Rewilding Europe was established in 2011 as an independent foundation in the Netherlands. It has established itself as a pan-European initiative operating at the frontline of rewilding at a European scale and it wants to make Europe a wilder place, with many more space for wildlife, wilderness and natural processes. Rewilding Europe presents a vision in which wild nature is recognized as an indispensable part of Europe’s natural and cultural heritage and a necessary building block for a modern, prosperous and healthy society.

Velebit Nature Park is the most significant focal point of endemic flora and fauna in Croatia. There are 1,854 plant taxa recorded around Velebit, 79 of them endemic, explaining why this area is frequently referred to as a “centre of endemism”. Velebit Nature Park is the biggest and the most complex protected area in Croatia, covering the most important mountain in the country. Due to its significance for the conservation of biodiversity, the Nature Park became part of the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere Programme. The value of this area can clearly be seen in the fact that the Velebit region includes two National Parks – Paklenica and Northern Velebit – as well as the cove of Zavratnica as a significant landscape, the cave complex at Cerovačke špilje as a geomorphological monument, the site of Velnačka glavica as a paleontological monument, and Štirovača as a special forest reserve.

The Faculty of Veterinary Medicine (FVM), at the University of Zagreb, is a public institution of higher education, which organizes and conducts university study courses, and performs professional scientific work in biomedicine and health, in the field of veterinary medicine, and other related fields, as well as educational life-long learning programmes for doctors of veterinary medicine. It is also a national leader in wildlife scientific research with FVM’s large carnivore research team having been active since 1981. Since then, this team has implemented a number of international research and conservation projects including: the EU LIFE projects, the BBI Matra Programme, the Interreg IIIA Neighbourhood Programme Slovenia-Hungary-Croatia 2004-2006, EU FP7 project and many others.