European Rewilding Network

Large Carnivores Observatory

CALLISTO

Bear in the Northern Pindos region
Armin Riegler
CALLISTO’s Coordinator Spyros Psaroudas receives the "Best of the Best LIFE Projects 2018" award
CALLISTO
CALLISTO
Young wolf in the mountains of Greece
CALLISTO

The Large Carnivores Observatory is a permanent mechanism for monitoring policies, documentation, and public advocacy for wildlife in Greece, with a focus on human–large carnivore coexistence. CALLISTO coordinates it and brings together seven environmental organisations with long-standing experience and an active field presence: CALLISTO, ARCTUROS, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (HSPN), the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS), the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (SPBT), the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP), and WWF Greece. The Observatory serves as a platform for collaboration and the synthesis of perspectives among environmental organizations, aiming to promote evidence-based policies, enhance consultation with relevant authorities, and inform the public.

Specification Description Achievements Exchange
Project: Large Carnivores Observatory
Region: Nationwide, the Balkans, South Europe
Type of project: Increasing interest in the wild through communications
Aim and vision: 1) Protection of the environment as a common good.
2) Improving conditions for the coexistence of People with Wildlife, especially Large Carnivores.
3) Supporting Protected Areas and Ecological Networks to preserve biodiversity and the natural and cultural heritage, with emphasis on mountainous and forest areas.
4) Development of participatory social action, of conscious and informed citizens, to exercise control over decision-making centres, concerning the natural environment and the quality of human life.
5) Development of national, inter-Balkan, and international collaborations, partnerships, and networks on the above issues.
Uniqueness of the project: We place particular emphasis on the study, conservation, and management of populations and habitats of large carnivores (such as bears and wolves), as well as other threatened wildlife species. These species allow for an integrated and focused approach to the management of natural ecosystems more broadly.
Other activities: Community involved, Eco tourism, Education, Research
Results you aim to accomplish in 10 years from now on: Improvement of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) and Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) conservation status in Greece and Southern Europe by achieving a sustainable Human-Large Carnivores co-existence status
Inspirational value: The Earth does not belong to humans. They owe respect to all forms of life, of which they are only a part. The efforts of human societies to coexist with wildlife are a prerequisite for protecting a living planet — one that is truly worth living in.
Experience you would like to share: Extensive experience in the study, conservation, and management of Large Carnivores in Greece, South Europe, and the Balkans. Excellent knowledge and many years of experience from the implementation of 12 projects in the framework of the European LIFE Nature Programme.
Experience you would like to gain: Exchange of knowledge and transfer of best practices. Development of initiatives and joint projects at a pan-European level. Implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law in Greece and Southern Europe. Effectively address the attempt to downgrade the protection status of the wolf and (most likely) other Large Carnivores in Europe.
Map
Country
Greece
Start year
2004
Area type
Forest-grassland mosaic, Mountainous
Natural process
Predation
Flagship species
Bear, Wolf
Large Carnivores Observatory
Bear in the Northern Pindos region
Armin Riegler
CALLISTO’s Coordinator Spyros Psaroudas receives the "Best of the Best LIFE Projects 2018" award
CALLISTO
CALLISTO
Young wolf in the mountains of Greece
CALLISTO

The Large Carnivores Observatory is a permanent mechanism for monitoring policies, documentation, and public advocacy for wildlife in Greece, with a focus on human–large carnivore coexistence. CALLISTO coordinates it and brings together seven environmental organisations with long-standing experience and an active field presence: CALLISTO, ARCTUROS, the Hellenic Society for the Protection of Nature (HSPN), the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS), the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (SPBT), the Society for the Protection of Prespa (SPP), and WWF Greece. The Observatory serves as a platform for collaboration and the synthesis of perspectives among environmental organizations, aiming to promote evidence-based policies, enhance consultation with relevant authorities, and inform the public.

Map
Country
Greece
Start year
2004
Area type
Forest-grassland mosaic, Mountainous
Natural process
Predation
Flagship species
Bear, Wolf
Specification
Project: Large Carnivores Observatory
Region: Nationwide, the Balkans, South Europe
Description
Type of project: Increasing interest in the wild through communications
Aim and vision: 1) Protection of the environment as a common good.
2) Improving conditions for the coexistence of People with Wildlife, especially Large Carnivores.
3) Supporting Protected Areas and Ecological Networks to preserve biodiversity and the natural and cultural heritage, with emphasis on mountainous and forest areas.
4) Development of participatory social action, of conscious and informed citizens, to exercise control over decision-making centres, concerning the natural environment and the quality of human life.
5) Development of national, inter-Balkan, and international collaborations, partnerships, and networks on the above issues.
Uniqueness of the project: We place particular emphasis on the study, conservation, and management of populations and habitats of large carnivores (such as bears and wolves), as well as other threatened wildlife species. These species allow for an integrated and focused approach to the management of natural ecosystems more broadly.
Other activities: Community involved, Eco tourism, Education, Research
Achievements
Results you aim to accomplish in 10 years from now on: Improvement of Brown Bear (Ursus arctos) and Grey Wolf (Canis lupus) conservation status in Greece and Southern Europe by achieving a sustainable Human-Large Carnivores co-existence status
Exchange
Inspirational value: The Earth does not belong to humans. They owe respect to all forms of life, of which they are only a part. The efforts of human societies to coexist with wildlife are a prerequisite for protecting a living planet — one that is truly worth living in.
Experience you would like to share: Extensive experience in the study, conservation, and management of Large Carnivores in Greece, South Europe, and the Balkans. Excellent knowledge and many years of experience from the implementation of 12 projects in the framework of the European LIFE Nature Programme.
Experience you would like to gain: Exchange of knowledge and transfer of best practices. Development of initiatives and joint projects at a pan-European level. Implementation of the EU Nature Restoration Law in Greece and Southern Europe. Effectively address the attempt to downgrade the protection status of the wolf and (most likely) other Large Carnivores in Europe.
Large Carnivores Observatory
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