The "a cushion for coexistence" initiative is nearing its conclusion 

The initiative "A cushion for coexistence" launched by the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps body as part of the LIFE WolfAlps EU project and with the support of I'm not afraid of the wolf APS is nearing its conclusion.

The valorization of wool is a concrete tool to provide sheep herders with new perspectives, given that, undoubtedly, their sheep are among the most vulnerable prey to wolf attacks. Thanks to the preliminary investigation “Lana what to do?” on the Italian wool sector, with a focus on the Alpine arc and the Ligurian-Piedmontese Apennines, created by Luisa Vielmi, naturalist and defense technician, we tried to identify the limits and opportunities for development of the wool product. Therefore, with the idea of ​​creating a virtuous circle that would bring raw wool from the pasture into our homes 1300 kilos of dirty wool were collected from four farms in the Piedmont protected area which was then processed at the Biella Wool Company and transformed into comfortable and soft cushions for pets thanks to the work of some passionate artisans from the Langhe.

The sale of these cushions was then entrusted to I'm not afraid of the wolf APS who took care of it firstly to repay the wool to the 4 livestock companies involved in the project at a fair price and secondly to allocate the approximately 2000 euros obtained from the sale to the 2024 Coexistence Fund which will soon be made available to breeders who can request it.

The valorization of wool is a key element to protect an important heritage for our territory such as sheep farming. With this small project we wanted to give a signal... to demonstrate that wool can once again become a resource and that through the involvement of various local professionals it is possible to start planning a recovery activity for this precious material..

Thus Piermario Giordano President of the Management Body of the Protected Areas of the Maritime Alps, beneficiary coordinator of the LIFE WolfAlps EU project.

Going into detail: 80 cushions were supplied to be sold at the agreed price of €45 each. for a total proceeds of €3.600. From this amount the Association I'm not afraid of the wolf paid 1.338 euros to the farmers involved. 2.262% was deducted from the remaining €15 to cover the expenses incurred by the Association (collection fees via PayPal, shipping material, etc.). The remaining €1.922 will be made available to the coexistence fund and over the next few weeks I'm not afraid of the wolf will provide all the necessary information to breeders who want to take advantage of it.

A particular note concerns the desire of I'm not afraid of the wolf to go beyond the agreements and still proceed to pay the farmers even though not all the cushions have yet been sold.

This is why the invitation is to continue to support this initiative by purchasing the latest cushions available at the following LINK and effectively helping the future development of further initiatives dedicated to the coexistence between man and wolf.