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Biography

Miha works as an associate professor at the Department of Biology (Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana), where he teaches courses related to animal ecology, ecosystem ecology, and conservation. He is also working as a visiting scientist at the Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research (IZW, Germany) and CIBIO/BioPolis (Portugal), and as a guest lecturer at the University of Oxford (U.K.), the University of Porto (Portugal), the University of Maribor (Slovenia) and the University of Primorska (Slovenia). He also serves as a member of several specialist groups within the IUCN Species Survival Commission (Cat Specialist Group, Canid Specialist Group, Bear Specialist Group and Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe). His main research focus is on carnivore ecology, management, and conservation in Europe, Asia, and Africa. His primary study species include the Eurasian lynx, brown bear, grey wolf, wildcat, African big cats, snow leopard, hyenas, jackals, and he is also involved in research on wild ungulates, raptors, ravens, and lizards.


Selected Bibliography

Ranc, N., Wilmers, C., Maiorano, L., Warton, D., Álvares, F., Cagnacci, F. , Hatlauf, J., ... & Krofel, M. 2026. Human shielding from wolves facilitates jackal expansion across Europe.  – Nature Ecology & Evolution. doi: 10. 1038/ s41559- 026- 03060- y

Potts, J. et al. 2026. Understanding mammal avoidance of human settlements.  – Journal of Animal Ecology, 95: 1504-1517. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.70298

Allen, M.L., Šabeder, N., Oliveira, T., Portas, R., Žagar, A., Melzheimer, J., Wachter, B., Krofel, M. 2026. Individual variation in leopard (Panthera pardus) prey composition in Namibian farmlands highlights the importance of wild prey over livestock. – Biodiversity and Conservation, 35: 209. doi: 10.1007/s10531-026-03413-w

Branch, D., Curk, T., Portas, R., Cloete, C., Melzheimer, J., Aschenborn, O., Krofel, M. 2026. Does repeated darting of lions affect their habitat selection and tourist-viewing opportunities? – Global Ecology and Conservation, 65: e04007. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2025.e04007

Treves, A., et al. 2026. Removing wolves did not reliably prevent domestic animal losses. - Conservation Science and Practice, 8: e70388. doi: 10.1111/csp2.7038

Liang, Y., et al. 2026. Age-specific patterns of reproductive success in wild female Eurasian lynx across Europe. – Biology Letters, 22: 20250748. doi: 10.1098/rsbl.2025.0748

Krofel, M. et al. 2025. Multidisciplinary monitoring and stakeholder engagement support large carnivore restoration in human-dominated landscape. – Ecological Applications, 35: e70052. doi: 10.1002/eap.70052

Torres-Romero, E.J. et al. 2025. Global Scale Assessment of the Human-Induced Extinction Crisis of Terrestrial Carnivores. – Science Advances, 11: eadq2853. doi: 10.1126/sciadv.adq28

Serva, D., Iannella, M., Biondi, M., Krofel, M. 2025. Integrating habitat suitability, connectivity, and individual-based models to guide priorities for the creation of a lynx metapopulation in Southeastern Europe. – Biological Conservation, 310: 111381. doi: 10.1016/j.biocon.2025.11138

Krofel, M., Oliveira, T., Rovero, F., Groff, C., Augugliaro, C., Oberosler, V., Allen, M.L. 2025.  Communication behavior of the snow leopard (Panthera uncia): understanding marking-behavior patterns to optimize camera-trapping studies. – Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 79: 32. doi: 10.1007/s00265-025-03574-8

Oliveira, T. et al. 2025. Ecological and intrinsic drivers of foraging parameters of Eurasian lynx across Europe. – Journal of Animal Ecology, 94: 154–167. doi: 10.1111/1365-2656.14228

LaBarge, L.R., Krofel, M., Allen, M.L., Hill, R.A., Welch, A.J., Allan, A.T.L. 2024. Keystone individuals - Linking Predator Traits to Community Ecology. – Trends in Ecology and Evolution, 39(11): 983-994. doi: 10.1016/j.tree.2024.07.001

Burton, A.C. et al. 2024. Mammal responses to global changes in human activity vary by trophic group and landscape. – Nature Ecology & Evolution, 8: 924-935. doi: 10.1038/s41559-024-02363-2

Čonč, Š., Oliveira, T., Belotti, E., Bufka, L., Černe, R., Heurich, M., Breg Valjavec, M., Krofel, M. 2024. Revealing functional responses in habitat selection of rocky features and rugged terrain by Eurasian lynx (Lynx lynx) using LiDAR data. – Landscape Ecology, 39: 121. doi: 10.1007/s10980-024-01923-y

Portas, R. & Krofel, M. 2024. Spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) predation on passerine birds in Namibia. – Food Webs, e00340. doi: 10.1016/j.fooweb.2024.e00340

Tucker, M. et al. 2023. Behavioral responses of terrestrial mammals to COVID-19 lockdowns. – Science, 380: 1059-1064. doi: 10.1126/science.abo6499

Entire bibliography: https://sites.google.com/site/mihakrofel/bibliography