Background Large carnivores such as wolves (Canis lupus) and bears (Ursus arctos) are usually perceived as a dangerous problem. People who make a living from the land, such as farmers, and ordinary citizens, see these animals as threats to themselves or their livelihood. The large carnivores in the project area had already benefited from the activities of an earlier LIFE project: COEX (LIFE04 NAT/IT/000144). This project managed to raise awareness about a more positive coexistence between local stakeholders and these animals in five European countries, including Italy and Spain. Large carnivores as well as scavenger raptors such as the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus) and bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) are, however, still under serious threat, even in protected areas. Objectives The EX-TRA project aimed to transfer best practice and lessons learned from the COEX project into new areas. It wanted to create the necessary infrastructure, knowledge and level of awareness in these areas to prevent conflicts between humans and these species and to achieve the ultimate objective of improving their conservation status. It specifically sought to strengthen cooperation between stakeholders regarding large carnivore conservation; develop the necessary capacity and knowledge for the efficient management of conflicts caused by bears; provide know-how for the control of stray dogs; and to facilitate an increase of wild prey needed to maintain present wolf populations and to ensure capacity for their management. The project also sought to expand the use of damage prevention tools whose success had already been demonstrated, such as guard dogs and electric fences to protect livestock, and specifically to provide the relevant authorities with necessary knowledge about conflict management. Local interest groups were also targeted to improve attitudes towards the conservation of wolves and bears. Results LIFE EX-TRA improved the skills and knowledge of all of its participants in the four countries involved (Italy, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania) about the essential aspects of carnivore conservation: biological aspects, interactions with other species, conflict management and stakeholder involvement. In particular it: Organised 20 exchange of experience trips among the project's participants; Carried out ten training courses for veterinaries and other technical staff; Improved the attitude of local interest groups and stakeholders towards the conservation of wolf and bear through the organisation of 95 meetings; Increased the use of damage prevention tools, distributing 105 electric fences in Italy and Bulgaria and 91 livestock guard dogs in Romania; Set-up and ran Bear Emergency Teams (BET) in all countries involved, carrying out a total of 116 interventions, most of which involved bears being caught in snares or being in danger because they were causing excessive damage in specific places, and helping to save several bear individuals; Produced environmental benefits from reinforcing red deer stocks in Italy and Romania providing new food sources for large carnivores. In Italy a restocking programme released 54 deer and in Romania 24 feeding points (20 restored and four new ones) were set up between 2009 and 2012; Improved policy and legislation regarding large carnivores in countries like Bulgaria and Romania. In Greece the BET protocol was officially enforced in December 2013 and the protocol for damage monitoring is still waiting to be adopted; Created socio-economic impacts such as: a reduction of damages to flocks thanks to electric fences thus leading to entrepreneurs feeling more secure; stakeholders in Bulgaria and Romania have become more aware of the presence of large carnivores and of the proper procedures towards them; and improved damage monitoring procedures will help to improve the regulation and even distribution of compensation payments; Produced a wide array of awareness-raising and dissemination tools, reaching a total of 78 200 people; Organised a final conference in Abruzzo (IT) on the theme “Engaging local communities in nature conservation - developing a toolbox", attended by over 100 participants from 16 different countries; and Created a database with associated Web-GIS to monitor risk areas. Further information on the project can be found in the project's layman report and After-LIFE Conservation Plan (see "Read more" section).