About BIWFC Europe

The Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control (BIWFC) established an office at the University of York, in the United Kingdom, in 2021. This European center assists BIWFC in its mission to advance reproductive management as part of an integrated approach to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts
and promote coexistence worldwide through education, outreach, and engagement.

The BIWFC Europe office carries out the Institute’s general mission, purpose and goals focusing on promoting fertility control through knowledge exchange and stakeholder and public engagement. The center serves as a catalyst for the activities of the BIWFC Headquarters and offers a fulcrum from which many initiatives can be carried out.

Dr. Giovanna Massei, serves as the director of BIWFC Europe as well as a Professor at the University of York. Dr. Massei has worked in wildlife management for more than 30 years with 20 years in fertility control research. In addition, she has served on the BIWFC Advisory Committee for several years.

Dr. Massei has experience in wildlife fertility control with a large number of species, ranging from squirrels to buffalos, in a wide spectrum of contexts and countries. She has experience in applied research aimed at delivering tools and solutions to mitigate human-wildlife conflicts and at translating science into practical applications.

According to Dr. Massei current trends of human population growth and landscape development in Europe suggest that human-wildlife interactions will continue to increase. Widespread community opposition to lethal control is limiting wildlife management options, particularly for high public-profile species.

“As a result, there is significant pressure to implement humane, effective, non-lethal methods to mitigate human–wildlife conflicts,” Dr. Massei said. “BIWFC Europe provides the ideal platform to raise awareness about contexts and species in which fertility control could be used to manage wildlife.”

In her role as director of BIWFC Europe Dr. Massei plans, manages, and leads the Institute’s European programs, such as conferences, workshops, grants and projects, and public education initiatives. She pursues collaboration with European partners/affiliates as well as engages with staff and students at the University of York to increase study and encourage research on wildlife fertility control.