Wolves have always been at the center of human-wildlife conflicts, and their management is politically polarized and contentious. Furthermore, the world’s wolf population ranges across an incredibly diverse collection of countries which represent a broad spectrum of cultures, environments, economies, and government structures. This is especially true in Eurasia, where wolves cross between the borders of over 50 different nations. Variation in cultural values, political objectives, monitoring strategies, and knowledge base about local wolf populations makes cross-border management complex.
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Mission
Wolves Across Borders aims to facilitate open conversation and knowledge exchange between nations that support wolf populations and the researchers, managers, non-profits, and stakeholders that work with wolf ecology, management, and conflict resolution.
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Wolves Across Borders aims to host an international conference every 4 years and is guided by an international steering committee. The first conference took place in 2023, in Stockholm Sweden, and was hosted by Skandulv.
Wolves Across Borders 2025
The 2025 conference is hosted by a Dutch and Belgian consortium, led by an organizing team composed of members of the Dutch Mammal Society.
Marloes Leeflang is the primary conference organizer for Wolves Across Borders and project leader at the Dutch Mammal Society. With a background in animal behaviour and nature conservation, and experience with communication and organisation, she works on nature related international events such as award ceremonies, symposia and conferences. At the Dutch Mammal Society she leads projects on a myriad of species, including wolf and beaver.
MARLOES LEEFLANG
Julia Schepers works as a project officer at the Dutch Mammal Society. She is the coordinator of the active monitoring of wolves throughout the Netherlands (Wolvenmeldpunt). Monitoring is executed with camera-trapping and DNA-analysis through feces and predation. Julia has a Msc in Forest and Nature conservation at Wageningen University, graduating on large carnivores on the African continent. Julia did her thesis on the diet of Spotted Hyenas and Leopards in Central Tuli, Botswana. Furthermore, Julia is the secretary of Wolves in the Netherlands (WiN), a knowledge platform, aiming for co-existence between society and wolves in the Netherlands.
JULIA SCHEPERS
Glenn Lelieveld currently works as a researcher and project manager at Averti Ecologie BV. He has worked on the topic of wolves since 2018, when the first wolves started habituating the Netherlands. During this time, he became a member of WiN. Glenn has been the national coordinator of wolf monitoring in the Netherlands since he started the Wolvenmeldpunt. From May 2024 onwards, Glenn works as a wolf specialist and has an advisory role, also for bold wolf situations in the Netherlands. Glenn has written multiple papers on wolves in the Netherlands, and is specialised in policy and legislation.
GLENN LELIEVELD
Mathilde Klaassen works as a communications advisor at Staatsbosbeheer, a large ecological groundkeeping organization. Furthermore, for over 4 years she has been working as a (online) communications volunteer for Wolves in the Netherlands. WiN is a platform of several organizations that strive for a low-conflict coexistence with wolves. By sharing knowledge, WiN wants to gain more understanding about the usefulness of the wolf for our ecosystems and knowledge about how we can protect our livestock against the wolf.
MATHILDE KLAASSE
2025 Organizing Consortium
Wolves Across Borders 2025 is organized by a Dutch and Belgian Consortium of stakeholders.
The Dutch Mammal Society is an non-governmental organization focussed on monitoring wild mammals, with the aim of conserving and protecting. They aim to bring together all those doing research on wild mammals and their habitats as well as those engaged in their conservation. The conservation work of the Dutch Mammal Society is based on research, the results being used for the protection of wild mammals and their habitats.
The Agency for Nature and Forests are conserving and protecting more than 90,000 hectares of nature reserves, forests and parks in Flanders. Together with various partners, they are generating greater support for nature. Their projects vary from planting forests, initiatives that strive for a higher quality of natural areas, to improving the accessibility of nature in human-dominated landscapes.
The Small-Scale Sheep and Goat Farmers platform is a consultative structure that represents the interests of 43.000 small-scale sheep and goat farmers in the Netherlands. The KSG is recognised by the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries, Food Security and Nature as a representative body. These animals are not primarily kept for profit, which is what sets this platform apart from the advocacy of commercial farming.
Natuurmonumenten (Dutch Society for Nature Conservation) is the largest association for nature conservation in the Netherlands. They are committed to restoring biodiversity in the whole of the Netherlands. With creating a robust ecosystem, nature can better adapt to climate change. Natuurmonumenten aims to not only restore nature reserves, but also valuable landscapes and cultural heritages.
The Dutch Society for the Protection of Animals stands for the protection of animals, by acknowledging their value and promoting their interests. They aim to better protect animals by helping people make animal-friendly choices in their daily lives. Their goal is to eventually have a world where the interests of animals are self-evident in the thinking and actions of people.
FREE Nature's (Foundation for restoring European Ecosystems) work focuses on the restoration and development of European ecosystems. They develop landscapes that shape and sustain themselves and where natural processes flourish. The core of their work is the grazing of nature reserves by large free-living grazers such as bison, wild cattle, water buffalo, deer and wild horse.
The University of Groningen is a research university with a global outlook, deeply rooted in Groningen, City of Talent. Quality has had top priority for four hundred years, and with success: the University is currently in or around the top 100 on several influential ranking lists.
The Institute for Science in Society (ISiS) at Radboud University conducts research and provides education at the interface between science and society. Its mission is to analyze, assess and improve the societal embedding of science and technology.