March 4, 2026 – The 7th Conference of the Transnational Exchange Platform for the Management of Large Carnivores in the Dinaric-Balkan-Pindos Region was held in Tirana, co-hosted by the Ministry of Tourism and Environment of the Republic of Albania. The event took place February 24–27, alongside the Large Carnivore Habitat Management International Conference of the 4PETHABECO Project. During the conference, platform members continued their work on joint actions aimed at a regional action plan for large carnivore population management. The conference was supported by the European Commission (Regional Large Carnivore Platforms) and WWF Adria.
Experts from Oikon presented their work stemming from the 4PETHABECO project, as well as other research conducted at the institute. Slaven provided an overview of our large carnivore research across various projects. Gjorge presented the results of habitat suitability and connectivity models for large carnivores in the Alps, Dinarides, and Pindos, which were developed as part of the 4PETHABECO project. Bruno and Tea held a workshop on cloud-based big spatial data processing using Google Earth Engine in ecological research.
The final day included a field visit to Shebenik National Park, where we explored real cases of human–wildlife conflict, coexistence, and on-site challenges.
Photos: Oikon and PPNEA (Protection and Preservation of Natural Environment in Albania)