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Year and place of birth:

1982; Maribor, Slovenia

Education:

Undergraduate study:

biology, Dept. for Biology, Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia (2001-2006)

Graduation thesis:

“Predation and feeding habits of Eurasian Lynx (Lynx lynx) in Slovenian Dinaric Mountains” (2006; University of Ljubljana)

Doctorate thesis:

"Predation-related interspecific interactions of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) in northern Dinaric Mountains" (2012; University of Ljubljana)

Current position:

University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Dept. for forestry and renewable forest resources (employed as an assistant professor and leader of the Research group for wildlife ecology and management)

Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany (visiting scientist)

IUCN Species Survival Commission (member since 2019): Cat Specialist Group, Canid Specialist Group and Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe

Teaching experiences:

I’m giving course “Conservation management of endangered wildlife” at University of Ljubljana.

I'm also teaching as a guest lecturer at Oxford University (U.K.), University of Porto (Portugal) and University of Primorska (Slovenia).

Work experiences and current projects:

At the moment I'm leading the Basic Research Project "InterMuc: Insight into inter- and intra-specific interactions among wild felid species in Europe and Africa" financed by the Slovenian Research Agency (grant no. N1-0163). I'm also working on several other research projects, including LIFE Lynx Project, GAIA-Initiative Lion Project, Cheetah Research Project, Mongolia Snow Leopard Project, LIFE WolfAlps EU Project, and GCRESPONSE project. I'm also affiliated as visiting scientist with the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (Germany), and as external collaborator with the CIBIO/InBio (Portugal) at Research Center in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources, Conservation Genetics and Wildlife Management Research Group.

I started working in wildlife ecology as an undergraduate student involved in projects on large carnivores in Slovenian Dinaric Mts. and Namibian Kalahari desert. Since 2006 I’m employed as a researcher at Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana (Slovenia), where I worked on research of Eurasian Lynx in Slovenia and Croatia within the INTERREG “DinaRis” project. Later I continued my research work on ecology and conservation of Eurasian lynx in Slovenia, Croatia and Romania (LIFE Lynx) and started working also on ecology and conservation of brown bears (Bear Telemetry Project, 7th Framework program project HUNTing for sustainability, Life DinAlp Bear project, Basic Research Project Development of a multi-method approach to study wildlife behavior: investigating human-bear conflicts in contrasting landscapes of Europe), grey wolves (Life SLOWOLF project and national wolf monitoring program), golden jackals (project Zlati šakal širi areal), black-backed jackals, leopards (Project InterMuc and IZW Leopard Research Project), snow leopards (MUSE Mongolia Snow Leopard Project), cheetahs (IZW Cheetah Research Project), Sunda clouded leopard and leopard cat (DGFC), red deer, chamois and lizards. I also served as external consultant for large carnivore issues for WWF's Alpine Programme and I'm currently serveing at two groups in IUCN Species Survival Commission: Canid Specialist Group and Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe.

I have also participated at several other research projects at various institutions:

- Wild Cat Telemetry project in Dinaric Mountains (BF, 2002-2003)

- monitoring of Brown Bears in Southern Slovenia (ZGS, 2003)

- reptile censuses for the Atlas of reptiles of Slovenia (SHS, 2002-2008)

- censuses of the breeding birds for the New Slovenian Ornithological Atlas (DOPPS, 2004-2009)

- monitoring of Eagle Owl in Slovenia (DOPPS, 2004-2009), telemetry of Tawny and Ural owls in Dinaric Mts. (NIB, 2005)

- monitoring of raptor migration in the Alps (DOPPS, 2005)

- Cheetah Research Project in Namibia (IZW, 2005-2006)

- monitoring of golden jackal in Slovenia, Croatia and Romania (DD & DŠB, 2005-2016)

- monitoring of roe deer in Slovenia and Italy (ŠOU, 2007)

- trapping and telemetry of brown bears in Slovenia (ZGS, 2006-2019)

- trapping and telemetry of gray wolves in Croatia (UZ, 2007-2009)

- monitoring of Iberian wolves in Portugal and Spain (CIBIO & ASCEL, 2011-2013)

- human-bear conflict project, Slovenia and Montana, U.S. (IBA, 2013)

- Leopard Research Project in Namibia (IZW, 2014-ongoing)

- Snow Leopard Research Project in Altai Mountains, Mongolia (MUSE, 2017-2019)

- Eurasian lynx research and monitoring in Carpathian Mountains, Romania (ACDB, 2017-ongoing)

- Sunda clouded leopard and leopard cat project in Sabah, Borneo (DGFC, 2018)

- LIFE EuroLargeCarnivores (WWF Germany; 2019)

- Santa Cruz Puma Project, California, U.S.A. (UCSC, 2019)

- LIFE WolfAlps EU (UNI LJ; 2019-ongoing)

- InterMuc Project (UNI LJ; 2019-ongoing)

[abbreviations: BF - Biotechnical faculty, University of Ljubljana, SHS – Societas herpetologica Slovenica; ZGS – Slovenia Forest Service; CKFF – Center za kartografijo favne in flore; DOPPS – Društvo za opazovanje in proučevanje ptic Slovenije; IZW – Institut für Zoo- und Wildtierforschung (Germany); NIB – Nacionalni inštitut za biologijo; LZS – Lovska zveza Slovenije; UZ – University of Zagreb, Croatia; ŠOU – Študentska organizacija Univerze v Ljubljani; DŠB – Društvo študentov biologije; DD – Društvo za ohranjanje, raziskovanje in trajnostni razzvoj Dinaridov - Dinaricum; IBA - International Association for Bear Research & Management; MUSE - Museo delle Scienze di Trento; ACDB - Association for the Biological Diversity Conservation; DGFC - Danau Girang Field Centre; UCSC - University of California Santa Cruz ]

I'm also involved in large carnivore issues in Slovenia and neighbouring regions. I'm co-author of the Slovenian Wolf Action Plan, Slovenian Eurasian Lynx Management and Action Plan and was involved in preparation of several other management measures.

As part of the activities of Slovenian Society of Students of Biology (DŠB) I participated or was mentor in several research summer schools in Slovenia, Croatia and Monte Negro, within the Dinaricum Society (DD) I was leading the public awareness projects on large carnivores in 2006 and 2010. In 2009 I helped with organization and guiding for the biological excursion to Kenya with University of Salzburg (Austria).

Participation/contributions on congresses, symposiums, seminars etc:

2004

- IV. International S.C.A.L.P. (Status and Conservation of the Alpine Lynx Population) Meeting, Tatrvisio-Malborghetto (Italy)

2005

- LCIE - Seminar on the transboundary management of large carnivore populations, Osilnica (Slovenia)

- BIOTER Summer School in Ecology and Biodiversity, Białowieża (Poland)

- 2nd Slovenian-Croatian congress on exotic and free-living animals, Ljubljana (Slovenia); lecture: »Monitoring of movement and predation of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) on Menišija and Logatec plateau«

2006

- Symposium on fragmentation of lynx habitats and lynx populations in Europe, Fischbach (Germany)

- Seminar on inspection of damages on livestock due to predation of large carnivores, Zagreb (Croatia)

2007

- 8th European Roe Deer Meeting, Velenje (Slovenija); lecture: »Predation by Eurasian lynx upon roe deer: selective hunting or random choice?«

- Felid Biology and Conservation Conference, Oxford (U.K.); poster: ”Using new lightweight GPS/GSM transmitters to monitor movement and predation of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx)”

- 2nd International Symposium of Game & Ecology, Plitvice (Croatia); lecture: »Survey of Golden Jackals (Canis aureus L.) in Dalmatia (South Croatia): preliminary results«

- Session of coordinating committee of Cic for Southeast Europe – The spread of jackals towards Western Europe; lecture »Golden Jackals (Canis aureus) in Dalmatia and Slovenia«

- 5 workshops on preparation of Joint Slovenian-Croatian Management Strategy for the Dinaric lynx population

2008

- International seminar on grey wolves and forest ungulates in Europe, Arezzo (Italy)

- Seminar on transboundary management for wildlife, Udine, (Italy)

- Pan European conference on population level management plans for large carnivores, Postojna (Slovenia)

- 6th symposium on the lacertids of the Mediterranean Basin, Lesbos (Greece); poster: "New records of Horvath's Rock Lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi) from Slovenia"

- Symposium on Eurasian lynx "Lynx, le grand return...", Orleans, France; lecture: "Lynx in Slovenia: status and ecology"

2009

- 2. European Congress of Conservation Biology »Conservation biology and beyond: from science to practice«, Prague (Czech Republik); lecture: "Scavengers of lynx prey: from beetles to bears"; poster: "Could increased interspecific competition due to climate change present a threat to endemic Horvath's rock lizard (Iberolacerta horvathi)?"

2010

- Workshop on future management of threatened Eurasian lynx populations in Central and Southern Europe«, Poljče (Slovenia); lecture: "Northern Dinaric lynx population "

- 19th International Bear Conference, Tbilisi (Georgia); lecture: "Brown bear demography in Slovenia: managing a part of a population"; co-author: "Using GPS telemetry to study human-bear conflicts in Slovenia"

2011

- 20th International Bear Conference, Ottawa (Canada): 1) lecture: "The Noble Cat and the Big Bad Scavenger: the effects of kleptoparasitism by brown bears on Eurasian lynx"; lecture - co-author: "Effects of supplemental feeding on bear spatial behavior, habituation on people, and human-bear conflicts: studies of long-term intensive feeding of brown bears in Slovenia, Europe"; poster: "Brown bear food habits in human dominated landscapes of Slovenia: importance of intensive long-term supplemental feeding"

- 1st international colloquium “Study of the golden jackal populations. European concerns”, Romania: lecture: "Jackal surveys in Slovenia and Croatia (and a little bit from Africa)"

2012

TEDx Ljubljana (Slovenia); lecture: "Living with Wolves"

2013

- 22nd International Bear Conference, Provo, Utah (USA); lecture: »Winter sleep with room service: effects of supplemental feeding on denning behavior of brown bear (Ursus arctos)«

- International Wolf Conference: "Wolf conservation in human dominated landscapes", Postojna, Slovenia; lecture: »Interspecific interactions among large carnivores in Slovenia«; lectures - co-author: "Genetic monitoring of wolves in Slovenia", "Pack variation in feeding ecology in northern Dinaric wolves", and "Space use by wolves, lynx and cervids in Gorski kotar, Croatia"; posters - co-author: "Monitoring of wolves by volunteers in Slovenia", "Documented long-distance dispersal of wolf (Canis lupus) from Dinaric population and successful pack formation"

- Round table "Wolf conservation in human-dominated landscapes: what future?", CIBIO, Porto (Portugal)

- 8th International Symposium on the Lacertids of the Mediterranean Basin, Koper (Slovenia)

- Wolf Symposium and Workshop, Wageningen (Netherlands); lecture: "Co-existence with wolves in human-dominated landscapes: experiences from Slovenia"

- International Wolf Congress, Majella National Park (Italy); lecture: "Monitoring of wolves in Slovenia: results from SloWolf project"; lecture - co-author: "Advantages and obstacles of wolf damage prevention in Slovenia"

2014

- 1st international jackal symposium, Veliko Gradište, Serbia; 5 lectures: "Use of acoustic method to survey black-backed jackal (Canis mesomelas)", "Development of golden jackal population in Slovenia 1953-2014", "Population densities and habitat use of the golden jackals (Canis aureus) in selected areas of Croatia", "Genetic structure and expansion of golden jackals (Canis aureus) in Europe and the Caucasus" (co-author), and "Long-distance dispersal of the golden jackal across European biogeographic regions" (co-author)

- 23th International Bear Conference, Thessaloniki, Greece; 3 lectures (co-author): "Behavioral correlates of supplementary feeding of wildlife: Can general conclusions be drawn?", "Is supplemental feeding with carrion an effective way to reduce human-bear conflicts?", "Facilitating brown bear recovery in North America and exploring emerging opportunities for collaborations in Central Europe: Can a community-supported approach be transferable?"

2015

- 11.3.2015 international workshop »Biodiversity in Mediterranean Basin«, Koper, Slovenia; 2 lectures: »Importance of interspecific interactions involving Eurasian lynx in Dinaric Mountains«, »Population densities and habitat use of the golden jackal (Canis aureus) in selected areas of Croatia and Slovenia«(co-author)

- 27th international congress for conservation biology and 4th European congress for conservation biology, Montpellier, France, 2.-7.8.2015); 3 contributions; "Where to go next? Predicting habitat suitability of an expanding mesocarnivore - The Golden jackal (Canis aureus) in Europe" (lecture co-author), "Importance of bear management for conservation of Eurasian lynx" (poster), "IUCN Red List in eastern Europe: Do we have enough information for categorizing vertebrate species?" (poster)

2016

- Swiss Bear Simposium, Bären - Zwischen Märchen, Meinungen und Wahrheiten, Landquart, Switzerland, Pro Natura & WWF Schwiez, 29.4.2016; lecture: »Managing high-density bear population in a human-dominated landscape: experiences from Slovenia«

- 24th International Bear Conference, Anchorage, Alaska, USA, 13.-17.6.2016; 3 contributions - A Population Level Approach to Bear Management in the North Dinaric and Alpine Populations (lecture co-author), Brown bear attacks on humans in the world: A preliminary overview, period 2000-2015 (poster), Supplemental feeding in poor food years: effectiveness for reducing bear-caused damages (poster)

2017

- 25th International Bear Conference, Quito, Ecuador, 12.-17.11.2017; 2 contributions - Interspecific interactions: an overlooked side-effect of bear management (plenary talk), Optimizing dinner time in a risky restaurant: Temporal segregation of brown bears at concentrated food sources (regular talk)

- International workshop »Adaptive wildlife management strategies in forests considering the comeback of large carnivores to Austria«, Vienna, Austria, 28.-30.11.2017

2018

- Pathways Africa 2018 Conferemce, Windhoek, Namibia, 8.-11.1.2018; 1 contribution: »Preventing conflicts with bears and wolves in Slovenia« (invited talk)

- 6th Canine Science Forum, Budapest, Hungary, 3.-.7.7.2018; 1 contribution: "Golden jackal expansion in Europe" (plenary talk)

- 2nd International Jackal Symposium, Marathon Bay, Greece, 31.10.-2.11.2018; 6 contributions: »Golden jackal expansion across Europe: causes and consequences« (keynote talk), »Social ecology of the African golden wolf in north-west Senegal: insights from field and molecular non-invasive tools«, »Complex genetic structure of the expanding golden jackal populations in Europe«, »Golden jackals in relation to the density of the human population in Bosnia and Herzegovina«, »Potential versus actual “habitat interference” between expanding golden jackals and wolves in Slovenia«, »The golden jackal in Europe: Where to go next?«