LIFE DINALP BEAR
Published on 09 November 2020
Slovenia
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About this good practice
In the fragmented landscape of Europe, one of the most important goals in conservation and management of brown bears is transboundary, population level coordination. The aim of the project LIFE DINALP BEAR was to try to overcome this obstacle in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Italy.
Main conservation issues:
• Human-bear conflicts and insufficient conflict mitigation measures.
• Management fragmentation and poor transboundary cooperation in brown bear monitoring and management.
• Obstacles to brown bear population expansion that limit long-term population viability and evolutionary potential.
• Poor understanding of the value of brown bears, exaggerated perception of bear attack risks, and consequently lower tolerance of bears.
• Increasing fragmentation of habitat caused by expanding traffic infrastructure and urbanization.
The project’s overall objectives were to:
• Establish a strategic and landscape-level approach to the conservation, management, and monitoring of brown bears in Northern Dinaric Mountains and South Eastern Alps.
• Decrease human-bear conflicts and promote better coexistence.
• Encourage natural expansion of brown brown bears from the Dinaric Mts. into the Alps.
Main stakeholders: farmers, hunters, local comunities,
Main conservation issues:
• Human-bear conflicts and insufficient conflict mitigation measures.
• Management fragmentation and poor transboundary cooperation in brown bear monitoring and management.
• Obstacles to brown bear population expansion that limit long-term population viability and evolutionary potential.
• Poor understanding of the value of brown bears, exaggerated perception of bear attack risks, and consequently lower tolerance of bears.
• Increasing fragmentation of habitat caused by expanding traffic infrastructure and urbanization.
The project’s overall objectives were to:
• Establish a strategic and landscape-level approach to the conservation, management, and monitoring of brown bears in Northern Dinaric Mountains and South Eastern Alps.
• Decrease human-bear conflicts and promote better coexistence.
• Encourage natural expansion of brown brown bears from the Dinaric Mts. into the Alps.
Main stakeholders: farmers, hunters, local comunities,
Resources needed
The project that targeted the brown bear (Ursus arctos) population in Northern Dinaric Mountains and South Eastern Alps was mainly funded by the European Commission’s LIFE+ programme. The project started in July 2014 and concluded in June 2019.
Project budget 5,987,478 EUR
Project budget 5,987,478 EUR
Evidence of success
The bear population size is increasing. In Slovenia, the increase was 41,3 % in the 8-year period (from 2007 to 2015). In 2020, approx. 1000 bears live in Slovenian forests. Despite a significant bear population growth, the conflict rate and the number of damage cases have not increased. In overall for Slovenia and Croatia, bear traffic mortality was reduced by 25 %.
Potential for learning or transfer
The Interreg Europe BIOGOV project partner from Bulgaria – the Bulgarian Management Association - has been inspired by the presentation of human –bear conflict mitigation practices during the Peer Review presentation in Slovenia.
Further information
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other
Slovenia
Zahodna Slovenija
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