Abstract
The LIFE WolfAlps EU project aims at guaranteeing the long-term conservation of the Alpine wolf population and at improving the wolf-human coexistence through a participatory approach. Concrete management actions must bear an impact on the ecosystem, both in ecological, social, and economic terms. Therefore, the project activated some activities specifically aimed at evaluating the usefulness and the success of the implemented conservation actions, to assess the impact of the project on the ecosystem and on the welfare of the local populations.
During the first year of the project a dedicated monitoring strategy was defined by the partnership. To be effective, this study was structured from the first year and gather data for the whole duration of the project. It had a strong coordination from a scientific point of view, ensuring that each partner reports periodically on the output and impact of their project activities. At the beginning, a set of socio-economic indicators was defined and agreed among the project team for each of the project actions. At the same time, also ecosystem functions indicators were developed, consulting the MAES guidelines (Mapping and Assessing Ecosystems and their Services). The quantitative assessment of the economic impact is complemented by an assessment of the social impact of the project. Authors aim at presenting and discussing the first results of the assessment of socio-economic impact of the LIFE Wolf Alps EU project; the acceptance and understanding of large carnivore projects by the public as well as key stakeholders, even in the Carpathians, depends on being able to demonstrate their added value with data and facts.