"The wolf is here, and it's here even when you can't see it." We are at the visitor centre of the Riserva naturale regionale dei Gherardi in the upper Val di Taro, in the heart of the Parma Apennines. There is the scent of a wood-burning stove, autumn has only just begun but the fog and warm colours already envelop the entire area. We listen to the voice of Elena Gabbi, custodian of the reserve, as she retraces the story that brought her to this valley to devote herself to caring for mountain environments through the coexistence of the human species with others. Gabbi is in fact a farmer who, by grazing her flock, helps conserve the biodiversity of the meadows that alternate with the wooded areas of the reserve. And, just like other farmers, her story has become intertwined with that of the wolf.

Io non ho paura del lupo

Gabbi's words make clear a notion that sometimes struggles to become widespread awareness: in Italy, the wolf is not slowly making its return. The wolf is already here, and is stably present throughout the country. Its presence has always brought conflict, fears and conflicting reactions. These are legitimate emotions, but when combined with a lack of knowledge and inaccurate media amplification, they generate a distorted image.

"In this valley it seemed as though wolves were coming in through the windows," recalls Gabbi, describing the context and the place where, exactly ten years ago, the association Io non ho paura del lupo was founded. "There was a great deal of tension and alarm in the valley. We wanted to do something and give a concrete response," recounts Daniele Ecotti, president of the association. "We wanted to start telling this delicate story in a balanced way." An approach that has made the association a point of reference at national level, with the fundamental goal of contributing to the conservation of the wolf in Italy through coexistence with human activities.

The wolf in Italy

The wolf in Italy (Canis lupus italicus) is a subspecies unique in the world, genetically distinct from the European one (Canis lupus lupus), of which there are today approximately 3,300 individuals across the entire peninsula. Although wolves and humans have shared territories for centuries, at the beginning of the 20th century its range was drastically reduced due to widespread persecution by humans that almost brought it to extinction. Between hunting (think of the figure of the "luparo", the wolf hunter), poisoning and poaching, the species numbered only between 100 and 200 individuals at the start of the 1970s, when the first project — named San Francesco — was launched to protect it from extinction. In 1971, the ministerial decree known as the Natali decree — Italy's first law for the protection of the wolf — removed it from the list of harmful animals and banned its hunting and poisoning. With this law, the wolf became a protected species.

People speak of the wolf's return because in Italy and in Europe no reintroduction has ever been carried out.

Daniele Ecotti, president of Io non ho paura del lupo

During those same years, other species were reintroduced — such as deer and roe deer, prey of the wolf — which encouraged its return, first along the Apennine mountain ridge and then into lower-lying territories. The wolf is indeed a predator at the top of the food chain and is essential to ecosystems. It contributes to their balance by keeping the numbers of certain species stable, thereby limiting their impact on others. Consider, for example, the wild boar which, without the wolf, would reproduce uncontrollably, impacting many plant species it is fond of, such as orchids and their bulbs. "In the Gherardi oasis there are 37 species of orchids," explains Guido Sardella, coordinator of the reserve and board member of the association, with expertise. "In the late 1980s, two species of orchids had disappeared precisely because of the wild boar. Thanks to the wolf, one of them — Orchis pallens — has returned to the area, and we have seen the numbers of other rare orchids increase."

This is just one of the many positive effects of the wolf on the ecosystem, which in turn have a cascading impact on other species as well. "During the same period we also observed an increase in the populations of a beetle, the stag beetle," continues Sardella. "We don't yet have scientific certainty about the connection, but it is a very interesting coincidence."

When the wolf's prey is no longer only wild animals — but also domestic ones — the more complex, though by no means impossible, work begins: that of coexistence.

Getting to know the wolf

"There are two wolves: the one that lives in the woods and the one that lives in our heads," says Francesco Romito, vice-president and head of communications for the association, conveying the complexity of experiences linked to the wolf. "We try to bring these two animals together for a narrative built on good practice."

The association Io non ho paura del lupo operates across three areas of intervention: outreach, conflict mitigation and monitoring.

The first area — communication and outreach — is the starting point and the foundation upon which the rest of the work is built, because the wolf must be stripped of its human-imposed overlays: it is neither good nor bad, it is simply an animal that wants to live and has a precise role within the ecosystem, and which, by necessity, today comes into contact with human activities.

"The wolf is an animal that needs to be talked about"

Knowledge of this animal therefore becomes essential — on one hand for people who may cross its path while spending time in or living near the natural areas it inhabits. "There is a need for a conscious approach to nature and to wildlife," explains Ecotti. "Because in nature, zero risk does not exist. But there are certainly behavioural guidelines that can minimise risk. So a certain degree of fear of the wolf is healthy to have, but it must be an informed and conscious fear." For this reason, the association has been running projects with schools for two years (through the Conoscere il lupo project) and for ten years has been organising events, excursions and outreach activities, as well as publishing a book, edited by Tommaso D'Errico, and a documentary, precisely to broaden understanding of this topic. "Language is very important because you must neither downplay nor exaggerate the risks of coexisting with the wolf. And this is achieved through knowledge. First you deconstruct, then you tell the story."

On the other hand, there are people who share with wolves the spaces of their own work — such as farmers, who are the first to be affected by predation and are therefore a fundamental element within the discourse — and the practice — of coexistence. For this reason, from its very founding the association has carried out activities for conflict mitigation through a constant relationship with farmers.

Living with the wolf

"In these nine years, since we opened the farm — which today has around 350 sheep — we have had no predation by wolves, even though there is a stable pack in this territory." This is what Gabriele Galli tells us as we walk across one of the fields that make up the 60 hectares of Podere Bianchi Galli, which he manages together with Deborah Bianchi in the Ceno valley, adjacent to the Taro valley.

"This has been possible because we implemented anti-predation strategies from the very beginning, based on three fundamental elements: guardian dogs, our presence at the pasture, and the use of electrified fencing," Galli explains. These strategies are certainly demanding and, above all, costly — which is why the association Io non ho paura del lupo launched the Fondo coesistenza (Coexistence Fund), a grant scheme that provides practical support to farmers, especially smaller ones who cannot access institutional aid, by supplying, for example, nets, energisers, and vaccines for dogs.

There is also another project, Cani da protezione del bestiame (Livestock Protection Dogs), through which the association supports farmers who choose guardian dogs (mainly Maremma-Abruzzo sheepdogs) as a non-lethal prevention method, providing informational signs. These signs are a fundamental element for signalling the presence of the dogs and informing hikers and members of the public about the correct behaviour to adopt, since people often forget — or are simply unaware — that guardian dogs are "at work": they are protecting the flock.

"Coexisting means being part of a system and knowing that each of us has a small share of life to share with others," Deborah Bianchi tells us as she introduces us to the six Maremma sheepdogs that live with the flock. "Coexistence is possible — painstakingly possible. But it is not a utopia. It is a constant, ever-evolving effort: the strategies we adopt are neither fixed nor immutable." This helps us understand how every context, every situation, every farmer has a different story, environment, and set of factors that continue to change over time. This is why every prevention measure must be tailored to fit, "brushed on" to each individual reality — without forgetting the context in which livestock farming operates today.

"It's not simple, but coexistence is possible even for those who farm livestock."

"The sector is in deep crisis today for reasons that have nothing to do with the presence of the wolf. Its presence, which is a problem, often becomes the last straw, and ends up as the scapegoat," Ecotti tells us. "The problem lies upstream and is far broader, especially for small operations that face enormous difficulties and are disappearing. This is why industry policies and trade associations must push for prevention tools, and for training, supporting, and accompanying these realities." Because even though compensation schemes exist to reimburse farmers affected by predation, they are not enough — and the goal should always be prevention, acting before incidents occur.

This is why engaging with farmers becomes fundamental work, sometimes requiring years to build a steady dialogue. "Coexistence means understanding everyone's needs," says Romito. "It means trying to build a shared path together with communities so that people can understand why the wolf generates so much conflict and, above all, why we must conserve it."

As we set off on the walk back, Bianchi points out a spot at the edge of their land where there is a river. It is a crossing point and a drinking spot for the wolf pack that they now know well. "A fundamental part of this coexistence is also monitoring: it allows us to know the animals and understand their territorial behaviours, so as to minimise conflict with our animals."

Monitoring and data on the wolf

The association Io non ho paura del lupo dedicates a large part of its activities to field monitoring — its third area of intervention. This is carried out mainly through camera traps and video traps, which make it possible to learn about the wolf (and other species): how it is faring, whether it is reproducing, and how its cubs are doing. "It is work that obviously has its limits and therefore requires a great deal of groundwork: exploring, learning, interpreting signs of presence in order to place the devices — which yield images and therefore information — in the best possible spots," Ecotti explains as he leads us to a camera trap. We have returned to the 6,000 hectares of the Gherardi reserve to carry out a monitoring and observation outing, an activity the association has been conducting on the wolf in this area since 2017.