One of Europe’s most highly regarded Eurasian lynx experts talks about the comeback of this beautiful yet elusive feline.

In a recent study conducted by Rewilding Portugal and partners within the LIFE WolFlux project, nearly half of interviewees were open to the idea of living alongside the Iberian wolf under certain conditions. Feedback from the study will help the team in their rewilding efforts.

Rewilding Europe is delighted to welcome the Living on the Edge project to the European Rewilding Network (ERN). The aim of this Austrian multimedia initiative is to raise awareness of large predators in Central Europe, and to promote the co-existence of humans, wildlife and wild nature. The new membership, which takes the number of pan-European network members to 68 (including Rewilding Europe’s eight operational areas), represents the ERN’s second high-impact communications project.

The new German study is good news for bear conservation in Europe, but has implications for rewilding and the mitigation of human-wildlife conflict.

Rewilding Europe’s writer and editor Daniel Allen spoke with Alexandros Karamanlidis, our regional manager and PhD wildlife biologist about the resurgence of apex predators across much of Europe, and the implications for conservation strategies and tourism.

Rewilding Europe was delighted to welcome the ERN’s 50^th member in January. The Carnivores.cz initiative is a conservation programme of Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, supporting the natural recovery of wolves, lynx and bears in the Western Carpathians.

On June 5 another event was held to share experience between members of the European Rewilding Network. This time the subject was about coexistence between people and large carnivores. This sixth web-based seminar included a presentation of two best-practice examples from areas with existing conflicts between local people and wildlife in Bulgaria and Spain. Webinar discussions focused on innovative methods as to how to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts, and turn such problems into new opportunities.

Large carnivores are among the most controversial and challenging species to conserve in our modern and crowded world. Despite this, the brown bear, the Eurasian lynx, the gray wolf and the wolverine today all have stable or increasing populations in Europe. The European situation showcases that it is possible for large carnivores and people to share the same landscapes.

Today, on World Environment Day, Rewilding Europe signed an agreement about joint practical efforts together with the Large Carnivore Initiative of Europe. The two organisations are going to work together over the coming years exploring pragmatic, practical ways to live side by side with these at times a bit difficult neighbours.

With the economic value of wildlife as its special focus, a seminar called ”LARGE 2012” was held at the Museum of Modern Arts in Stockholm, Sweden on January 31, organised by the Swedish Ecotourism Association together with the ”Big Five” national large carnivore information center.