conference 31 May - 2 June in Seville. The technical conference on Ecological restoration and transportation routes brought together experts to discuss how transport could be organised more sustainably in terms of its impact on habitats. More information including abstracts and conclusions can be found on the ministry website.