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| Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe |
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LCIE time line:
1995 WWF International initiated the Programme for large carnivores in Europe (Original press release February 1996 0.1MB), inviting experts and organizations from 17 European countries .
1996 The LCIE identified 'ecoregions' as future management units for large carnivores in Europe.
1997 Workshop on Large Carnivores in the Balkans and Dinarids (1.2MB) hosted in Vienna, Austria.
1998 Workshop on large carnivore conservation held in Poina Brasov, Romania. Writing of action plans for 5 carnivore species begins. The beginning of the LCIEs ongoing Human Dimensions research, meant to develop and implement new ideas and methods to ensure the coexistence of carnivores and people. With LCIE encouragement Balkan NGOs established the Balkan Large Carnivore Conservation Network (BalkanNet) a program centered around conservation cooperation in the Balkans. This group remained active until 2002. The LCIE established close collaboration with the then newborn Large Herbivore Initiative (currently the Large Herbivore Foundation). Due to this collaboration, some of of the LCIE human dimension research has covered not only carnivore, but also herbivore management issues. The LCIE funded a GIS study on conservation areas for large carnivores in the Alps (0.2MB) and the report was published by the Council of Europe. LCIE experts drafted and published Guidelines for developing large carnivore management plans. The LCIE together with experts from the Institute of Applied Ecology (Italy) prepared a publication entitled The Impact of Livestock Support on Carnivore Conservation (2.1MB). The original LCIE website was launched.
1999 Workshop on large carnivore conservation held in Cuneo, Italy. The LCIE and the Council of Europe funded a GIS study on conservation areas for large carnivores in the Carpathians. LCIE experts drafted and published The Integrated Approach in Wildlife Conservation Field projects (1.0MB). WWF-UK ran a year long Campaign for Europes Carnivores (0.7MB) which was mainly focused on LCIE activities.
2000 Action plans for bears (0.5MB), wolves (0.8MB), Eurasian lynx (0.6MB), Iberian lynx (0.4MB) and wolverine (0.6MB) presented to, and approved by, the Bern Convention Standing Committee. The Bern Convention Standing committee creates an Group of experts on Large Carnivores (1.0MB) consisting mainly of LCIE Core Group members and holds a Meeting in Oslo, Norway. Experts from Baltic States launched the Baltic Carnivore Initiative an independent group within the LCIE. Research projects on carnivore ecology and behaviour, and human dimensions aspects in carnivore population management were established in the region, which lead to the creation of action and management plans for bears, wolves and lynx in Latvia and Estonia. The LCIE publishes the first issue of Carnivore Damage Prevention Newsletter a free newsletter distributed in print and on the internet. Reports are published on the human dimensions of large carnivore conservation in southeastern France and Croatia. Carnivores and tourism: the challenge ahead (2.2MB) published in cooperation with WWF-UK. LCIE provide assistance in initiating a human-dimensions based process with stakeholder involvement that provides concrete input into a new Norwegian management plan (finalised in 2003) for large carnivores. LCIE members hold presentations on large carnivore conservation in Europe at the World EXPO 2000 in Hanover, 14th September, 2000.
2001 LCIE sign Memorandum of Understanding (0.1MB) with the Bern Convention secretariat. Workshop on large carnivore conservation held in Rytro, Poland.
2002 The LCIE prepared a document entitled LCIE Core Group position statement on the use of hunting, and lethal control, as means of managing large carnivore populations (0.1MB), and presented this to the Bern Convention. The LCIE, in cooperation with the Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, present a report The fear of wolves (1.3MB) summarizing the known cases of wolf attacks on humans from Europe during the last 300 years. The LCIE, together with the IUCNs Cat Specialist Group were requested by the Bern Convention to form a committee (International Committee to Follow-up Conservation Actions on the Iberian lynx) to help facilitate convention recommendations concerning Iberian lynx conservation. Report on the GIS analysis of "Conservation Areas for Large Carnivores in the Carpathians" (1.5MB) is published
2003 The LCIE co-hosted the Carpathian Workshop on Large Carnivore Conservation (0.4MB) in Poiana Brasov, Romania.. The LCIE participated in two visits to Spain as part of the International Committee to Follow-up Conservation Actions on the Iberian lynx in March (1.1MB) and October (1.4MB).
2004 LCIE updated and translated into English a Swedish manual for teachers entitled Living with Large Carnivores Manual for teachers (0.5MB) produced by WWF Sweden. LCIE prepared a position statement (0.1MB) on the Swiss proposal to delist the wolf from Appendix II to Appendix III of the Bern Convention, and presented it to the Bern Convention Standing Committee. LCIE hosted a workshop on "Large Carnivore Conservation in Germany" in the Bavarian Forest National Park, Germany. LCIE sign official cooperation agreement with the SCALP Network (Status and Conservation of Alpine Lynx Populations). The LCIE prepare a report on Status and trends for large carnivores in Europe (0.5MB) for the United Nations Environment Programs World Conservation Monitoring Centre. The LCIE participated in one visit to Spain as part of the International Committee to Follow-up Conservation Actions on the Iberian lynx in October (0.2MB).
2005 Croatia publishes management plans for wolves, bears and lynx. The process behind these plans was based on a human-dimensions approached facilitated by Prof. Alistair Bath and the LCIE, and the LCIE help secure funding to initiate the process. Core member Prof. Alistair Bath drafted a manual for the LCIE and the Large Herbivore Foundation (LHF) intitled Human dimensions: a strategic tool for nature conservation: using examples from large carnivores and large herbivores LCIE co-hosts a Council of Europe sponsored seminar on "Transboundary management of large larnivore Populations" (0.6MB) together with the Slovenian Ministry of Environment and Spatial Planning and the Austrian LIFE bear project, in Osilnica, Slovenia in April. The Council of Europe print a popular report on Conservation of large carnivores in Europe (4.2MB) written by the LCIE in their Questions and Answers series. LCIE officially becomes a working group within the IUCNs Species Survival Commission.
2006 The LCIE comment on the proposed wolf management plans for Castilla y Leon in Spain and Finland. The LCIE begin working on an 18 month contract for the European Commission to develop "Guidelines for population level management plans for large carnivores New website launched. LCIE host a one day sympoisum on "Conserving large carnivore in European landscapes: the challenge and opportunity of coexistence" (0.1MB) within the first European Congress of Conservation Biology held in Eger, Hungary in August 2006.
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