METAPOPULATION APPROACH FOR LARGE MAMMALS IN EUROPE – CASE STUDY ALPS

Nature protection legislation is based mainly on species protection and on protected areas. Neither approach is practical for the conservation and management of species which require vast areas to form viable populations and that have different conservation status among the regions. This is typically true for large carnivore species like the brown bear, wolf and lynx, but also for other large mammal species like ungulates whose populations extend far beyond protected areas and whose presence however causes conflicts with human land uses. For all these species a differentiated concept that sets the focus on the (meta) population would make more sense, both in regard to the biological/ecological needs of the species as well as for differentiated management aspects. However, such an approach requires a comprehensive proceeding which takes into account the different management and conservation concepts with their varying often contradicting priorities. A broad partnership between state institutions, experts and interest groups, a strong conceptual framework and – as a practical tool – a network of information is needed to achieve this.