Dr Miha Krofel
I am fascinated by the myriad of ecological processes that determine the functioning of ecosystems across the globe. I love unrevealing the detailed secrets about the roles each species plays in the complex web of life on this planet. Especially when new understanding helps the people or conservation of wildlife.
Miha is a carnivore ecologist involved in several projects on wild felids in Africa, Europe and Asia. He received his PhD in 2012 on the ecology of Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) and their interactions with prey and other carnivores in the Dinaric Mountains. Within GAIA, Miha co-leads the research on lion behaviour and ecology.
Education and professional experiece
- Assistant professor and leader of the Wildlife Ecology and Management Research Group at the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana, Slovenia
- Guest scientist at Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Germany (IZW)
- Carnivore expert for the IUCN SSC (Cat Specialist Group, Canid Specialist Group and Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe)
- Guest lecturer at University of Oxford (U.K.), University of Porto (Portugal) and University of Primorska (Slovenia)
- (Co-)author of >100 peer-reviewed scientific papers and 18 books or book chapters
- Research focus on conservation and ecology of large predators, particularly on inter- and intra-specific interactions, communication, and prevention of human-carnivore conflicts
- Most of the research done on Eurasian lynx, lion, leopard, cheetah, snow leopard, European wildcat, brown bear, grey wolf, and golden jackal, to a lesser extent also involved in studies on other carnivores, wild ungulates, raptors, lizards and scavenger communities
