What is wildlife management actually, why/why do we need it and who is actually responsible ? After a basic definition of the term wildlife management and theoretical background, the interactions between habitat and wild animals were discussed using concrete practical examples.

The “ why ” is explained by the legal mandate, which in Austria is regulated at the level of the individual federal states. These regulations all have the common goal of maintaining a healthy and species-rich wild population while at the same time keeping or avoiding .
Hunting is therefore not just reduced to regulating or reducing game numbers, but hunting is an integral part of society's obligation to achieve these goals.

Global, national and regional challenges were also addressed. The global forest area fell by 178 million hectares between 1990 and 2020, but in Europe and Austria the forest area is increasing. However, there is also a very high level of wildlife influence in the form of peeling damage and browsing on young plants.

People per se, but also funding-related framework conditions such as the EU's CAP strategic plan, are also important factors in wildlife management and were discussed in exciting presentations. It also became clear that there is practically no alternative to hunting in the cultural landscape. This means that those responsible for hunting have a clear mandate to manage wildlife, even if hunting is by no means the only player here.  

Ultimately, all “landscape users” have this obligation and a holistic approach is needed to implement wildlife management. This topic must therefore be discussed and ultimately implemented by all players in a participatory manner - at eye level.

A central part of the conference was therefore the possibilities for creating wildlife habitats. Lectures on

• role of agriculture and forestry,
• for predation management as well
• Perspectives for the future of hunting and wildlife management, including the
• Future of non-huntable wild animals

rounded off the interesting program of the 29th hunter conference in Aigen im Ennstal, designed by well-known speakers, which we hereby cordially invite you to read at www.raumberg-gumpenstein.at - For the program committee, Dr. Johann Gasteiner, director

Photos from the first day of the 2024 hunter conference

Photos from the evening event of the Hunter Conference 2024

Photos from the second day of the 2024 hunter conference

Program, conference proceedings and approved lectures from the 2024 Hunter Conference