The CoCo Horizon Project: Facilitating sustainable landscapes for pastoralism and wildlife

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News publ. 05. Feb 2025

Sheep and a woman on a field eating grass in Albania
© John Linnell

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The CoCo Horizon project aims to improve coexistence between pastoralism and wildlife across Europe. Pastoralism and High Nature Value (HNV) farming, essential for biodiversity and wildlife conservation, face significant threats due to a number of economic and cultural factors. The return of large carnivores and herbivores presents an additional challenge and has led to conflicts, as these animals can damage crops and livestock. Polarised debate and social conflict over wildlife management further complicates the situation, emphasising the need for effective strategies that distribute the responsibility across society.

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Running from November 2024 to October 2027, the CoCo Horizon project integrates scientific research, traditional knowledge, and local experiences. It establishes a collaboration among scientists, policymakers, and stakeholders from 12 European countries, focusing on the sustainable use of multifunctional landscapes to help people and wildlife thrive side by side. The project is based on the understanding that by utilising the best available knowledge, wildlife-related conflicts can be minimised, tensions eased, and a balance achieved that benefits both humans and nature.

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Albanian landscape with mountains and mist
© John Linnell
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Key steps in the CoCo Horizon project

adelphi research is responsible for a critical work package that focuses on:

  • Exploitation, dissemination and communication of the project and its results: This includes identifying the windows of opportunity for placing the results in policy processes and ensuring they find practical application. As a final step, a detailed roadmap for exploitation of the project’s findings is developed. 
  • Maintaining continual two-way communication with the most relevant stakeholders to the project’s success on a range of different levels: This includes establishing an advisory board and ensuring relevant networks are integrated into the project work. Additionally, the multi-actor approach is used to co-generate knowledge from those pastoralists and land users interested in and impacted by wildlife on the ground. 

By uniting researchers, practitioners, and decision-makers across Europe, the CoCo project, funded by the European Union, aims to transform conflicts into opportunities, ensuring that pastoralists have a voice through their involvement in the project. Through this collaborative effort, the project contributes to the development of a sustainable and equitable future where the coexistence of pastoralists and wildlife is effectively managed and supported.

Learn more about the project here.

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Biodiversity

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