Project LIFE Bears with future

The Project LIFE Bears with future “Improving key food resources and preventing winter conflicts for Cantabrian brown bears under climate change scenarios” – LIFE19 NAT/ES/000913 – is being developed under the coordination of the Brown Bear Foundation from October 2020 to March 2025. The associated beneficiaries of the project are the Biodiversity Foundation, dependent on the Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge, and the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León, dependent on the Castilla y León Regional Government. The Government of Asturias and the Castilla y León Regional Government collaborate in the project, and the Government of Asturias also contributes to the co-financing. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

Access the project’s Layman Report here

Cantabrian brown bears and climate change

Different climate prediction models and the Intergovernmental Panel for Climate Change foresee a 15% decrease in rainfall and an up to 4°C increase in temperature in the Cantabrian mountains by the end of the century. Similarly, regional climate change scenarios for Spain predict that by around 2040, winter temperatures in the high mountain areas will have risen by about 2°C, with this increase particularly notable in November and March, which, in all probability, will contribute towards lower rainfall/snowfall, even more than has already been detected in meteorological stations.

Climate change affects the brown bear, both ecologically and physiologically, especially with regard to hibernation

The scientific literature indicates that brown bears will become more active in winter, given that hibernation times will shorten. It appears that temperature has a greater effect on hibernation than food availability and in warmer winters bear enter into hibernation later and emerge earlier as well. Consequently, global warming favours the situation of bears hibernating less, or even not at all. In parallel with greater winter bear activity, human outdoor recreational activities are also increasing, especially in winter as a consequence of the warmer conditions and are predicted to increase further given forecasts of further warming. This convergence of presence may increase the possibility of bear encounters with humans.

Food availability and the production of tree and shrub fruits

Furthermore, changes in feeding patterns associated with climate change have already been noted in the Cantabrian mountains over the past few decades. Some plant species particularly susceptible to climate change, such as the bilberry, have lost their significance in the Cantabrian brown bear diet, possibly due to the growing irregularity in their fruiting patterns, while others, including cherry and alder buckthorn, appear to have increased in importance. The sweet chestnut can be considered as a key resource during the autumn fattening period in many areas due to the greater consistency in its fruiting pattern and given that the predicted climate change may favour its growth and fruiting in certain specific areas.

Objectives and actions of the project

The general objective of the project is to improve the adaptability of the brown bear to climate change in the Cantabrian Mountains allowing the achievement of a favourable conservation status of the species in the medium and long term, with an ecosystem-based approach, promoting best practices and solutions that favour the expansion of bear trophic resources and the prevention of human-bear conflicts.

ACTIONS OF THE PROJECT

A1. Signature of agreements with local administrations, sectoral organizations and landowners

A2. Identification of action areas and technical planning of plantations and forest treatments

A3. Climate change vulnerability assessment of brown bear critical areas in the Cantabrian Mountains

B1. Land purchase for the development of activities to improve chestnut trees and forest plantations

C1 Plantation of fruit trees to increase bear trophic availability

C2 Plantation of autochthonous chestnuts varieties to increase bear trophic availability

C3 Restoration and treatment of abandoned chestnut forests to increase fruit production and climatic resilience

D1. Monitoring the effectiveness of tree plantations and chestnut restoration treatments

D2. Measuring the impact of the project and monitoring the Key Project level indicators

D3. Evaluation of the socio-economic impact of the project

D4. Monitoring the impact of the project on ecosystem services

E1. Dissemination activities for the general public and networking

E2. Information, training and awareness of social actors and interest groups.

E3. Strategy of replicability and transferability of the lessons learned in the project

F1. Overall Project management

SPECIFIC OBJECTIVES

Contribute to the improvement of trophic availability in climate change scenarios by planting, treating or improving small forests of autochthonous species that produce fruits for the bears from summer to winter and have low climate vulnerability, to compensate for the foreseen reduction in other trophic resources.
Inform and raise awareness between the stakeholders involved in potential conflicts with bears less prone to hibernate, providing advice and guidance for the development of winter activities in bear areas.
Disseminate information and best practices generated in the project, contributing to the adaptation of the bear management to the expected impacts of climate and social change and facilitating the development of integrated adaptation and nature-based strategies by key stakeholders in these territories.

Project area

The project LIFE Bears with future is being developed between October 2020 and March 2025. The main conservation actions are carried out in 8 areas of the Natura 2000 Network: Peña Ubiña (ES1200011), Caldoveiro (ES1200012), Montovo-La Mesa (ES1200010), Fuentes del Narcea, Degaña and Ibias (ES1200056) and Somiedo (ES0000054) in Asturias, Alto Sil (ES0000210) and Sierra de los Ancares (ES4130010) in León and Fuentes Carrionas and Fuente Cobre-Montaña Palentina (ES4140011) in Palencia.
Conflict prevention and dissemination actions reach the entire distribution area of the Cantabrian brown bear.

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LIFE in action

More than 100,000 trees have been planted in northwestern Spain to secure the brown bear’s future food supply

5 April, 2024

The Brown Bear Foundation (FOP) continues to work within the framework of the LIFE Bears with Future project to adapt the species' habitat to climate change. Local work crews will finish the second planting campaign of the project in the coming days,…

Study into the impact of climate change on the wild cherry and its effects on the brown bear. December 2023

13 December, 2023

The climate change crisis will displace wild cherries to areas of higher altitude and this will have effects on the brown bear and other species. This is the principal conclusion of a study, fruit of the collaboration between the Biodiversity Research…

Review of the first plantings campaign of the LIFE Bears with Future project. October 2023

23 October, 2023

Checks of the tree plantations undertaken between last November and March as part of the first planting campaign of the LIFE Bears with future project, were made during September and October. During these checks, the percentage of successfully rooting…

New seed collection of native species of interest to the brown bear. September 2023

25 September, 2023

The new seed collection campaign of the LIFE Bears with Future project was carried out over the whole summer. It commenced in July with the collection of wild cherry (Prunus avium) fruits. Subsequently, in August, alder buckthorn (Frangula…

Activities with the Mycological Associations and Federations of the Cantabrian Mountains. July 2023

2 July, 2023

The LIFE Bears with Future project contemplates celebrating meetings with collectives who undertake recreational activities in bear areas. The objective is to interchange experiences and publicize the recommendations on how to safely move around…

Experiences interchange with the LIFE ARCPROM project in Pola de Somiedo (Asturias). May 2023

26 May, 2023

From 22 to 26 May 2023 and within the framework of the LIFE Bears with Future project, an international meeting was held in Somiedo (Asturias) with members of the LIFE ARCPROM project, which develops actions to improve the cohabitation…

64,966 trees planted during the first campaign of the LIFE Bears with Future. April 2023

25 April, 2023

64,966 trees have been planted on the Alto Sil area of León to improve the habitat for the brown bear under a climate change scenario. April 2023 The first planting campaign of the Brown Bear Foundation (FOP) was undertaken in the Alto…

Press visit to see the LIFE project actions. February 2023

18 February, 2023

LIFE BEARS WITH FUTURE Signing of collaboration agreements with the hunting federations of Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla y León. December 2023

27 December, 2022

Signing of collaboration agreements with the mountain sports federations of Asturias, Cantabria and Castilla y León. December 2022

23 December, 2022

The project’s first planting campaign commences in the Alto Sil in León. December 2022

15 December, 2022

Experiences exchange meeting in the French Pyrenees. October 2022

31 October, 2022

LIFE Bears with Future returns to the Naturcyl Fair. September 2022

30 September, 2022

Permanent exhibition on LIFE Bears with Future in Valporquero, León. August 2022

19 August, 2022

Starting this summer, the informative exhibition “Los osos de Arbolio” that the Fundación Oso Pardo (FOP) maintains permanently next to the Valporquero Cave, in León, incorporates three information panels on the LIFE Bears with Future project.The…

Second cherry seed collection campaign. July 2022.

3 July, 2022

In the month of July 2022, the different Official Seed Sources declared for the collection of cherry (Prunus avium) seeds in León and Asturias were visited to assess the quantity and condition of the fruit produced this season. Unlike the previous year…

The advice for visiting the mountains of the brown bear, in a cartoon video. June 2022

16 June, 2022

The project LIFE Bears with Future launches a new cartoon video presenting usefull advice to visit bear mountains that can be helpfull to improve safety of both bears and visitors. It is part of the information campaign of the project, which develops…

Technical networking and exchange visit with the LIFE Lynxconnect project. May 2022

21 May, 2022

As part of the networking actions and exchange of experiences between LIFE projects, in May 2022 two teams of technicians and managers of the Andalusian Government in the LIFE Lynxconnect project have made two visits to the Cantabrian Mountains to learn…

First visit of the external monitoring team to the LIFE Bears with Future. May 2022

20 May, 2022

On May 16 and 17, 2022, the first visit to the project was carried out by the representative of the external monitoring team (NEEMO) of the LIFE projects, with the participation of the project teams of the Fundación Oso Pardo, the Fundación Patrimonio…

Technical conferences on project advances and exchange of LIFE experiences. May 2022

19 May, 2022

Taking advantage of the visits by technical teams from the LIFE Lynxconnect project and other contacts established with other projects, in May 2022 two technical conferences were held to exchange experiences, which were also used to update the progress…

First chestnut grafting treatment. May 2022

18 May, 2022

In April and early May 2022, the field team of the LIFE “Bears with Future” project carried out the first forest treatment in chestnut forests corresponding to action C3 of the project. This first action has been carried out on a forest plot owned…

First meeting of the scientific committee of the project. March 2022.

9 March, 2022

On March 2 and 3, the first meeting of the Scientific Committee of the LIFE Bears with Future project was held in Villablino (León). The researchers and experts participating in the meeting have been Pedro Álvarez Álvarez and José Carlos Pérez Girón…

Progress in the preparation of the chestnut plants at the La Mata Forest Nursery in the Principality of Asturias. February 2022

9 February, 2022

The work team of the La Mata Forest Nursery (Grado, Asturias), dependent on the Principality of Asturias, has recently finished sowing the chestnuts collected last autumn in various Asturian official seed sources for the production of chestnut plants…

Identification and genetic characterization of ancient chestnut trees to obtain plant material of local varieties. December 2021

20 December, 2021

The LIFE Bears with Future project is going to plant 25,000 chestnut trees in bear areas in the Cantabrian Mountains to improve fruit production for the bear and biodiversity in general, contributing to the promotion of the chestnut tree and related…

Participation in the AMYBEAR international conference “Bear-human coexistence”. November 2021

16 November, 2021

On November 15 and 16, 2021, the final conference of the LIFE Amybear project “Improving Human-Bear Coexistence Conditions in the Municipality of Amyntaio” was held, combining a meeting in Amyntaio (Greece) and the online participation of specialists…

Networking and exchange of experiences before the arrival of the bear in Portugal. October 2021

30 October, 2021

On October 28 and 29, 2021, the networking event "What if the brown bear returns?" (www.ursopardo.pt) has been celebrated in Bragança (Portugal) with a meeting and exchange of experiences whose main objective has been to anticipate one of the great challenges…

LIFE Bears with Future at the Naturcyl Ecotourism Fair. September 2021

27 September, 2021

Between September 24 and 26, the fourth edition of the Castilla y León International Ecotourism Fair, NATURCYL, was held in the town of Ruesga, in the Montaña Palentina. The Brown Bear Foundation (FOP) has participated in the fair offering information…

First collection campaign of Alder Buckthorn seeds. September 2021

21 September, 2021

The Alder Buckthorn (Frangula alnus) is a deciduous shrub or tree that produces fleshy fruits that are highly valued by the brown bear and other frugivorous species. It generally appears in riparian forests, fresh hedges, birch forests, borders and oak…

Collection of field data for the climate change vulnerability analysis of fruit plant species important for the bear. August 2021

30 August, 2021

Since the beginning of the project ‘LIFE Bears with Future’, but especially since spring 2021, the project's field team has been collecting data on the species of trees and shrubs that produce fleshy fruits of most interest for the brown bear. The…

First cherry seed campaign collection. June 2021

30 June, 2021

One of the main species to be planted in the trophic enrichment forests foreseen in the ‘LIFE Bears with Future’ project is the cherry tree (Prunus avium). To begin with the production of locally sourced seedlings, in this month of June 2021, the…

Agreement for the preparation of chestnut plants grafted with local varieties in La Mata Forest Nursery (Principado de Asturias). June 2021

30 June, 2021

After several meetings and preparatory work, on June 15, 2021 a working meeting was held at La Mata Forest Nursery (Grado, Asturias) for the organization and preparation of the chestnut plant production campaign for the project ‘LIFE Bears with Future’.…

Presentation of the “Bears with Future” LIFE Project. March 2021

11 March, 2021

The “Bears with Future” LIFE Project, with the objective of facilitating the adaptation of the brown bear to climate change, was presented to the media on 11th March. The project’s actions, co-financed by the European LIFE program, will be undertaken…

Summary of the LIFE Bears with Future

Project area

Project Brochure

Project roll up

Infographic: the work with chestnut trees

Infographic: advise for fungi collectors

Infographic: climate change and wildfires in bear areas

Infographic: advise for wildlife photographers

Infographic: winter sports in bear areas

Links

This website has been made with the contribution of the LIFE Programme of the European Union.
The information included in this website reflects only the view of the LIFE Bears with future beneficiaries. Neither the European Climate, Infrastructure and Environment Executive Agency (CINEA) nor the European Commission are responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.

Project LIFE Bears with future

Cantabrian brown bears and climate change

Objectives and actions of the project

Project area

LIFE in action

Documentation

Links

FUNDACIÓN OSO PARDO