Ongoing Outreach and Awareness-Raising for Human-Bear Coexistence

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This June, the Brown Bear Foundation (FOP), coordinator of the project LIFE Human Bear Coex took part in two local fairs: the Narcenatur Fair, organised by the Cangas del Narcea Town Council (Asturias) from 5 to 7 June, and the fair held on 20 June in the village of Treceño (Cantabria), organised by the Valdáliga Town Council and the Cantabrian Hunting Federation. On both occasions, FOP provided information materials and organised environmental education activities.

The activities held at the FOP stand aimed to increase public knowledge and awareness of the brown bear and to showcase the actions being carried out as part of the LIFE Human Bear Coex project. While children coloured wildlife drawings and learned to identify the tracks of different species, the FOP team spoke with adult visitors, providing information and recommendations on how to prevent and mitigate potential conflicts between people and bears. Visitors were also informed about the possibility of receiving support in conflict situations, as well as about the measures needed to prevent bears from becoming habituated to human presence and to food sources of human origin. “Zero habituated bears” is the goal of the LIFE project coordinated by FOP.

FOP’s participation in local events and fairs is particularly valuable, as it provides an opportunity to establish direct contact with the people who share the territory with brown bears, as well as with those who engage in tourism and recreational activities in bear areas.

Sharing Experiences in the Pyrenees

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The Forest Science and Technology Center of Catalonia (CTFC), in Solsona (Lleida), hosted managers and scientists who work with brown bear populations on both sides of the Pyrenees and with other European populations, from 27 to 29 May. The meeting, now in its third edition, was organised by the Research Network on Brown bear in the Pyrenees (ROPE).

The Pyrenees are seeing a recovery in their bear population, which now numbers over one hundred individuals. The challenges of coexistence with human activities are not very different from those faced by other small bear populations across Europe. In this context, the Brown Bear Foundation (FOP) was invited to give a presentation entitled “Coexistence between People and a Growing Bear Population in the Cantabrian Mountains”, based on the experience gained through the project LIFE Human Bear Coex, coordinated by FOP and funded by the European Union.

The meeting provided an excellent opportunity to learn about progress in bear conservation in the Pyrenees, as well as to take part in a valuable exchange of experiences, knowledge and ideas with the participants.