Marketing Wildlife-Friendly Products

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Objective:

Increase number of farmers benefitting from wildlife coexistence practices

Status:

Improving

Project:

Greater Côa Valley

Location:

Portugal

Problem: Rewilding Portugal hope to facilitate the return of carnivores including wolves to the Greater Côa Valley. However, this may lead to a rise in conflicts with livestock farmers, if predation on sheep, goats and cows increases. Measures to reduce or prevent these losses have costs, and livestock losses to wolf attacks are often not adequately compensated by the government. In adidition, due to changes in human populations and regional economies, there are limited opportunities for employment and enterprise in the region.

Action: Rewilding Portugal supported livestock owners to reduce the likely impact of wild predators, by providing them with livestock guarding dogs and fencing. Rewilding Portugal then worked to create new business opportunities for cattle, goat and sheep producers who demonstrate good wildlife coexistence practices and implement these preventive measures. Increasing the price point of animals produced in a wildlife-friendly way gives farmers a direct incentive to implement better coexistence measures, and could decrease conflict levels with the Iberian wolf.

Indicator: The number of producers benefiting from agreements to produce sustainable and wildlife-friendly products, and the value of the products they have sold, indicate the success of developing a market for wildlife-friendly livestock rearing.

Methods

The access to new markets for rewilding-friendly products is supported by Rewilding Portugal, who therefore have access to data on the number of farmers who are benefitting from these markets and the value of products sold.

The ‘Perto’ shoe made by Wildling Shoes. Photo: Wildling Shoes.

Sheep’s wool being sorted after shearing. Sheep shearing, previously an expense for farmers, is paid for through the project. Photo: Rewilding Portugal.

Results

Rewilding Portugal collaborated with the German company Wildling Shoes, to create a new line of shoes made only from wool from livestock breeders from the Greater Côa Valley that implement best practice for wolf damage prevention. Using this wool, Wildling Shoes launched two new models: Perto in 2023 and Atento in 2024. “Perto” sold out all of its production in less than a year and “Atento”, launched as a substitute product, has (as of the end of 2024) sold more than 75% of its production. This new market pays livestock owners a premium price for the wool from their sheep. This is a significant new benefit, as wool has had little or no value in recent years. An additional benefit is that the company also covers the costs of shearing, which farmers previously had to pay.

Between 2022 and 2024, 11 livestock breeders participated in this collaboration (Fig. 1) and the amount of wool sold varied between 2400 kg and 4100 kg (Fig. 2). As of 2024, 9 livestock owners were part of the collaboration, which will be maintained in future years. The average annual gain per livestock breeder was 800€ and the price paid per kilo of wool for farmers in this agreement was triple the price of the open market (1,20€/kg vs 0.30 €/kg); the costs of shearing were also saved.

Figure 1: Number of livestock breeders participating in the wildlife-friendly production collaboration.

Figure 2: Amount of wool sold (kg) and value of sales (EUR) through the collaboration.

In addition, the project partnered with the LIFE Maronesa project to give livestock breeders access to value-added markets for certified meat products. This certification is available to farmers that implement measures to adapt to climate change through a sustainable model of extensive livestock production, which improves their climate resilience and promotes carbon retention in soil. A new label, Clima + wolf conservation, was created to recognise producers that implement damage prevention measures that improve coexistence with the wolf. This wolf brand has been piloted with three producers in the west of the Greater Côa Valley, selling meat to a local restaurant and butchery.

Interpretation

These collaborations have brought together the conservation sector, the private sector and livestock breeders in a long-term partnership that values the presence of wolf in the landscape. These products link urban and rural communities in sharing the costs of living with large carnivores, making the costs of implementing damage prevention measures more sustainable. Additionally, the project has fostered a strong network of positive voices across the Greater Côa Valley, including entrepreneurs, livestock breeders, and hunting managers, who advocate for wolves at the local level. By connecting these diverse actors, Rewilding Portugal has laid the groundwork for a more cooperative and inclusive approach to addressing conservation challenges and promoting coexistence with wolves.

In parallel, Rewilding Portugal has created a network of local companies, the Wild Côa Network, and is supporting the online marketing of a wide range of its products. Network members are active wolf and wildlife ambassadors, interested in increasing the economic impact that wildlife and wolves can generate in the territory.

These initiatives are still in the early stages, as these products are being introduced to the market for the first time, but already very positive results are being seen. In future, increasing demand for and sales of these and other products will hopefully lead to greater participation in activities that improve coexistence with the wolf in the region. As local people start to see the economic benefits from rewilding further benefits are expected, including more trust in restoration work in the area and more positive perceptions about the return of wildlife.