Dialogues on wolves – strengthening shepherds’ networks in the Alps

Grazing in the Alps is essential for the preservation of their unique cultivated landscape and biodiversity. The return of wolves is only one of many challenges facing shepherds: others include herd protection measures, the promotion of biodiversity, and educational work to avoid conflicts with other users of the Alpine regions. Meeting these challenges will require a transfer of knowledge between shepherds from the different Alpine countries. CIPRA is promoting this knowledge exchange with its project “Dialogues on wolves – strengthening shepherding networks in the Alps”. Among other things, the project team is testing a further training module for shepherds and, in collaboration with experts, is compiling a short dictionary for shepherds with relevant terms relating to shepherding in the four Alpine languages of German, French, Italian and Slovenian. The kick-off event for the project will take place on 21 and 22 April 2023 in Illnau/CH and Schaan/LI.

The project is funded by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the Payne-Smith Foundation, unaterra and the Temperatio Foundation.

Project goals:

• Strengthening the profession of shepherding in the Alpine regions

Creation of a decision-making basis and testing of a prototype organisation with the aim of establishing a cross-border organisation for shepherds in the Alpine regions.

• Promotion of transnational knowledge transfers between shepherds

Alpine-wide networking of shepherds’ organisations so as to create structures and communication channels for transnational knowledge exchanges.

• Support for coadaptation between humans and wolves

Improving conflict management skills of the stakeholders concerned around the issue of wolves, herd protection and humans.

• Preserving and promoting biodiversity in the Alps

Teaching of appropriate herding techniques by qualified shepherds.

Activities:

• Creation of an Alpine-wide overview of shepherds’ organisations on the Alpine Convention map (October 2022 to April 2023).
• Kick-off event (21-22 April 2023)
• Identification of 4-8 partners to work together on an Alpine-wide shepherding network (spring 2023).
• Creation of a handbook for shepherds in the four Alpine languages: German, French, Italian, Slovenian (spring 2023 – autumn 2024)
• Development and running of a training course for shepherds (25 participants in total) on the topic of herd protection and conflicts of use on pastures / in the Alps (spring 2023 – autumn 2024)
• Final event and evaluation workshop (autumn 2024)

Duration: October 2022 to October 2024

Actors and target groups involved:

• Herders (with focus on small livestock herders)
• Shepherds’ organisations in the Alpine regions
• Agricultural colleges (with focus on training centres for shepherds).
• Actors from agricultural authorities
• Consultative agricultural and Alpine farming institutions

Project languages: English, German, French

Contact for shepherds’ network: shepherds.network@cipra.org