The main stages of the project, step by step.
17/05/2024
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.
03/04/2024
An illustrated book “Wolves of the Alps” has been published to learn about wolf biology produced in collaboration between Muse and the publishing house Editoriale scienza.
16/11/2023
On November 16th and 17th the 5th EC monitoring visit took place at Aree protette Alpi Marittime.
15/11/2023
On November 15 and 16 an educational workshop for tje transfer of best practices among police officers was organised in Slovenia by SFS in collaboration with Carabinieri Forestali.
19/09/2023
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.
11/09/2023
The immersive exhibition Through the eyes of the wolf opened in Milan on September 11th and will stay open for visitor until October 12th 2023.
14/07/2023
Within the framework of action C6 a series of public events on wildlife and rod safety in Valle di Susa, Italy, have been organised.
10/06/2023
The immersive exhibition Through the eyes of the wolf opened in Cuneo on June 10th and will stay open for visitor until September 3rd 2023.
20/04/2023
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.
01/03/2023
The manual “Non-consumptive use of wolf in tourism: guidelines for responsible practices” by LIFE WolfAlps EU is now on-line
05/12/2022
FOURTH INTERNATIONAL LIFE WOLFALPS EU CONFERENCE “Is the grass always greener elsewhere?” took place in Barcelonette, France, on December 5 and 6.
14/11/2022
The first training for 25 teachers of different school types and levels took place on 14 October 2022 in cooperation with the Pädagogische Hochschule Oberösterreich and the Naturschutzbund Österreich.
04/11/2022
The immersive exhibition “Through the eyes of the wolf” was inaugurated at MUSE. It will be open in Trento until February 29th 2023.
01/10/2022
On October 1st and 2n took place the second LWA EU Summer School dedicated to the teachers and organised in Austria bu the Wien University.
01/08/2022
A brochure dedicated to the conservation issue of hybridization between wolves and dogs was delivered (in Italian)
26/07/2022
A new infographic dedicated to how to behave in case of an encounter or in places where the wolf live
22/07/2022
Posters were produced on the WPIU Wolf Prevention Intervention Units with description of their functions and useful contacts for assistance in case of attacks.
13/07/2022
Information materials (poster and brochure) were produced on the Anti-poison Dog Units with a description of their functions and useful contacts in case of suspicious carcass sightings.
04/07/2022
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
21/06/2022
The first Celebration Day of the Young Ranger programme was organised. The kids of the Summer Youth Programme in Valle Pesio spent a day discovering the nature of the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps and especially the wolf!
01/06/2022
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.
17/05/2022
The results of the estimate of the number of wolves present on Italian territory, obtained as part of the 2020/2021 nationwide monitoring, the first one conducted in Italy and coordinated by ISPRA, have been published. For the population in the Alpine regions, the monitoring, analysis and data processing activities were coordinated by the Large Carnivore Reference Centre of Piedmont and the University of Turin (DBIOS) as part of the Life WolfAlps EU project. There are an estimated 946 wolves in the Italian Alpine regions (with a credibility level of between 822 and 1099), distributed over an area of 37% of the territory of the Alpine regions. There are 102 packs and 22 pairs in the Alpine regions (the entire area – including hilly and lowland areas – of Liguria, Piedmont, Valle d’Aosta, Lombardy, the Autonomous Provinces of Trento and Bolzano, Veneto and Friuli Venezia Giulia), with a total of 124 breeding units.
29/04/2022
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.
26/04/2022
Three days to discuss the project, present the achieved results and the actions to develop.
21/04/2022
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.
21/04/2022
20/04/2022
Annual meeting dedicated to all project partners to check the progress of the actions and plan future activities.
19/04/2022
The report on the results of the 2020/2021 monitoring in France, which includes a winter and a summer session, has been published. There are 145 areas of permanent presence, of which 128 are packs and 17 are non-packs, with a significant territorial expansion of the species. There were 60 cases of breeding confirmed during the monitoring period.
01/04/2022
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.
14/03/2022
30/04/2022
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).
30/03/2022
On the 30th of March in Avigliana (TO) an important moment of exchange of experiences on the challenging work of finding poisoned baits took place, involving the Anti-poison Dog Units from Liguria to Brescia: the three new members of the project, the drahthaar Sax, Virgilio and Sole together with their handlers Andrea Giacchino (Liguria Region), Roberta Bottaro handler for UCA Aree Protette Alpi Marittime and Paolo Tavelli (Polizia Provinciale di Brescia), together with the “old guard” of the previous LIFE WolfAlps.
01/03/2022
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.
02/02/2022
26/01/2022
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.
19/11/2021
Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in 2021/2022, organized by Dolomiti Bellunesi National Park (PNDB) and Veneto region (RELI): 67 participants attended the workshop
18/11/2021
Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in 2021/2022, organized by Regione Friuli Venezia Giulia in collaboration with APAM. 58 participants attended the workshop
13/11/2021
On November 13th 2021 a meeting with young hunters was organised in Irdning-Donnersbachtal, Austria. The event was part of the hunter’s training and in that occasion several topics were discussed: wolf distribution in Austria and Europe, management for large carnivores, fake news, behavior in the presence of a large carnivore, prevention of attacks to livestock. It has been shown that such events with the affected stakeholders are important to correct circulating misinformation and to replace it with technically correct information. Furthermore, such discussions can eliminate prejudices and partly generate an understanding for the large carnivores.
09/11/2021
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
02/11/2021
Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in 2021/2022, organized by Marittime Alps Protected Areas (APAM). 78 participants attended the workshop
26/10/2021
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.
25/10/2021
Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in 2021/2022, organized online by Aree Protette Appennino Piemontese (APAP). The workshop was attended by 27 participants.
19/10/2021
Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in 2021/2022, organized by Metropolitan City of Turin (METO). The online meeting was attended by 84 partecipants.
15/10/2021
Annual Workshop for planning monitoring activities in 2021/2022, organized by Ossola Protected Areas and Val Grande National Park.
The workshop was attended by 28 participants,
05/10/2021
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
24/09/2021
A second WPIU task force for Tyrol and the province of Vorarlberg was trained in Tösens September 24th. The team is formed by members of the association Hirtenkultur, who all have experience in alpine pasturing of grazing animals.
23/09/2021
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.
16/09/2021
On the 16th September, in Chiusa Pesio, it was organized a kick off meeting for the start of the study on human activities-predator-prey relationship, in the frame of LWA EU action C3.
At the meeting partecipated: LWA EU staff, APAM staff, representatives of the hunting district CACN5, carbinieri forestali, ISPRA, ASL, Piedmont Region, and three department of the University of Turin, which coordinated the meeting.
08/09/2021
07/09/2021
Aim of the meeting was the exchange of best practice on the most effective prevention methods for cattle. The workshop was organized by Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps, and 30 members of the staff, from the project partners: French Biodiversity Agency (OFB), Mercantour National Park, Slovenian Forest Service, University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna (VUW), ERSAF, Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, Protected Areas of the Cozie Alps, Turin Metropolitan City, Liguria Region and Protected areas of Piedmontese Apennine.
02/07/2021
Workshop for journalist organised by MUSE and EURAC. Topics: conflicts with human activities, conservation issues, debunking of fake news on wolves.
30/06/2021
A technical report on how to adress wolf-doghybridization. This document includes guidelines developed discussed and shared in a dedicated LWA EU workshop by the alpine Italian Regions, ISPRA and institutions to manage this issue in a coordinated manner at the alpine Italian context
30/06/2021
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.
22/06/2021
A training day for anti-poison dog units of the LWA EU. The new anti-poison dog units involved were those from Liguria (RELI), Lombardia Region (RELO), and the University of Veterinary Medicine of Vienna (VUW).
Training is very important to monitor the dogs’ progress, evaluate their performance, and work on any deficiencies.
22/06/2021
Second workshop for journalists organized by APAC-METO. The topic discussed were: monitoring, urban wolves, hybrids, Italian Action plan for wolf management and conservation.
21/06/2021
First WPIU training course in PNM: 4 days of theoretical and applied lessons! From 21 to 28 june 2021.
14/06/2021
3 days dedicated on an update on how the project is going and to evaluate it!
10/06/2021
A training course for professional mountain guides, for those guides that will take hikers on one of the seven trekkings included in the catalogue “Cammini di coesistenza (coexistence trekkings”). This hiking tours are part of action C7, on promoting ecotourism, and was organized with the support of the touring operator “Viaggi e Miraggi”.
09/06/2021
Also 2021 project annual meeting was online..waiting for the possibility to meet live!
08/06/2021
First of the two sessions of the workshop for journalists organized by APAC and METO. Aim of the workshop was to give journalists an overview on LWA EU activities, give some elements on wolf ecology and behaviour, and discuss together about fake news and debunking.
27/05/2021
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
26/05/2021
A guide for debunking of fake news made in collaboration with Fact-news, a journalism agency specialized in fighting misinformation. This edition is for internal use only, and will help the LWA EU project staff to fight wolf fake news.
25/05/2021
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.
17/05/2021
On the 17-20 and 28 of May the first training workshop for teachers organized by Muse took place. The workshop was planned in the frame of E4 action. The first two days consisted in web classes on wolf biology, ecology and monitoring, but also coexistence and human dimension and anthropology. The third day was instead a field trip to meet forest rangers as well as shepherds and breeders and discuss with themabout prevention methods.
30/04/2021
Coordination meeting of wolf prevention units (WPIU) of Piemonte to discuss and define the action protocol, with the aim of harmonize the interventions.
30/04/2021
Action C6 has the aim of reducing habitat fragmentation and road mortality in Susa Valley. The report analyse animal vehicle (and train) collisions occurred in 2001-2020 in Susa valley to determine hotspots in which mitigation measures should be adopted. The report is downloadable here.
29/04/2021
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:
22/04/2021
For the first time breeders and shepherds met students in primary schools, in the frame of Expert in the Classroom activity. An opportunity to explain children their experiences and life with wolves.
31/03/2021
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.
30/03/2021
The Cottian Alps Parks have set up its own prevention support team that will be operational from the beginning of the next mountaineering season to support and help mountain shepherds in preventing wolf attacks.
23/03/2021
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.
23/03/2021
First concrete activity realized together with a project steward! Training course about wolf biology and communication for Mistral Tour International operators: the pandemic has narrowed travel horizons, but will it open travellers’ minds to nature at home?
15/03/2021
Training course for operators of the Asti and Alessandria WPIU teams. They will be operational from the summer of 2021.
08/03/2021
Training course for the WPIU team operators in the province of Cuneo. They will be operational from summer 2021.
06/11/2020
Researchers from Biotechnical Faculty in Ljubljana caught and GPS -collared a young wolf. They named it Jelko after the area where he was captured (Jelovica, Slovenia).
05/11/2020
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.
21/10/2020
The overall goal of the workshop was to develop and agree on a common strategy and design for the implementation of the predator-prey-hunter study that will be carried out in each country, for the evaluation of the predator-prey relationship, especially considering the roe deer population.
20/10/2020
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.
07/10/2020
As the first national monitoring of the wolf came out, operators and volunteers met at the MUSE – Science Museum of Trento to take part in the training session dedicated to the initiative.
Three intense hours dedicated to updating on the situation of the wolf in the Alps, the ISPRA guidelines, the recognition of the signs of presence of the species and the planning of the transects to be monitored in the coming months.
Among the audience present, it was not difficult to perceive the enthusiasm and the desire to test themselves on the field!
23/09/2020
On the Alessandria Apennines there are ten packs of wolves. The data has been made known by the partner Piedmont Apennine Protected Areas Management Authority on its YouTube channel, showing the results of the standardised wolf monitoring (2018-2020) for the territory of the province of Alessandria.
22/09/2020
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.
22/09/2020
A quick refreshing course for the “historical” operators of the wolf monitoring of the Cuneo Province belonging to the Piemonte Wolf Network: presentation of the new App for monitoring and distribution of transects at Parco Naturale del Marguareis in Chiusa Pesio.
18/09/2020
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).
17/09/2020
The “tour” of monitoring training reaches Friuli Venezia Giulia, where the course was held in Udine.
15/09/2020
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.
14/09/2020
Today in Chiusa Pesio (CN), at the headquarters of the Marguareis Natural Park, the first training event on monitoring was held, which involved about 120 new operators.An intense day, between frontal lessons and practical tests entrusted to the operators of the LIFE WolfAlps EU Project and the staff of the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps to teach how to recognize, collect, georeference the signs of presence and documented sightings in a standardized way and without danger for the safety of the operators.
06/09/2020
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.
03/09/2020
Slovenia Forest Service organized an excursion to the canton of Graubünden in Switzerland to exchange experiences with the association AGRIDEA on agricultural damage prevention practices in alpine areas where conflicts with wolves occur regularly.
02/07/2020
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.
12/06/2020
The monitoring visit has also been virtual – but it is always an essential step to understand where and how the project is going…
11/06/2020
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.
10/06/2020
A very operational online meeting with those in the business, a breeder and the contact person of The Biella Wool Company to understand the critical issues of wool recovery and reuse in the Italian Alps.
09/06/2020
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.
08/06/2020
Mixed teams of professionals to support breeders who suffer predation: here are the first in Piedmont.
03/06/2020
More than 20 protected areas online to network and find ideas to engage kids in nature conservation.
03/06/2020
Overcoming management fragmentation means confronting each other to establish coordinated lines of action: that’s it!
27/05/2020
All Alpine Countries discuss an integrated surveillance of the wolf status at the population level
22/05/2020
A moment of training and exchange dedicated to environmental guides from all over Italy registered with AIGAE.
19/02/2020
Good old days before the pandemic, when you could sit around a table and define actions, calendars, deadlines…
13/02/2020
Meeting between all the bodies and institutions responsible for the fight against poaching, coordinated by Carabinieri-Forestale.
05/02/2020
A series of repeated sightings has aroused curiosity and fear: an evening to shed light and not create unfounded alarmism.
31/01/2020
An intense morning and afternoon to meet all the local stakeholders, collect petitions, identify solutions.
22/11/2019
Informare gli abitanti delle zone di nuova o futura colonizzazione significa gettare le basi per la convivenza.
21/11/2019
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.
21/11/2019
First official presentation of the project to the public and intervention of the main co-funder of the project, the Fondazione Capellino, committed to the protection of biodiversity.
19/11/2019
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.
16/09/2019
With the countersignature by the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps of the Grant Agreement, the project starts…at least on paper!
