LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOGS in EUROPE: Paying Attention to the Context Is Important When Managing Complex Human-Wolf-Dog Relationships

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LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOGS in EUROPE: Paying Attention to the Context Is Important When Managing Complex Human-Wolf-Dog Relationships Carnivore Damage Prevention CDPnews Issue 10 SPRING 2014 THE CANOVIS PROJECT: Studying internal and external factors that may influence livestock guarding dogs’ efficiency against wolf predation LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOGS IN EUROPE: paying attention to the context is important when managing complex human-wolf-dog relationships AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH to mitigate the conflict between large carnivore conservation and local communities CDPn1 EDITORIAL 1 MED-WOLF: A new project to decrease man-wolf conflicts in Mediterranean-type areas 4 RECOVERING traditional husbandry practices to reduce wolf predation on free-ranging cattle in Iberia 10 MANAGEMENT AND CONSERVATION OF WOLVES IN ASTURIAS, NW SPAIN: Is population control justified for handling damage-related conflicts? Dear Readers, 16 SHEEP PASTURES IN THE VALAIS Sustainability, management structures and protection of the flocks It seems hard to believe that it has been nine years since we last 18 ALTERNATIVES TO LIVESTOCK wrote an editorial for Carnivore Damage Prevention News. But it’s true. GUARDING DOGS CDPNews ran from March 2000 until December 2005, producing nine Llamas, donkeys, fence-systems and aversive conditioning: Possibilities and limits issues that covered just about all aspects of the conflicts between large 21 THE CANOVIS PROJECT: carnivores and people, with a focus on livestock production. During Studying internal and external factors its first incarnation, CDPNews provided a valuable forum to exchange that may influence livestock guarding dogs’ efficiency against wolf predation experience and ideas, filling a niche that the more scientific journals could never fill. However, funding ran out and the newsletter went into a long 31 LIVESTOCK GUARDING DOGS IN EUROPE: paying attention hibernation. Unfortunately, the conflicts between carnivores and people to the context is important when managing complex human-wolf-dog relationships have not diminished during the intervening period, and the need for this newsletter has been underlined many times to facilitate the transfer of the 36 AN INNOVATIVE APPROACH to mitigate the conflict between large carnivore ever increasing body of experience and methods that exists on conflict conservation and local communities mitigation. Luckily for us all a new project (MedWolf www.medwolf.eu), 47 USE OF DOGS in the mediation of conservation conflicts funded by the European Commission’s LIFE program has recognized the need for this newsletter and has decided to fund it for the next three MEETINGS 47 years. The new Editor-in-Chief is Silvia Ribeiro from Portugal, and she is 48 BOOKS joined by Daniel Mettler from Switzerland, and the two of us who now 49 COMING TOPICS represent the old guard. The initial goal has been kept: “to facilitate the collaboration between Chief Editor specialists and to improve the exchange of information among carni- Silvia Ribeiro Grupo Lobo, Portugal vore damage prevention projects”. Thus, we hope that the CDPNews will MedWolf Project [email protected] continue to be a forum for many agricultural advisors, scientists, conser- Associate Editors vationists, wildlife managers, and policy makers dealing with the issue of John Linnell NINA, Norway damage prevention and large carnivore management. However, we must [email protected] never forget those who experience the problems of carnivore conflict at Jean-Marc Landry IPRA, Switzerland first hand, and those who successfully practice damage prevention as part [email protected] of their daily lives. So far, the knowledge and experience of these people Daniel Mettler has not been sufficiently taken into account. There is considerable focus AGRIDEA, Switzerland [email protected] on dialogue between stakeholders and experience transfer at the mo- Design ment, with the European Commission taking an active role in bringing Armando Lopes stakeholders together in Brussels to discuss the challenges of large carni- Photo credits Joaquim Pedro Ferreira (including vore conservation. In order for the results of these discussions to make a cover and back photos) Annette Mertens difference on the ground there is a need for many different arenas where Juan Carlos Blanco Daniel Mettler different stakeholders, experts and users can “meet” to discuss issues and Jean-Marc Landry exchange experience. Therefore, we hope that CDPNews will become a E-mail: good platform for these types of exchanges between users and experts. Its [email protected] Available at: success will now depend greatly on you, the readers, and your willingness www.medwolf.eu to share not only your successes, but also your failures. Do not hesitate to CDPNews is produced within the MedWolf Project, with the contribution spread the CDPNews and to translate it to make it available for a broader of the LIFE financial instrument of the public. European Union. Jean-Marc Landry & John Linnell CDPn2 Project AMEDWOLF: NEW PROJECT TO DECREASE MAN-WOLF CONFLICTS IN MEDITERRANEAN-TYPE AREAS Valeria Salvatori* IEA - Istituto di Ecologia Applicata, Via Bartolomeo Eustachio 10, 00161 Rome, Italy MedWolf - Best practice actions for wolf conservation in Mediterranean-type areas - www.medwolf.eu A new LIFE+ project to tackle the wolf damages Spain, in the Districts of Guarda and Castelo Branco. to livestock and its related conflicts with humans has In this region livestock is still a very important been co-funded by the EC. The MedWolf project economic resource, mainly represented by sheep “Best practice actions for wolf conservation in and free-ranging cows. Although the number of Mediterranean-type areas” had its start in October wolf packs present in the project’s area is estimated 2012 and it is now in the phase of completion of to be low, the level of conflict is increasing and in the main preparatory activities to set the background order to facilitate the highly endangered portion for the implementation of the concrete conservation of the Iberian population to establish and expand - actions, mainly focused on damage prevention, but southwards and westward, establishing contact with also on improvement of wolf presence detection, and the Spanish population -, interventions to prevent the control of illegal activities, such as poisoning and the interruption of the slow, but steady, expansion of the use of snares. wolf are crucial. LIFE MedWolf is implemented in Italy and Por- In Italy the project is being implemented in the Province tugal, in two areas characterised by rural environ- of Grosseto, where very few protected areas exist and the ments and where the presence of the wolf is slowly local economy is strongly based on rural activities, mainly expanding. Such expansion process is associated to related to production of typical food items, and tourism. high levels of conflicts, mainly due to the fact that the The expansion of wolf in the area has been recorded in the local communities are not prepared to live with the last decades and attacks to free-ranging livestock are be- predator and find it difficult to change their livestock coming so frequent that they cannot be considered a risk raising practices. of the entrepreneurs activities. The local economy is based In Portugal, the areas targeted by the project are mainly on sheep farming and its associated products. Due south of the Douro river, where there is an isolated to the virtual absence of wolf, local traditions have evolved wolf nucleus consisting of less than 50 individuals. in the last 70 years into free ranging flocks poorly guard- The project’s intervention area is localized in the ed, left grazing on large pastures at night during summer eastern part of this nucleus, the bordering region with months, when it is too hot to confine them and leaving *Corresponding author: [email protected] CDPn31 CDPn42 MED-WOLF them out in the sun during the day time. Measures to be implemented in the two project areas include fences of various type and nature and livestock guarding dogs. Such interventions will be associated to a series of activities in support to the livestock producers and the local managers, will set the bases for a shared approach to damage pre- in order to set the basis for a long term process of vention and conflict reduction. A preliminary analysis active management in full consideration of the local of the current regional legislation has revealed a high realities. The overall aim is to provide guidance to the percentage of undeclared damage that is to be in- Instituto da Conservação da Natureza e das Florestas terpreted as both an indication of the discontent of (ICNF, the environmental agency responsible for the rules to be applied and a minimal estimate of the wolf management and conservation and for damage level of conflict, including the willingness of the lo- compensation) and to the livestock owners for cal livestock producers to accept rules and conditions adopting measures that will be tested during the set by the authorities and not shared preliminarily project and proven to be effective. Preliminary results with them. The current law foresees the reimburse- from a survey in the Portuguese project study area, to ment for lost heads to predator attacks only through evaluate the real impact of wolf damage and the interest an insurance system, and the Regional Government of livestock owners to collaborate in the Project, covers up to 80% of the premium. Nevertheless, only reveal a general willingness to adopt the prevention less than 10% of the livestock breeders subscribe an measures proposed, despite some conflict hotspots, insurance system, and up to 24% of them abandon implying the need for a well-founded collaboration. the scheme after a couple of years. One long term The survey also allowed to characterize the holdings objective of the project is to investigate further such and identify the main prevention problems and system and explore the possibility to lobby for the needs, in a region where livestock management and modification of the Regional Law in order to include husbandry are not adapted to the wolf presence.
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