5 FEBRUARY 2026 | 11.00 – 12.30 CET
This webinar is free and open for everyone!
Introducing our coexistence guide
Across Europe, wildlife is returning. This comes with new questions, concerns and opportunities for the people who live alongside it.
To support municipalities, local authorities and practitioners working on the ground, Rewilding Europe and the Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme are launching Living well with wildlife: A practical guide.
You are invited to explore it in this webinar.
We will introduce the guide and you’ll hear from a range of speakers who have contributed to it or are already applying its principles in practice. From the perspective of mayors to community-led coexistence examples shared by practitioners, the webinar will bring together different viewpoints on what coexistence means in everyday reality.
We conclude with a panel discussion and Q&A, inviting participants to share questions, experiences, and reflections.
This webinar is free and open to everyone, and is particularly relevant for local decision-makers, municipality staff, protected area managers, NGOs, practitioners, policymakers, and others making coexistence work in practice.
Programme & Speakers
 | Opening by Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme Nany Ockendon, Science Manager at Endangered Landscapes & Seascapes Programme |
 | Presentation of ‘living well with wildlife: a practical guide’ Amy Duthie, Head of Upscaling at Rewilding Europe |
 | The municipal role in shaping coexistence with wildlife Svetlana Tesic, Co-Founder Mayors of Europe |
 | Case example: Bear smart Communities in the Central Apennines, Italy Mario Cipollone, Team Leader at Rewilding Apennines |
 | Case example: The return of the wolf in Italy and the Role of “Io non ho paura del lupo” within Local Communities Francesco Romito, Head of Communications at Io Non Ho Paura del Lupo |
 | Case example: Living with large carnivores in Czech Republic Romana Uhrinová, Program Manager at Hnutí DUHA šelmy |
| Panel discussion and Q&A Moderated by Amy Duthie, Rewilding Europe |
About the guide
Supporting communities in coexistence
Living well with wildlife: A practical guide is a practical, experience-based resource designed to help local leaders and their communities navigate the challenges and opportunities that come with wildlife returning to human landscapes. The guide is primarily made for people with responsibility in a particular place, such as mayors, municipality staff, protected area managers, and other local leaders – and also for NGOs, facilitators and practitioners who support communities in planning for coexistence.
Rather than offering one-size-fits-all solutions, the guide supports users in working through a structured, locally adaptable process.
Bruno D'Amicis
Contents of the guide
The guide helps the users to:
- Understand both wildlife behaviour and human perspectives
- Identify who is most vulnerable or affected
- Take preventive action
- Respond transparently and fairly when damage occurs
- Build longer-term dialogue, governance, and economic opportunities linked to wildlife presence
Staffan Widstrand / Rewilding Europe
Locally led solutions
Drawing on real-life experience and examples from across Europe, the guide combines practical questions, actions, templates and case studies. Its strong emphasis on participation and dialogue reflects a key insight: living well with wildlife is not only an ecological challenge, but also a social one – and lasting coexistence depends on locally led solutions.
The guide will be shared widely from early February and will be accessible via both the ELSP and Rewilding Europe website.