Wolves do not enjoy a good press, it is a fact: the media spotlight is usually entrusted to sensationalist interventions that have as their protagonists who kill wolves, frightening wolves, dead wolves, wolves whose presence is disputed or acclaimed – very often based on unreliable sources. This immense bibliography of chronicles, fables and legends (not always easy to figure out where one begins and the other ends) that depict them as cruel murderers, certainly does not bode well in favour of an objective and calm attitude towards the return of wolves.
In fact, the wolf is a wild carnivore who has returned spontaneously to the Alps, after over a century of absence. On the one hand this is an added value from the ecological point of view, on the other it creates tensions that lead to conflicts which are all the more heated and tricky to manage for the emotive element on both sides, for and against wolves.
The position of the LIFE WOLFALPS project is clear, and can be articulated as follows:
1) the presence of a viable population of wolves in the Alps, due to an ongoing process of spontaneous colonization is an essential ecological value to be preserved for future generations.
2) the presence of a viable population of wolves in the Alps is compatible with all human activities in the mountains long as it is managed in a coordinated and shared manner.
therefore
3) Only a coordinated and shared approach to management between agencies, institutions and associations of stakeholders (shepherds, hunters, hikers, conservationists, local communities) across the Alps allows you to identify and implement concrete solutions that are the basis of stable coexistence between the Alpine wolf population and human activities.
The aim of the communication strategy of the project and the mission of the LIFE project WOLFALPS is to contribute to achieving this goal by disseminating information through 360 ° according to the principles of transparency and objectivity.
LIFE WOLFALPS is information 360 °
(Action A12, E1-E11)
The communication strategy LIFE WOLFALPS involves all partners and is coordinated by MUSE – Science Museum of Trento. Its definition is one of the initial, priority actions of the project, because it is designed to address all the specific actions of communication, from information given to the shepherds and hunters, educational workshops, training for teachers, and much more. (Link to communication strategy).
One of the most interesting aspects of the communication activities LIFE WOLFALPS is the fact that it can rely on materials derived from the results of concrete actions for monitoring and conservation: so it is updated, reliable, scientific data.
The common communication strategy (A12) provides:
- communication that is clear and up to date both on the project progress and of the wolf data as it is collected and processed by means of meetings and conferences and through the website, with the support of social and printed media;
- information activities and the direct involvement of stakeholders (farmers and shepherds, hunters, environmentalists, and institutions involved in wildlife management), which will supply all the elements associated with the project and updated data on the Alpine population of wolves and on best available techniques for prevention;
- information activities on the biology, wolf behaviour and the dynamics of its colonization of the Alps, varied according to the recipient;
- educational activities designed to convey a scientific and objective image of wolves to the public and to spread a culture of respect for wildlife.
- traveling exhibition dedicated to wolves for the general public, it will cover the entire Alps, hosted by the various project partners;
- LIFE WOLFALPS image, which makes the project products immediately recognizable and identifiable.
