Coexisting with Large Carnivores – The LECA Final Conference

Hybrid
Location: Zvolen, Slovakia
Date: 16.03.2026 - 17.03.2026
By: LECA
 

COEXISTING WITH LARGE CARNIVORES

LECA Final Conference 

16 – 17 March 2026, Hotel Tenis, Zvolen, Slovakia16 – 17 March 2026, Hotel Tenis, Zvolen, Slovakia (online via ZOOM)

Registration to online participation open until 12 March 2026. Registration form.

Conference agenda

DAY 1 – March 16th

Challenges and Opportunities in Large Carnivore Protection in the Carpathians

08:00 – 09:00 Registration (60 min)

09:00 – 09:30 Conference opening (30 min)

  • Welcome speech, Filip Kuffa, State Secretary, Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic, Harald Egerer, Head of UNEP Vienna Programme Office, Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, Rok Černe, Chair of WISO Working Group & Slovenia Forest Service (15 min)

  • LECA project in a nutshell, Martin Duľa, Mendel University in Brno & LECA project coordinator (15 min)

09:30 – 09:45 Coffee break (15 min)

09:45 – 12:00 SESSION 1: LECA outcomes and sharing best practices (135 min)

09:45 – 11:00 Subsession 1.1: Key project outputs and achievements across three thematic pillars  (75 min)

  • Results from the LECA pilot and reference areas, Jakub Kubala, Technical University in Zvolen;  Tomaz-Zwijacz Kozica, Tatra National Park PL; Martin Duľa, Mendel University in Brno & LECA project consortium (45 min)

  • LECA thematic quidances, Martin Duľa, Mendel University in Brno; David Sütő,  WWF HU; Tereza Thompson, WWF SK & LECA project consortium (30 min)

11:00 – 12:00 Subsession 1.2: From theory to practice: sharing best practices across three thematic pillars (60 min)

  • Preventive measures for mitigating conflicts with the recovering wolf population in the Czech Republic, Jindřiška Jelínková, Nature Conservation Agency of the Czech Republic (20 min)

  • Combating wildlife crime in Slovakia: the Environmental Police Unit, Jana Janovcová, Ministry of Interior of the Slovak Republic (20 min)

  • Integrative long-term monitoring of wolf and lynx in the Czech-Slovak border region, Martin Duľa, Mendel University in Brno (20 min)

12:00 – 13:00 Lunch (60 min)

13:00 – 17:00 SESSION 2: Large carnivores in the Carpathians, Alps and Dinarides (225 min)

13:00 – 14:00 Subsession 2.1: Eurasian lynx (60 min)

  • Status, conservation and management of lynx in Carpathians and beyond, Urs Breitenmoser, KORA & IUCN SSC Cat SG & Jakub Kubala, Technical University in Zvolen & IUCN SSC Cat SG (40 min)

  • Panel discussion – Urs Breitenmoser; Jakub Kubala; Kristina Vogt, KORA & Linking lynx (20 min)

14:00 – 15:00 Subsession 2.2: Eurasian wolf (60 min)

  • Status, conservation and management of wolf in Carpathians and beyond, Miroslav Kutal, Mendel University in Brno & Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, Carnivore Conservation Programme & Ruben Iosif, Fundația Conservation Carpathia & Ovidius University Constanta (40 min)

  • Panel discussion, Miroslav Kutal; Ruben Iosif; Slavomír Finďo, Carpathian Wildlife Society (20 min)

15:00 – 15:15 Coffee break (15 min)

15:15 – 16:15 Subsession 2.3: Brown bear (60 min)

  • Status, conservation and management of Brown bear in Carpathians and beyond, Nuria Selva (Estación Biológica de Doñana CSIC & Polish Academy of Sciences in Poland) & Mihai Pop, Research and Development Institute for Wildlife and Mountain Resources & Association for the Conservation of Biological Diversity (40 min)

  • Panel discussion, Nuria Selva; Mihai Pop; Cristian-Remus Papp, WWF Romania & Babes-Bolyai University (20 min)

16:15 – 17:15 Subsession 2.4: Large carnivores in the Alps and Dinarides (60 min)

  • Status, conservation and management of large carnivores in Alps, Anja Molinari-Jobin, KORA & IUCN SSC Cat SG (25 min)

  • Dinaric-Balkan-Pindos Large Carnivore Initiative, Rok Černe, WISO Working Group & Slovenia Forest Service (15 min)

  • Panel discussion, Anja Molinari-Jobin; Rok Černe; Hubert Potočnik, University of Ljubljana (20 min)

17:15 – 18:15 SESSION 3: Insights from ongoing projects/initiatives and sharing the best practices 

  • ForestConnect – Strategic Action Plan with Adaptation Actions and Climate Resilience-Enhancing Forest Management Practices for Protected Areas, Elisabeth Wiegele, UNESCO Chair on Sustainable Management of Conservation Areas & Carinthia University of Applied Sciences (15 min)

  • Project LIFE Varna Paša, Rok Černe, Slovenia forest service (15 min)

  • Project LIFE WILD WOLF, Maja Sever, Slovenia forest service (15 min)

  • Tusnad: Creating bear smart communities: the example of Baile Tusnad, Romania, Cristian-Remus Papp, WWF Romania & Babes-Bolyai University, Radu Mot, Zarand/ (15 min)

18:15 – 18:45 FINAL PANEL DISCUSSION AND CONFERENCE CLOSING: Challenges in conservation and management of large carnivores in the Carpathians

  • Harald Egerer, UNEP Vienna Programme Office, Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention; Filip Kuffa, Ministry of Environment of the Slovak Republic; Martin Duľa, Mendel University in Brno; Cristian-Remus Papp, WWF Romania; Thomas Paulic, International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation; Nuria Selva, Polish Academy of Sciences

18:45 – 22:00 Dinner, movie screening and social evening

DAY 2 – March 17th

Thematic field trip to Tatra Mts. focused on Brown bear

8:00 Bus departure from Hotel Tenis, Zvolen

8:00 – 10:00 Travelling to Tatra Mts. (bus, own cars)

10:00 – 14:00 Field visit to Tichá valley (natural bear habitat, discussion with local ranger) and Liptovská Kokava (human-bear conflict sites, discussion with mayor of the village)

14:00 – 15:00 Lunch

15:00 Bus departure from Tatra Mts.

15:00 – 17:00 Travelling to Zvolen

Thematic field trip to Vtáčnik Mts. focused on Carpathian lynx

8:00 Bus departure from Hotel Tenis, Zvolen

8:00 – 10:00 Travelling to Vtáčnik Mts.(bus, own cars)

10:00 – 14:00 Field visit of lynx marking sites and capturing site for lynx translocation efforts within LIFE lynx project

14:00 – 15:00 Lunch

15:00 Bus departure from Vtáčnik Mts.

15:00 – 17:00 Travelling to Zvolen