PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Cantabrian brown bear population is making a positive comeback although it has not yet been granted Favourable Conservation Status (FCS). The increase in the numbers of bears, combined with the species behavioural ecology and the social changes occurring in rural areas, has led to a rise in interactions between bears and humans, resulting in conflicts. To address the anticipated rise in damage to beehives, fruit trees, or livestock; measures have been implemented to protect apiaries, orchards, and farms, while preventing attacks, and enhancing inspection procedures to facilitate compensation for damages.
Another foreseeable consequence of the increase in bear numbers and the cessation of human persecution is the emergence of bears habituated to human presence and even individuals that become accustomed to anthropogenic food sources such as garbage. This situation has recently been observed in some Cantabrian villages, and although the number of cases is still relatively low, it is on the rise each year. The presence of bears inside or in close proximity to villages can not only cause discomfort among the local population and reduce their tolerance toward bears but also elevate the potential for dangerous situations, both for bears and humans.
Action has been taken through the implementation of the Bear Intervention Protocol by the autonomous administrations (approved by the State Commission for Natural Heritage and Biodiversity in January 2019). However, it is imperative to introduce new measures and best practices at the local administration level to prevent and mitigate these escalating conflicts.
The main targeted threat if no action is developed is the increase in the number and intensity of conflict situations between bears and humans in human settlements and their surroundings and the reduction in the favourable social perception of the species and the social support for its conservation, putting at risk the process of population and spatial recovery and the achievement of the FCS.
OBJECTIVES
The general objective of the project is to prevent and mitigate ongoing and future conflicts between bears and humans that occur in villages and other human settlements in the Cantabrian Mountains. To achieve this, the project aims to reinforce the role of the municipalities and the local administration so that they ensure the application of best practices.
The specific objectives are the following:
- Prevent potential conflicts with bears in human settlements and their environs through the maintenance of security perimeters in villages, the dissuasive planting of fruit trees outside villages, and the distribution of information from city councils to neighbourhoods;
- Manage ongoing conflicts with bears in human settlements and their surroundings through the protection of attractive elements, by testing new methods and monitoring the early warning of conflicts between bears and people;
- Inform and sensitize the neighbours and social actors about the prevention of conflicts with bears in human settlements, establishing robust waste management systems, promoting the role of municipalities and reducing social concerns to enhance the coexistence between bears and people.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Establishment of two territorial management and advisory committees.
- Education and training of some 40 technicians, workers, or political leaders from the nine project municipalities in the prevention of human-bear conflicts.
- Operation of three prevention teams composed of people from the area hired and trained in the prevention of human-bear conflicts in human settlements.
- Cleaning and maintenance of security perimeters around at least 120 villages or human settlements at risk or with a track record of incidents of conflict.
- Cleaning and maintenance of a minimum of 100 footpath or trails up to 300 kilometres (kms) between or near villages with risk or previous presence of bear conflict situations.
- Plantation and maintenance of 50 000 mainly cherry and plum trees in 250 fruit orchards with an average area of 0.4 hectares (ha), located away from human settlements.
- Establishment of communication channels between town halls to inform inhabitants about the presence of bears.
- Protection of domestic animal facilities in settlements or their surroundings through 200 electrified fences and other appropriate protection mechanisms.
- Installation of 45 bear-proof containers and 45 bear-proof bin housings for the development of pilot tests in the nine project municipalities.
- Installation of 90 motion activated animal repellers in fruit trees, waste disposal containers or other areas which draw in bear populations to test performance and efficiency.
- Collection of information and establishment of early warnings systems in some 160 estimated cases of potentially conflictive presence of bears.
- Monitoring and radiotracking of 10 bears involved in problems or conflicts in human settlements.
- Distribution of informative content on a website and more than 96 publications on social media networks.
- Creation and distribution of informative material such as presentation brochures, booklets, a video on waste management in rural areas, a video on environmental education and other educational tools.
- Development of an information campaign with more than 160 meetings and talks to neighbours, establishments and social actors in the territory on recommendations and application of best practices to improve co-habitation.
- Environmental education campaign involving 2 335 schoolchildren from 27 rural schools in the municipalities of the project.
- Publication of more than 40 news items and preparation of eight informational releases for distribution to local and regional media.
- Business development strategy for the promotion of socio-economic activities to nurture the conservation of the brown bear.
- Networking and exchange visits with at least five projects with similar or complementary goals.
- Evaluations of the social perception of the presence of bears in human settlements.
- After-LIFE Conservation Plan, including analysis of economic viability of continuity of preventive actions.
- Information and capacity-building to apply for funding from the Common Agricultural Policy (CAP) and other potential donors to expand preventive measures.
- Proposal to replicate and presentation of lessons learned in 12 municipalities of the Cantabrian Mountains.
- Proposal for transferability of results to other European bear populations.
