About us
Our team
MIROSLAV KUTAL
Miroslav Kutal studied Systematic Biology and Ecology at Palacký University in Olomouc and went on to obtain doctor's degree in the field of Forest Ecology at Mendel University in Brno, where he still works as a researcher. Since 2002, he has been a project coordinator at Friends of the Earth Czech Republic, focusing on protection and monitoring of large carnivores. Currently, he is the main coordinator of the FoE local group Hnutí DUHA Olomouc. He writes both scientific and popular articles about large carnivores, and is the lead author and editor of a monograph “Large Carnivores in Moravia and Silesia”, which received the CULS Rector's award for the best publication in 2014. Miroslav is also a Czech representative at the IUCN Species Survival Commission's Large Carnivore Initiative for Europe (LCIE).
MICHAL BOJDA
You will most likely find Michal in the Javorníky Mountains at the Czech-Slovak border, where he is at home. He studied geography and natural history at Faculty of Education, Masaryk University in Brno. He has been participating in the monitoring and protection of large carnivores since 2005. In 2008, he became a lead coordinator of school educational programmes focused on large carnivores. Michal is also a member of ČSOP (Czech Union for Nature Conservation) organization Rožnov pod Radhoštěm. He enjoys sports and wanderings in the Moravian and Slovakian Carpathians.
MARTIN VÁŇA
Martin joined the project as a Wolf Patrols volunteer in 2004. Since 2005, he has been a member of the coordination team for the field monitoring. Martin’s work on the FoE large carnivore conservation project mainly involves data processing and the distribution of educational materials. He graduated from the Czech University of Life Sciences in Prague where he studied Applied Ecology and later went on to study Protection and Creation of Landscape at Palacký University in Olomouc. He became a happy father in 2012.
JOSEFA VOLFOVÁ
Josefa studied Protection and Creation of Landscape at Palacký University in Olomouc. She joined Friends of the Earth Czech Republic as a volunteer participating in the monitoring of large carnivores and became a coordinator of the Lynx Patrols in the Bohemian Forest in June 2013. In her spare time, she likes to wander in the remote corners of our country.
HANA RINGLOVÁ
A student of Applied Ecology at Palacky University in Olomouc, Hana joined Friends of the Earth CZ as a “Wolf Patrols” volunteer in winter 2011. Additionally, she ensures the smooth running of the e-shop, designing the organic cotton t-shirts and other large carnivore themed products. In her spare time, she enjoys gardening and care of domestic animals, as well as watching and tracking wildlife, which she combines with hiking in the mountains.
KRISTÝNA FRIDRICHOVÁ
Kristýna was introduced to the large carnivore monitoring as a volunteer of “Lynx Patrols” in the Bohemian Forest and became a huge fan of the lynx. She continues with the monitoring in her home region, Jizera Mountains, where she coordinates the “Wolf Patrols” since 2016. Things which make her happy include colourful forests, wild and not-so-wild animals, and good people.
JAN KORANDA
Jan joined “Wolf Patrols” in 2012 in the Beskydy Mountains. Currently, he is monitoring large carnivores in the Broumov region, where he comes from. He studies Applied Ecology at the Czech Technical University in Prague. He likes to discover the hidden places of his beloved Broumov region, the area known for sandstone rock formations. But he goes anywhere the wolf footprints lead him.
ŠTĚPÁNKA KADLECOVÁ
Štěpánka fell in love with the Ore Mountains (Krušné hory) and decided to open a hostel there for any chilled out people. She got her first tracking experience when looking for her “wolf-like” dog friend that went missing for nearly three weeks. This and some other events eventually led her to become a coordinator of “Wolf Patrols” in the Ore Mountains.
Many volunteers participate in the project of large carnivores’ protection. They are the members of Wolf and Lynx Patrols who monitor the occurrence of wolves, lynx, and bears in the Czech Republic.
