Workshop "Large Carnivores in a Changing Climate”

WWF Bulgaria is pleased to invite you to “Large Carnivores in a Changing Climate” - a workshop on management and monitoring of large carnivores’ habitats and populations, that will be held on 23.-24.07.2025 in Sofia, Bulgaria.
The workshop is part of the ForestConnect project - a multinational initiative involving 13 partners and 10 associated partner organisations from 7 countries aiming to preserve the functionality of ecological corridors for large carnivores in Central and Eastern Europe in the context of climate change.
The workshop will gather forest managers, conservation experts and practitioners from institutions, research centres and NGOs in order to enhance the understanding of the impact of climate change on large carnivores’ habitats and populations, to review the existing adaptive and mitigation measures in forestry and conservation on national, regional and European level and to suggest specific actions for the Balkan-Carpathian-Dinaric Protected Areas.

Dates: 23-24 July 2025
Location: Sofia, Bulgaria (venue in the city center) or online (access link will be sent to the registered participants prior to the event)
Language: English
Fees: There is no participation fee. The organizers do not cover the cost of meals and transport beyond what is indicated in the program, as well as for the accommodation. The participants are responsible for covering their expenses.
Note: The number of participants is limited to 60 and will be determined by the order of registration
Registration: Please confirm your attendance by 10.06.2025 by completing the registration form

PROGRAMME

23.07.2025

14:00 - 14:15

Opening

Introduction to ForestConnect project

Presenting the aims of the workshop

Module I: Climate change, large carnivores and their habitats

14:15 - 14:45

Climate change and its effects on the forests in Southwestern Bulgaria - Presentation from Bulgaria by Momchil Panayatov, PhD, University of Forestry

14:45 - 15:15

Understanding the effects of climate change on large carnivores’ habitats and populations and the human-wildlife conflict – summary presentation, based on Penteriani et al. (2018), Rondinini & Visconti (2015), Martinez Cano et al. (2016), etc. by Maria Kachamakova, PhD, WWF Bulgaria

Module II: Existing adaptive responses and measures

15:30 – 15:45

Do existing actions and management plans for large carnivores in the Danube-Balkan-Dinaric region contain adaptation measures in the context of climate change? - Summary comparison by Alex Dutsov, WWF Bulgaria

15:45 - 16:15

Coffee break

16:15 - 16:45

ForestConnect’s adaptation measures - Presentation of proposed and implemented measures, Dara Ivanova, WWF Bulgaria

17:00 - 18:30

Sofia walk

19:00

Dinner

24.07.2025

Module III Workshop

09:00 - 10:30

Reviewing and discussing existing and planned measures for habitat adaptation in strategic documents, ongoing and past projects

Group work I

10:30 - 11:00

Coffee break

11:00 – 12:30

Transforming general recommendations into specific actions

Group work II

12:30-13:30

Lunch

13:30 – 14:30

Designing actionable steps

Group work III

14:30 – 15:30

Presentations of results

15:30 – 16:00

Coffee break

Module IV: Population-based monitoring

16:00 - 16:30

Efficient monitoring of large carnivores - monitoring schemes and innovative approaches

16:30 - 17:00

Population status of large carnivores and their monitoring in the Carpathian Biosphere Reserve (Ukraine), case study including transboundary monitoring systems that track carnivores - Summary comparison by Taras Yamelynets, NGO RET, Ukraine

17:00 - 17:30

Discussion: Does climate change require new tools and monitoring methods?

17:30-18:00

Wrap-Up and Closure

19:00

Dinner