The political and economic changes of recent decades are having an impact on the European rural environment, resulting in conflicting situations around the recovery of habitats and wildlife species (often symbolised by the wolf) and rural communities. These conflicts are being addressed by the EU through technical and economical measures but there is a general failure to recognise the importance of their social and cultural aspects. Anthropology can contribute by highlighting the overall context and the complexity of factors affecting people's perceptions of wildlife and the rural landscape. Using a multi-disciplinary approach we will examine how the domestic dog, as a victim or as a mean of protection, modulates the man – wolf conflict. This will link anthropological conceptual models and concrete attempts to address material aspects of this conflict, and to use this case study as a lens to examine wider issues associated with how rural people perceive their relationship with the various elements of the landscape they inhabit. We will conduct fieldwork using innovative methodology, crossing the traditional anthropological qualitative approach with quantitative, spatial and visual ones borrowed from other disciplines. Moreover, a cross comparison between different landscape users coming from different regions (Poland, Norway and FYROM) will help illuminate the influence of the specific set of environmental and social / cultural circumstances. The combination between 1) the scientific quality of the host institution, focused on multi-disciplinary and applied research within the fields of biodiversity conservation, natural resource management and rural development and 2) the interdisciplinary profile of the applicant, experienced in anthropological theories and fieldwork, is relevant to develop multidisciplinary conflict research in Europe and advance the career of a competitive interdisciplinary researcher in more applied anthropology.