Comparison of wolf management policies

Background: The recolonization of European cultural landscapes by wolves (Canis lupus) is causing social conflicts in many European countries. While the return of the (completely or almost) extinct animal is welcomed from the point of view of nature conservation, it is also associated with many worries and hardships. These affect the population of rural areas as well as pasture feeding, since grazing animals - especially small ruminants, sometimes also horses, cows and exotic animals - are opportunistically killed by wolves. In contrast, wolves enjoy a high protection status in European nature conservation law. Wolf management policy is accordingly causing heated debates. Wolves are thus at the centre of the human-wildlife conflict (HWC) in Central, Northern and Southern Europe.

Aim of the research: By comparing wolf management policy in different federal states (e.g. Saxony and Lower Saxony) or countries (e.g. Germany and Finland, Austria or Italy), data on discourses, political interventions, conflict situations and results can be collected and analysed. The aim would be to describe the dynamics of human-wolf conflicts and to analyse the effectiveness of interventions.