On March 16, we co-organized an online lecture for university students about large carnivores in Slovenia. Coexistence with large carnivores and the importance of education for creating positive attitudes towards them were two main topics presented and discussed with the participants. A part of the lecture was dedicated to the Eurasian lynx, with the focus on the research about the knowledge and attitudes in primary school students towards the lynx.
The research included lower secondary school students coming from two regions in Slovenia that are part of the lynx reinforcement program. The results have shown a low level of knowledge about the lynx in Slovenia among the students. In addition, a strong connection between the knowledge and positive attitudes was detected. The students with more knowledge are more willing to learn about the lynx, demonstrating less fear, and have more positive attitudes towards the Eurasian lynx than the students with lesser knowledge.
The key message of the lecture was the importance of education in improving the awareness about nature conservation among the youth.
The online lecture was organized in cooperation with the Student Organization of the University of Ljubljana (ŠOU) and the LIFE WOLFALPS EU project.