FEW: Scientific Exchange on
Fertility Control,
Environment and
Wildlife

January 17, 2024
Luxembourg City, Luxembourg

AGENDA (tentative)

*All sessions will be conducted in English only

8:30 – 9:00Welcome Coffee and Registration

9:00 – 9:20 Introduction and Housekeeping 

9:20 – 10:40 – Talks

1. Too many? Trends in human-wildlife conflicts and mitigation.
Giovanna Massei, Europe Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control, University of York, UK

2. Legislation, animal welfare and public attitudes to human wildlife conflicts.
Lea Badoz, Eurogroup for Animals, Belgium

3. The environmental impact of wildlife.
Piran White, University of York, UK

4. Human dimension: general public and stakeholders views on wild boar management objectives and actions in Belgium.
Jim Casaer, Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO), Belgium

10:40 – 11:10 – Coffee Break 

11:10 – 12:30 – Talks, continued

5. Fertility control for wildlife: the use of contraceptive vaccines.
Doug Eckery, National Wildlife Research Center, USA

6. Fertility control for rodents: new oral contraceptives.
Steve Belmain, University of Greenwich, UK
Jens Jacob,
Federal Research Center for Cultivated Plants, Germany 

7. Collaboration, communications and fertility control to effectively manage a well-established, invasive non-native mammal.
Kay HawUK Squirrel Accord, UK

8. Wildlife fertility control: criteria, challenges and opportunities in preparation for the discussion.
Giovanna Massei, Botstiber Institute for Wildlife Fertility Control
Doug Eckery, National Wildlife Research Center, USA
Jens Jacob, Julius Kühn-Institute (JKI), Germany

12:30 – 13:40Lunch

13:40 – 15:00 Group Discussion  

Attendees will join four groups on specific topics:

1. Species (game, protected species, IAS) priorities and feasibility

2. Contexts (urban vs. rural, small-scale landscape, mosaic landscape, protected areas, transborder wildlife)

3. Practical aspects: costs, feasibility, who implements fertility control, costs compared to “do nothing” /lethal control

4. Monitoring impact of interventions on animal numbers and/or impacts.

Participants views: short survey at the beginning and at the end of the day.

15:00 – 15:30  – Coffee Break 

15:30 – 17:00 

  • Groups report to others
  • General discussion with panel of experts
  • Concluding remarks