LECA Project
A CIC Flagship Initiative
The Carpathian Mountains, with their expansive wilderness and diverse landscapes, are home to some of Europe’s most iconic large carnivores: lynx, wolves, and bears. However, the pressures of human expansion and habitat fragmentation are driving these predators into closer proximity with local communities, leading to rising conflicts and the need for carefully managed solutions.
The LECA Project (Supporting the Coexistence and Conservation of Carpathian Large Carnivores), funded by Interreg, seeks to address these challenges through consistent, cross-border monitoring, conflict prevention, and enhanced law enforcement against illegal poaching. The project focuses on harmonising data collection efforts and methodologies across countries, including Slovakia, Poland, Hungary, Ukraine, and the Czech Republic, ensuring a sustainable balance between healthy ecosystems and the needs of local communities.
The project uses concrete tools like camera trapping, telemetry, and cross-border data collection to monitor large carnivores. By working closely with local stake- holders, including biologists, foresters, and hunting associations, data on the movements and behaviours of lynx, wolves, and bears is consistently gathered and analysed. This data forms the backbone of efforts to prevent human-carnivore conflicts and guide conser- vation strategies in real time.
Activities are concentrated in key regions, including the Tatras (Slovakia/Poland), East Carpathians (Slovakia/ Poland/Ukraine), Slovak Karst and North Hungarian Mountains (Slovakia/Hungary), and Beskydy-Kysuce (Czech Republic/Slovakia). These transboundary areas are essential for ensuring connectivity between populations and creating unified strategies for monitoring and conflict prevention.
As an associate partner, the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) plays a pivotal role in representing the voices of hunters and local stake- holders. The CIC’s contributions focus on promoting a scientific approach that fosters coexistence between humans and wildlife while respecting traditional liveli- hoods and sustainable use practices. The CIC’s extensive network ensures that the project’s outcomes remain scien- tifically robust and aligned with local conservation efforts, including sustainable hunting practices.
The ultimate goal of the LECA Project is to build a future where large carnivores and human communities coexist in harmony. The CIC’s involvement ensures that conservation strategies are informed by both science and the needs of local commu- nities, helping to achieve a balanced approach to wildlife management.
Related Publications
Large Carnivore Monitoring (2021)
Large Carnivore Monitoring in the Carpathian Mountains examines monitoring methodologies for large carnivores (brown bear, wolf, and lynx) across the Carpathian Mountains region.
The publication, a joint effort by the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) and the Secretariat of the Carpathian Convention, comprises of national reports from seven countries, comparing different monitoring approaches to promote transboundary monitoring schemes