Over the last few months the dissemination activities of the project have been ongoing to raise awareness of the brown bears’ situation in the Cantabrian interpopulation corridor, the strategy to improve connectivity and also about the need to promote a good co-existence between the conservation of the bear and human activity in the territory.

In February 2016 the project coordinator, together with the FOP president, have participated in the “V Charlas Medioambientales” , organised by the Palencia Association of Environmental and Forestry Agents, in Cervera de Pisuerga, where they presented the latest data on the connectivity between the two Cantabrian bear populations and the activities of project LIFE. In March 2016 the project was presented at the Social Ecology Conference, organised by Triodos Bank in San Sebastian. In April 2016 the project’s plans and outcomes were presented at the 3rd conference on the Conservation of Biodiversity organised by the University of Salamanca.

April 2016

Posters announcing some of the presentations of the LIFE Defragmentation Bear project.

From October to March, the second plantation campaign has been carried out in the LIFE Bear Defragmentation project. The work has been undertaken by 14 forest workers and one forestry foreman hired from among the local unemployed in the municipalities in the project area. A forestry company has also been contracted to do the hole-digging with a spider excavator.

Between the first and second plantation campaign 61,869 trees have been planted in 178 connectivity forests distributed through diverse areas of the corridor and covering a total surface area of 69 ha. Also 9,750 trees have been planted over 9 ha to create 18 channelling forests close to the best crossings on the AP66 highway, and 8,092 alpine buckthorns in over 11 ha have been planted in adequate limestone areas. There are still some areas pending plantation, which will take place over 2016.

The final results of the two campaigns have exceeded the initial expectations of the project. Based on the preparatory work and advice from the technical services of the Castilla y León government, higher than expected densities were planted , depending on whether the spider excavator was able to access the terrain. In some areas, the saplings have been protected from herbivores by provisional perimeter fences and in the other zones using protective tree tubes. The first monitoring of the plantations looks very favourable, pointing to success with high survival rates and good growth.

April 2016

Members of the project team prepared to begin the planting work in Robledo de Caldas.

On Saturday 17th October, volunteers planted a part of the project’s acquired terrains in the Gete valley . The 20 volunteers taking part in the planting are employees from Gas Natural FENOSA. The work was undertaken within the framework of the energy company’s Corporate Environment Volunteer Programme and in collaboration with Fundación Global Nature. Gas Natural Fenosa have partnered the Bear Defragmentation LIFE project since the beginning and have contributed to its co-funding.

The work comprised the planting of 150 trees that are beneficial for the bears in land acquired for the project, to improve trophic availability for the bear in an area of great importance within the interpopulation corridor. The volunteers received preliminary explanations on the development of the plantation, The work was coordinated by the LIFE project team and ended with an outdoor picnic and an interesting debate about the project and the conservation of the brown bear. The experience was very satisfactory for both the volunteers and the company.

October 2015

Volunteers of Gas Natural FENOSA planting fruit trees in the interpopulation corridor of the Cantabrian brown bear.

Over the summer of 2015 LIFE project dissemination activities have continued focussing on the project itself, its goals and outcomes, both inside the Cantabrian brown bear interpopulation corridor, and in the surrounding areas and for different collectives.               

Among other activities, the project coordinator has held conferences and debates in the towns of Cármenes and  Villamanín in August, with high levels of participation and interest; we also participated in the Wolf and Bio event held in Riaño in September and in professional courses like those held in Potes in June, in collaboration with the Cantabria University , and in Villablino in September, in collaboration with the Polytechnic University of Madrid . Over 100 people have taken part in these events.

June to September 2015

Students of the course “Habitat and Connectivity Management for the conservation of the Cantabrian brown bear”, organized by the FOP and the Polytechnic University of Madrid, during a visit to the surroundings of the AP-66 highway in the interpopulation corridor of the brown bear

Conference and debate on the project LIFE and the brown bear in the municipality of Cármenes