Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology

Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology
Name	Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology
Established	1980s
Type	Research institute
Affiliation	University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna
Location	Vienna, Austria

Contents

Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology The Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology at the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna is a center for applied and theoretical studies in wildlife biology, conservation, and veterinary medicine. The institute connects fields represented by institutions such as the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, University of Vienna, Austrian Academy of Sciences, International Union for Conservation of Nature, and United Nations Environment Programme, while collaborating with organizations like World Wildlife Fund, BirdLife International, IUCN SSC, European Commission, and European Union member agencies. It engages with regional programs tied to the Alps, Danube, Carpathians, Balkans and global initiatives involving the Convention on Biological Diversity, CITES, Ramsar Convention, Glasgow Climate Pact, and networks including Biosphere Reserves and Natura 2000.

History

Founded during a period shaped by institutions such as the Austrian Parliament, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Austrian Federal Ministry of Science and Research, Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, and regional authorities of the City of Vienna, the institute emerged as a response to conservation challenges highlighted by reports from WWF, IUCN Red List, European Environmental Agency, and researchers connected to the Max Planck Society, Smithsonian Institution, and Natural History Museum, London. Early collaborations involved programs with Austrian National Parks, Hohe Tauern National Park, Gesäuse National Park, Donau-Auen National Park, and cross-border projects with Slovakia, Czech Republic, Hungary, and Slovenia. Over subsequent decades the institute participated in EU-funded projects under Horizon 2020, LIFE Programme, and networks supported by the European Research Council and bilateral agreements with institutions like University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, ETH Zurich, University of Oxford, Leipzig University, and University of Zurich.

The institute conducts multidisciplinary research spanning wildlife diseases, ecology, behavior, population dynamics, and human–wildlife interactions, partnering with specialist centers such as the Veterinary Authority of Austria, European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control, World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE), European Food Safety Authority, and academic programs at Technical University of Munich, Karolinska Institutet, and University of Copenhagen. Research areas include studies on species listed in the IUCN Red List like the Eurasian lynx, brown bear, wolf, European bison, wolverine, golden eagle, and migratory species tracked in projects with BirdLife International, Wetlands International, and the Ramsar Convention secretariat. Programs integrate genomics and veterinary pathology with methods promoted by the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and collaborations with museums such as the Natural History Museum, Vienna, Museum für Naturkunde, Berlin, and Natural History Museum, London.

Facilities include laboratories for molecular biology, parasitology, and toxicology comparable to units at the Institute of Zoology (Zoological Society of London), Robert Koch Institute, European Molecular Biology Laboratory, and clinical facilities linked to the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna and regional veterinary clinics. Field stations and telemetry equipment support projects across the Alps–Carpathians corridor, Danube River Basin, and transboundary reserves like Tara National Park, Kopaonik National Park, and the Pirin National Park networks, using tools and databases from Global Biodiversity Information Facility, GBIF, Movebank, European Tracking Network, and Copernicus Programme satellite data. Specimen collections, bio-banks, and archives are maintained with standards used by the Natural History Museum, Vienna, Natural History Museum, London, and university collections at University of Vienna and Medical University of Vienna.

The institute provides postgraduate training and doctoral supervision in collaboration with the University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, University of Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, and international partners such as Università di Padova, University of Zagreb, Charles University, University of Ljubljana, Masaryk University, and University of Belgrade, and participates in exchange programs under Erasmus+ and joint degrees linked to the European Higher Education Area. Continuing education and workshops bring together professionals from organizations including IUCN, WWF, BirdLife International, European Commission DG Environment, OIE, WHO, FAO, and national agencies from Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Romania.

Conservation outputs include contributions to species action plans for Eurasian lynx reintroduction, wolf management, and brown bear conservation and engagement with policy instruments like the EU Habitats Directive, Bern Convention, Convention on Migratory Species, and regional strategies implemented by Natura 2000 networks. Partnerships span NGOs and intergovernmental bodies such as World Wildlife Fund, The Nature Conservancy, IUCN, UNEP-WCMC, and research bodies like the Austrian Academy of Sciences and European Research Council-funded consortia, often collaborating with national parks and protected areas across the Alps, Balkans, and Carpathians.

Staff and alumni have included researchers with ties to institutions such as the University of Vienna, Max Planck Society, Smithsonian Institution, Natural History Museum, London, Karolinska Institutet, ETH Zurich, Imperial College London, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, and policy roles in IUCN, European Commission, Austrian Federal Ministry for Agriculture, Regions and Tourism, and international conservation NGOs like WWF and BirdLife International. Several alumni have joined faculties at University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, University of Vienna, University of Zurich, Leipzig University, Charles University, and leadership posts within the IUCN Species Survival Commission, European Commission DG Environment, and national park administrations across Europe.

Category:Research institutes in Austria Category:Wildlife conservation organizations