International Large Carnivores Habitat Management Conference: 4PETHABECO Project scientific conference book of abstracts : Tirana, Albania, 25-26 February, 2026

The International Large Carnivores Habitat Management Conference, held from 25–26 February 2026 in Tirana, Albania, brought together researchers, practitioners, policy-makers, and civil-society actors working on one of Europe’s most pressing conservation challenges: ensuring the long-term survival of large carnivores and their coexistence with humans in increasingly human-dominated landscapes.

Bears, wolves, and lynx are ecologically valuable species whose presence reflects the integrity, connectivity, and resilience of ecosystems. At the same time, their wide-ranging behaviour, predatory nature, and impacts to human activities place them at the centre of complex social, economic, and political debates. Across Europe, their recovery in some areas contrasts sharply with decline or stagnation in others, highlighting the need for context-specific, evidence-based, and socially informed management approaches.

The conference was designed as a platform for dialogue across disciplines and regions, recognising that effective large carnivore habitat management cannot rely on ecological knowledge alone. Instead, it requires the integration of spatial planning, connectivity science, governance frameworks, cultural perspectives, and participatory approaches that meaningfully engage local communities and stakeholders. The programme reflects this ambition by combining ecological research, applied case studies, methodological advances, and social-science perspectives on coexistence.

The conference is part of a project entitled »Strengthening cooperation to address socio-environmental challenges of EUSAIR flagship PET HAB ECO«.

4PETHABECO project is supported by the Interreg IPA ADRION programme under the Interreg Funds (European Regional Development Fund and IPA).

The content of the document is the sole responsibility of the Project Partnership and can under no circumstances be regarded as reflecting the position of the European Union and/or IPA ADRION programme authorities.