Project
Hi, I’m Carolyn and I am working on population dynamics, socioecological suitability, and management of wolves in the Alps. I am especially interested in the relationship between humans and wildlife and how to develop management strategies that promote sustainable coexistence.
The recolonisation of human-dominated landscapes by large carnivores leads to complex human-wildlife interactions. As seen throughout history, the lack of human acceptance can result in retaliatory killing and even the extinction of species. For the wolf, the main challenges are currently conflicts with livestock owners and public fear, especially in rural mountain areas.
In December 2023, Switzerland legalised the proactive lethal regulation of wolf packs, and similar policy changes across Europe have followed. However, the impacts of lethal management on the viability of the Alpine wolf population, livestock depredation conflicts, and human acceptance of wolves remain unknown.
My PhD, in collaboration with the Swiss Coordination Office for Carnivore Research and Management (KORA), focuses on assessing the ecological and anthropogenic carrying capacity for wolves in Switzerland. By researching spatiotemporal dynamics of human-wolf conflicts, the socioecological capacity of the landscape to accommodate the species’ range expansion, and impacts of different management strategies, my research aims to contribute to informed decision making in conservation and management of a large carnivore.
CV
- 2025 – Present: PhD Student in Ecology at University of Zurich, Switzerland
- 2022 – 2024: MSc Student in Double Degree in Environmental Management of Mountain Areas at University of Bozen-Bolzano, Italy, and University of Innsbruck, Austria
- 2017 – 2022: BSc Student in Liberal Arts and Sciences with Major Earth and Environmental Sciences at University College Freiburg, Germany, and University Grenoble-Alpes, France
- 2016 – 2017: Volunteer Year at WWF Germany, Berlin