When it comes to large carnivores in Europe, what are the main issues described by farmers, foresters and herd keepers, and what are the just measures to give both parties (animals and humans) their needed living space?
The return of large carnivores to Europe as a means of rewilding nature is gradually becoming one of the burning issues for a variety of stakeholders. Bears, wolves, and lynxes have an indisputable place in European wild nature ecosystems, but what about the countryside?
Wolves and their return to nature have been one of the most controversial topics in recent years. Currently in the Czech Republic, there are wolf packs in the Kokořínsko protected area, the Ore Mountains, Šumava, Broumovsko, the Lusatia Mountains, the Jizera Mountains, and the Beskydy protected area. With wolves becoming more common in these areas, more problems are starting to be perceived by foresters, farmers, and herd keepers who encounter these animals in their daily work. This being said, what are the just options for these animals and humans?
I started my work in Jablonné v Podještědí, a place located closely to Lusatia mountains, in late June. Some farmers and foresters here feel the growing tension between conservation measures and their daily routine. However, the major topic that is of interest to me is justice in assessing the conservation-development aspect of this tension. My work will continue in Broumovsko and the Ore Mountains region.
My hope is that the findings of my work in the Czech border areas, which I aim to compare with results of my previous work with farmers in Papua New Guinea, will help to broaden our understanding of the just coexistence of humans and animals in inhabited areas.
SustainableCZ 