Second Summer School in Austria: a weekend all about the wolf

On the weekend of 23rd and 24th September 2023, the second Summer School on the topic of wolves in Austria took place at the Astenschmiede Nature Conservation Youth Refuge in the Rauris Valley in Salzburg. During the two-day programme, the participating teachers and hiking guides received comprehensive information on the biology, protection and spread of the wolf in the Alps and Central Europe. The course was organised by the Austrian Society for Nature Conservation (Naturschutzbund) within the framework of the LIFE WolfAlps EU project and included materials and exercises that conveyed the contents in a playful way. The contents and exercises are available in the comprehensive script in German for download HERE.

On the second day, the participants dealt with the extensive topic of management: how can livestock protection work in the Alps, where can conflicts between wolves and humans occur and which measures help to reduce them and promote coexistence? As a special highlight, the participants got to know an experienced livestock guarding dog (Maremmano-Abruzzese), whose work was presented by a member of the LIFEstockProtect project. There were extensive and intensive discussions, opinions were exchanged and new knowledge was acquired – all in all a very successful weekend!