In someone else’s shoes: role-play presents the challenges of wolf-human coexistence

Together with a livestock breeder, involved in the project’s stewardship program, Slovenia Forest Service conducted 5 workshops for vocational high school students enrolled in the agricultural and environmental technician program and general high school students. The main focus of the workshops was to present the multidimensional approach to wolf conservation and management. Students were informed about general wolf biology, ecology, ethology, and monitoring of the species on the field. Afterward, the livestock breeder presented various measures that can be used to protect the grazing animals on the pasture and shared the experiences with breeding animals in the wolf presence area.

After the presentations, students were assigned to different roles, through which they participated in the guided discussion and defended their beliefs (role-play). The key goal of the workshop was to present to the students the importance of collaboration and considering the views/attitudes of others.