Institute for Regional Development - Human - Environmental Interactions - News & Events - LIFEstockProtect Conference 2024
LIFEstockProtect Conference 2024
Giorni della Protezione delle Greggi di Salern 2024
- Date: 24-25.10.2024
- Place: Scuola professionale per l’agricoltura ed economia domestica Salern, Via Salern 26, 39040 Varna, IT
- Info:
Registration closed.
German-Italian-English simultaneous translation will be available for lectures and workshops in the hall on October 24th and 25th.

The Salern Herd Protection Days focus on shepherds and their work with various livestock. Topics such as job requirements, animal health, and the implementation of herd protection measures will be discussed. A key focus will be on livestock guardian dogs, including their breeding, requirements for keeping these dogs and working methods in the field. The program is rounded off with reports on guided grazing, contract nature conservation, and a panel discussion on the future of livestock farming.
The conference offers lectures, information booths, and practical demonstrations in the field for all those interested in shepherding, herd protection dogs, and contract nature conservation.
Experience exchange and participant reports are important, allowing attendees to network and share knowledge. All speakers are practitioners who run their own operations or keep animals themselves.
All participants are cordially invited to the opening of the exhibition "Gras und Zähne - al pascolo - may safely graze" LIFEstockProtect Exhibition at the South Tyrol Museum of Natural Science. This will take place on the evening of October 25th in Bolzano. A free shuttle service will be available to all participants from Salern to Bolzano.
Please find the overview of the program here. It is a draft version that might be updated.
Program details: Thursday, 24.10.24
This is a first version of the program that might be subject to changes.
Registration
Opening - Presentation of the LIFEstockProtect project
Martin Unterer - Principal Fachschule für Land- und Hauswirtschaft
Salern Walter Klingenbrunner - Chairman BIOAUSTRIA
Julia Stauder - Eurac Research
How can livestock protection work? Good Practice examples from Austria, Bavaria and South Tyrol
Tobias Windmaißer - livestock owner, Bavaria, Germany
Daniel Paratscha & Sandra Hofer - wandering shepherds, Trentino-Alto Adige
Michael Knollseisen - livestock owner, Austria
coffee break
Workshop ‘Contractual Nature Conservation’ - Biodiversity through professional grazing
Stefan Knöpfer – chairman of the association Hirtenkultur
Christiane Geiger – Shepherdess, Bavaria
Michael Kretzschmar – Ministry of Environment Baden-Württemberg
lunch break
We need a new job profile. Modern shepherds tell their story
Erich Höchenberger - AG Weidekultur
Matthias Prieth – Shepherd, Trentino-Alto Adige
Maria Naynar – Shepherdess, Austria
Animal health on alpine summer pastures – the concept of the Tyrolean pilot areas
Christian Mader – Tiroler Tiergesundheitsdienst
coffee break
The concept of the Villnösser Brillenschafe
Günther Pernthaler – Representative of the Villnösser Brillenschaf breeder, South Tyrol
Herd protection through changing times – fences, livestock guardian dogs and andscape preservation
Ortrun Humpert – Board member ‘Vereinigung Deutscher Landesschafzuchtverbände’ and professional shepherdess
Program details: Friday, 25.10.24
This is a first version of the program that might be subject to changes.
Registration
Livestock guardian dogs – Where do we stand today
Jan Boner – Livestock protection consultant, Plantahof Graubünden
Livestock guardian dogs and tourism. Experiences and perspectives.
Jan Boner – Livestock protection consultant, Plantahof Graubünden
coffee break outside next to practical session
Meeting point. Fair
Demonstrations and discussions in the field:
Livestock guardian dogs, herding dogs, fence building course, RAPPA fencing system, exhibition of fencing material, wokrshop ‘Feral wool’ UniBZ
lunch break
Practical experiences with livestock guardian dogs
Astrid Summerer – Shepherdess, Trentino-Alto Adige
Christiane Geiger – Shepherdess, Bavaria
GIS-based planning for livestock protection measures – can it work?
Felix Knauer & Isabella Faffelberger – University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna
coffee break
Panel discussion: Future pasture grazing – between economic profitability and ecology
Ortrun Humpert – Board member "Vereinigung Deutscher
Landesschafzuchtverbände" and professional shepherdess
Kaspar Schuler – Director CIPRA International
Siegfried Rinner – Director Südtiroler Bauernbund
Jan Boner – Livestock protection consultant, Plantahof Graubünden
Gregory Egger – Professor of landscape ecology (KIT*) and consultant for natural area planning
closing & aperitif
Bus departure to Bolzano
Opening of the LIFEstockProtect exhibition "Gras und Zähne - al pascolo - may safely graze".
Shuttle Service Information
The shuttle service is reserved for participants who have made a reservation when registering.
Thursday, 24.10.2024 08:15 Train station Brixen, main entrance - Fachschule Salern 17:40 Fachschule Salern - Train station Brixen, main entrance
Friday, 25.10.2024 07:45 Train station Brixen, main entrance - Fachschule Salern 18:00 Fachschule Salern - Train station Brixen
Friday, 25.10.2024 for the exhibition opening at the Natural Sciences Museum 18:00 Fachschule Salern - Natural Sciences Museum, Bozen 21:30 Natural Sciences Museum, Bozen – Train station Brixen – Fachschule Salern
- The meeting will take place immediately after the presentations in Salern on October 24th, from 5:00 PM to 6:30 PM.
- Maximum 25 people, registration on-site. Further details will be provided at the opening of the conference.
- Translation will be ensured by CIPRA staff
- Closed group, participants are directly invited by the organizing team.
Side events
Strengthening shepherds’ networks in the Alps : join us at CIPRA’s side-event!
Date: 24.10.24 | Time: 17.00-18.30
CIPRA will be organising a side-event during the LIFEStock Protect conference, specially designed for Alpine shepherds and shepherdesses.
The side-event will be an opportunity to come together and discuss different Alpine ways of dealing with grass and water supplies in times of draught, and how different pastoral systems across the Alps are adapting to climate change.
The focus will be put on the shepherds and shepherdesses’ experiences, and on sharing lessons learned and useful information.
This side-event is supported by the German Federal Ministry for the Environment, Nature Conservation, Nuclear Safety and Consumer Protection (BMUV), the Payne-Smith Foundation, unaterra and the Temperatio Foundation.
Gras und Zähne – al pascolo – may safely graze: exhibition opening
25.10.2024 | 7 pm Museum of Natural History South Tyrol at Bolzano
Following the conference, everyone is cordially invited to attend the opening of the “Gras und Zähne – al pascolo – may safely graze” exhibition at the Museum of Natural History South Tyrol at Bolzano. The exhibition was realized as part of the LIFEstockProtect project. A free bus transfer from Salern to Bozen and back will be provided for all those interested - please indicate this when registering for the conference.
Description of the exhibition:
Scenes of a peaceful life of shepherds and grazing animals, of hard work in all weathers and in uncomfortable areas: the cultural history of pastoralism moves between these two poles. When humans started to settle in the Alps carrying domestic animals with them, the post-glacial landscapes began to change. The exhibition shows steps of grassland based existence until today´s debate on grazing animals and their predators. Sculptures, models, games, interviews and videos about the work of shepherds with their dogs provide insights about the cultural practice of pastoralism and the importance of shepherds, who not only protect the flock from wolves. In fact, the pastoralism can have an important role on the environment, the biodiversity, the health and well-being of animals, the Climate and the human feeding.
Regional Workshop - "Return of the Wolf to South Tyrol - Solutions for the Future"
Date: 24.10 | Time: 09.00 - 13.00
Eurac Research is organizing a regional workshop on the topic "Return of the Wolf to South Tyrol - Solutions for the Future" as part of the Salern Herd Protection Days at the Agricultural School Salern. The aim of the half-day workshop is to discuss the possibilities and perspectives of a regional stakeholder process in South Tyrol with representatives and decision-makers at both local and EU levels. The workshop is supported by the EU Platform on Coexistence between People and Large Carnivores, and its members have already been invited to participate in the event on-site. The event is organized by Eurac Research in collaboration with adelphi consult GmbH, which has successfully guided similar stakeholder processes in other EU countries on behalf of the European Commission.
Support is provided by The European Commission as part of Service Contract N° 09.0201/2023/907799/SER/ENV.D.3. The Content does not necessarily reflect the official view of the European Commission. Find more information here.
A Look to 2035. A workshop to imagine together the wool futures and ecologies in South Tyrol and beyond.
Date: 25.10 | Time: 10.00 - 12.00
Brief description of the workshop: As part of the research project Feral Wool, the workshop "A Look to 2035” invites a diverse group of stakeholders—politicians, shepherds, farmers, and scientists—to imagine and co-create wool futures and ecologies of South Tyrol and beyond. Through this co-creative process, the workshop seeks to generate new visions and narrations that would help create new connections and alternative practices for a more resilient and sustainable wool futures.
The workshop “A Look to 2035” is part of the research project Feral Wool, within the framework of activities of Spoke 1 of the PNRR-iNEST project at the Competence Center for Mountain Innovation Ecosystems, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano, which explores local wool, wool crafts, and its ecosystem in South Tyrol to regenerate and design alternative future narratives for a more care-oriented and multispecies future(s).
Research Team: Seçil Uğur Yavuz, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Merve Bektaş, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano Camilo Ayala Garcia, Free University of Bozen-Bolzano
Contact: merve.bektas@unibz.it
Workshop language: English/Italian
Videos
During the conference several speakers presented different aspects regarding the topic of livestock protection. Please find them here:
24-10-24: Das Gesamtkonzept der Villnösser Brillenschafe, Pernthaler Günther
24-10-24_Tiergesundheit auf der Alm – Das Konzept der Tiroler Projektalmen_Mader Christian
24-10-24_Wie kanns funktionieren. Good Practice Beispiele aus Österreich Bayern & Südtirol
24-10-24_Herdenschutz im Wandel der Zeit - Zäune, Herdenschutzhunde und Landschaftspflege_Humpert Ortrun
24-10_Ein neues Berufsbild muss her. Hirtinnen von heute erzählen_Höchenberger Erich, Maria Naynar, Matthias Prieth
24-10_Zukunftswerkstatt Vertragsnaturschutz - Biodiversität durch professionelle Beweidung_Knöpfer, Kretschmar, Geiger
25-10-24_GIS-basierte Planung von Herdenschutzmaßnahmen - kann das funktionieren? Knauer Felix, Faffelberger Isabella
25-10-24_Erfahrungsberichte Herdenschutzhunde aus der Praxis_Geiger, Summerer
25-10-24_Herdenschutzhunde und Tourismus. Erfahrungen und Perspektiven_Kaufmann Stephan
25-10-24_Podiumsdiskussion: Zukunft Weidehaltung zwischen Wirtschaftlichkeit und Ökologie_Rinner, Humpert, Egger, Boner, Schuler
25-10-24_Herdenschutzhunde – Wo stehen wir heute_Boner Jan