Many organisations dedicated to nature and wildlife conservation continually seek the most effective ways to achieve their goals. Involving the public has proven to be one of the most efficient methods for monitoring the presence of plants and animals. The concept of citizen science, where the general public participates in scientific projects, has gained popularity and, with advances in technology, has become more accessible. It offers numerous advantages! Public involvement raises awareness, educates, creates networks of people interested in the natural world, and facilitates data collection without requiring additional funding, while supporting effective wildlife monitoring.
Our project partner, Friends of the Earth, has extensive experience in involving volunteers in large carnivore monitoring in the Czech Republic. As they state, “Volunteers are important, and involving the public in large carnivore protection is the best way to teach them about the species’ lives and the signs of their presence.”
For over ten years, they have continuously refined public involvement, which has evolved into the Carnivore Tracking Project. The main goal is to educate volunteers to monitor large carnivores, teach them how to track these animals, identify signs of their presence, and instruct them on how to act if they encounter suspicious signs that may suggest poaching or other illegal activities. This process begins with theoretical lectures and practical field training, after which volunteers are ready to patrol.
Reflecting on their experience, our partner has found that in the Beskydy-Kysuce pilot area, volunteers have contributed an impressive 71 percent of the usable data on large carnivore presence, which has been processed and analysed in collaboration with Mendel University and other research institutions. Remarkable! Volunteers have also helped record several instances of poaching and other illegal activities, which the police are now investigating. Our colleagues then reciprocate by showing the public the results of their involvement through publications, visual materials, seminars, and public events.
Our colleagues in Slovenia also find working with volunteers to be highly beneficial. As part of the LECA project, they captured two wolves for telemetry monitoring. To achieve this, they are working closely with local hunters who manage the hunting grounds in the area where the wolves are being tracked. According to the Slovenia Forest Service, they have a long history of collaborating with hunters, from individual hunters and hunting clubs to the Hunting Association of Slovenia and the European Federation for Hunting and Conservation.
As part of the project, hunters assist by reporting signs of wolf presence, such as sightings, tracks, prey, or scat, and also take part in the live wolf capture process. The most common role for volunteer hunters is collecting non-invasive samples for the national genetic monitoring of wolves and bears.
In addition to the LECA project, they have also collaborated on monitoring lynx using automatic cameras, caring for translocated lynxes during their settling-in period, and training to prevent illegal hunting, which has involved cooperation between hunters and the police force. Our close cooperation with hunters, foresters, and the public has been essential to our work with large carnivores. We believe the activities associated with the LECA project are crucial for maintaining communication with our key stakeholders and ensuring the peaceful coexistence of people and large carnivores.
If you want to know more about the Carnivore Tracking Project: a way to coexist with LC via volunteer involvement, check it out!
Do you want to be involved in carnivore monitoring? It is so exciting and also so easy! We have created the CarniTrack app for you to download to help us monitor wolves, lynxes, and bears in areas where you live. You can check it out in the Outputs section of the LECA website or download it directly in Google Play.