Wolf conservation in the Alps Formafantasma, Oltre Terra NAM Nasjonalmuseet, Oslo NO In the past, a continuous persecution led to the extinction of the wolf in the Italian Alps at the beginning of the 20th century, but today the situation is very different. The alpine wolf population is naturally expanding over the Alps since the nineties, and today it reached every alpine country and some lowland areas. In Europe, wolves have never been reintroduced to an area. The expansion of the wolf in Italy and in the Alps, as well as in other European regions, in the last forty years is the result only and exclusively of the natural dynamics of the species. The return of the wolf in many areas was encouraged in three principal ways: 1) by granting it legal protection at national and international level (at one time the wolf was considered a harmful animal and, as such, its elimination was promoted); 2) by abandoning en masse the countryside and mountains in some regions of the Alps, which have become depopulated and covered with woods; and 3) by favouring the restoration of ecological conditions suitable for the presence of a large predator by e.g. introducing wild ungulates (wild boar, roe deer, fallow deer, red deer) in Italy or increasing their density in other countries such as Austria. Wolf depredation on livestock is a recurrent issue where effective prevention systems are still lacking and ancient prejudices persist, generating social conflict. Guarantee the long-term conservation of the Alpine wolf population by improving wolf-human coexistence through a participatory approach is the challenge and main goal of projects such as Life WolfAlps EU: www.lifewolfalps.eu Sources: 1 - www.lifewolfalps.eu 2 - The return of the wolf to the Alps: coexistence in pastoral landscapes by Elisabeth Tauber, The Architectural Review ( https://www.architectural-review.com/essays/the-return-of-the-wolf-to-the-alps-co-existence-in-pastoral-landscapes ) Images: 1 - Trap cam used to monitor wildlife, Oregon Department of Fish and Wildlife #formafantasma #oltreterra #NAMoslo #nasjonalmuseet #design #research #Senales #Ötzal #transhumance @nasjonalmuseet @life_wolfalps_eu