10 Jun 2025 Hunters and Herders: Creating new visions for the future of pastoralism and wildlife in Europe
Europe’s hunters are often the first to witness both the beauty and the challenges of living alongside wildlife. Now, through the EU-funded CoCo project (Co-creating Coexistence), hunters will help shape a new vision for how people, livestock, and wildlife can share landscapes in ways that support biodiversity and rural livelihoods.
Driven by the need to shift from top-down policies to a more participatory approach to conservation, this project will bring together different kinds of knowledge—from science, traditional practices, and personal experiences – to reduce wildlife-related issues and help people and wildlife thrive side by side.
Running from November 2024 to December 2027, CoCo is a collaborative initiative involving partners from 12 European countries. The project is coordinated by the Inland Norway University and supported by leading institutions including Adelphi Research, different universities , and a diverse network of stakeholders.
A key partner in this initiative will be FACE, representing Europe’s hunting community. FACE brings invaluable expertise and grassroots perspectives to the project, ensuring that hunters—who play a crucial role in wildlife management—are actively involved in shaping future coexistence strategies.
“Hunters are often on the frontlines of human-wildlife interactions,” said Sabrina Dietz, Wildlife Policy Officer at FACE. “Through CoCo, we aim to contribute practical knowledge and foster dialogue that supports both biodiversity and rural livelihoods.”
The CoCo project will conduct structured policy analyses, stakeholder workshops, and field research to map the fragmented policy landscape surrounding pastoralism and wildlife. By doing so, the project will consolidate an understanding the problem from the point of view of many of unheard voices, and then spend most of its efforts in trying to find pathways that try to minimize conflicts. Finally, the project will deliver actionable recommendations to EU and national policymakers.
For more information, visit the project website: https://cocoproject.eu