Using examples from their own farms, the students highlighted the problems of alpine and pasture farming . A primary concern is climate change and its impact on water resources, forage quantity, and forage quality throughout the grazing season. Pathogens at higher altitudes and the increasing encroachment of shrubs due to declining stocking densities on many alpine pastures also play a role. Another problem is the difficulty in finding qualified personnel for alpine farming, or the unaffordability of hiring them for smaller pastures. And now, large predators are returning to stay.

the consequences of this and why we protect our livestock . The fact that the wolf, as the most mobile species, has the greatest potential for expansion is demonstrated by the livestock attacks in various regions of Austria.

According to the students, fencing off all alpine pastures is not a solution, which is why new strategies such as herding or the use of livestock guardian dogs must be developed. In addition to protecting livestock, there must also management of large predators ; otherwise, their return will be the final straw, forcing farms to abandon alpine farming altogether, or worse, close their barn doors. All participants agreed that more support and assistance are needed.

The course participants agreed that livestock protection should be implemented where it can be put into practice immediately. Forty percent of livestock attacks occur on valley pastures, and this must be stopped. Existing fences constructed or improved according to the technical livestock protection standards . To this end, the participants practiced constructing fences using T-posts, which provide the necessary power supply and grounding.