EVMC 2025: 14th European Vertebrate Management Conference in Slovenia

From May 12 to 16, 2025, the 14th European Vertebrate Management Conference took place in Ankaran, on the coast of western Slovenia. Organized every two years, the conference is a platform for the presentation of current research results on vertebrate ecology and wildlife behaviour, intra- and interspecific interactions, hunting and population management as well as the coexistence of humans and wildlife. A wide range of species is covered, from fish, amphibians and reptiles to birds, small mammals, hares and even-toed ungulates to mesocarnivores and large carnivores. This year, special symposia were dedicated to topics such as alien vertebrates, zoonotic pathogens and parasites, rodenticide resistance and environmental monitoring as well as human-animal conflicts.

The Chair of Forest Protection was represented this year with three contributions on hunting (Prof. Dr. Michael Müller), carcass research and drone monitoring (both by Claudia Jordan-Fragstein) and took home a variety of connections to the international state of research as well as methodological suggestions for the future.

In addition to scientific lecture series and symposia, various techniques were demonstrated in practice and, quite surprisingly, people were even invited to take part in a hunt. The ecomuseum of the Pivka periodic lakes presented the history of water in the karst world of the upper Pivka basin, where beautiful plenter forests can be found. A highlight was the evening wildlife observation of brown bears in their natural habitat.