Justification
European regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
EU 27 regional assessment: Least Concern (LC)
The European Brown Bear population (including European Russia) is relatively large (c. 55,000 individuals) and occupies a large range. Overall, the population trend is believed to be stable. Consequently, it is classed as Least Concern. In the EU 27 Member States, there are fewer than 10,000 mature bears and more than 30,000 km²; the total area and numbers are on the slight but steady rise. Consequently, it is also assessed as Least Concern for the EU Member States. Continued protection is required to ensure the continuing current recovery of this species as described by Chapron et al. (2014). The IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria have been applied for isolated populations of Brown Bears following the guidance of Gärdenfors et al. (2001) and IUCN (2012a). As suggested by Gärdenfors et al. (2001) and IUCN (2012b): "If the taxon is endemic to the region or the regional population is isolated, the Red List Category defined by the criteria should be adopted unaltered. If, on the other hand, conspecific populations outside the region are judged to affect the regional extinction risk, the regional Red List Category should be changed to a more appropriate level that reflects the extinction risk as defined by criterion E (IUCN 2001, 2012a). In most cases, this will mean down-listing the category obtained in step two, because populations within the region may experience a rescue effect from populations outside the region”. Following this directive, some adjustments have been made based on three criteria:
- Fracture width. The distance, measured in average female dispersal distance, from a population boundary to a large, healthy population. We use female dispersal distance because our definition of an isolated population is < 1 female immigrant per generation. This logic was informed by Proctor et al. (2012) which detailed sex-specific fragmentation of populations across much of western North America.
- Fracture severity. The degree that the fracture is potentially permeable to dispersing female bears with improved management actions.
- Actual applied management actions. The level of management actions that are being applied to improve the probability of female movement into the isolated population. These actions are usually improving conditions within the fracture but can also be based on successful (moved bears produce offspring) augmentation.
These criteria were not quantified for all subpopulations for this analysis, although, with a major effort they could be, at least to some degree. In this assessment, actual movement data based on radio telemetry or genetic sampling were used in several areas but in others, they were qualified subjectively. Several populations are assessed under category D (isolated and small number of mature individuals). For purposes here, mature individuals are assumed to represent 55% of the total population, and an isolated population is defined as one that has less than one female immigrant per generation (10 years). Such information is unavailable for many populations but, based on knowledge of female Brown Bear dispersal rates and distances (Swenson
et al. 1998), it is possible to estimate the degree of isolation for populations where data on bear movements are absent. Brown Bears in portions of northeastern Europe (Karelian and Baltic) are connected to the large North Eurasian population (≈100,000) that spreads across Russia. Other populations are smaller and isolated. All populations except two (Central Apennine - Abruzzi and Cantabrian) are shared among two or more countries. Population-level management across national borders has been generally accepted; however, the implementation of this concept is far from satisfactory, especially in countries not implementing their own national plans. Agreements between countries include various degrees of coordinated-management (France with Spain, Greece with Bulgaria, Slovenia with Croatia, Sweden with Norway), sharing information (Sweden and Norway, Croatia, Slovenia Italy and Austria), or most commonly, working groups have been established among scientists or managers. However, in no case is there a formal population-level management plan as outlined in Linnell
et al. (2008).
Description of ten Brown Bear subpopulations in Europe (see table 3, attached)- Alpine
In 2016, an estimated slightly increasing population of 41‒69 bears lived in four countries in an area of approximately 12,200 km² of the Alps of Italia (Trentino, Veneto and Friuli provinces) 49-66, Switzerland 1-3, Austria 0-4, and Slovenia: 5-8. The most important potential connection is with the Dinaric-Pindos population in Slovenia. A few male bears have been shown to move between these two populations in both directions. Initiatives to coordinate and harmonise bear management between Italy, Switzerland, Austria and even Germany are currently underway. However, food conditioning and/or habituated bears remain a management challenge. Low social tolerance to even minor bear-caused damages to property and perceived risks to public safety have led to the sanctioned killing of three recent immigrant bears in Germany (1) and Switzerland (2), as well as in Italy (Trento) (2). Red List Category: CR - Criteria: D1.
- Central Apennine
Located mostly in the Abruzzi area in Italy, a population of 45‒69 bears is spread over 6,400 km² (Gervasi et al. 2012). This small population appears to have been stable or slightly increasing over the last decade but has been isolated for over a century with no possibility to re-establish connectivity. Occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents occur and the population has not increased in size despite regular reproduction. Red List Category: CR - Criteria: D1.
- Eastern Balkans
Mostly in Bulgaria in three segments with about 421 bears, but also in Greece and Serbia with about 42 (25-98) and 3-5 bears, respectively, this population occupies about 39,000 km². The population is considered stable with 613 (468-665) bears although the estimates fluctuate as the assessment methods improve (Ministry of Environment and Waters 2008, Zlatanova et al. 2009). The Greek part of the Rila-Rhodope segment is near the Dinaric-Pindos population and only recently the first evidence on a possible connection between these two populations has been demonstrated (Pylidis 2015). To the north of the Stara-Planina segment, there is a potential, but unproven connection to the Carpathian population. Within the Eastern Balkans, the main challenge is to maintain connections among the three segments of this population. Bulgaria has developed a new bear management plan and controversies seem to have diminished. In Greece, habitat fragmentation mainly due to motorways remains a conservation concern. Red List Category: VU. Criteria: D1.
- Baltic
This population includes Estonia (700 bears) and Latvia (10-15 bears), occupying 50,400 km², and growing (Kaczensky et al. 2013). These bears appear to be connected with bears in the Russian Federation. Here they are separated into their own population for administrative reasons, and also to produce units of practical size with more homogeneous ecological and management conditions. Due to their connection with bears in Russia and Belarus, these populations are large and occupy a large area safeguarding their favourable conservation status. However, the lack of reliable and regular information from Russia or Belarus makes it difficult to assess changes in population size or range. Red List Category: LC.
- Cantabrian
Totally isolated for over a century, this population of about 328 bears occupies 7,700 km² of northwestern Spain. It is subdivided into a western segment that shows an obvious increase (from three females with cubs in 1994 to 40 in 2016), whereas the eastern segment is possibly stable but there are few females with offspring (females with cubs are used as an index of population size). Red List Category: EN. Criteria: D1.
- Carpathian
With about 7,630 bears, this is the second largest of European populations (considering Karelian with NE Europe), and is shared among five countries: Romania (5,850-6,300), Poland (about 100), Serbia North (8-10), Slovakia (1,034-1,489), and Ukraine (about 320), within an area of 122,600 km². Brown Bears are only occasionally recorded in Hungary and the Czech Republic. The closest next population is in northern Bulgaria and southeastern Serbia, but the movement of individual bears may be very restricted due to the Danube, which acts as a physical barrier. Due to a lack of knowledge about the situation within Ukraine, the connection between the Romanian bears with those in the Slovak-Polish Carpathians is uncertain. There is already an important gap along the Slovak-Polish border between the western and eastern parts of the northern Carpathian range where human infrastructures isolate the bears in western Slovakia. That linkage zone is occasionally visited by dispersing males, but no reproduction has been documented so far. Furthermore, the bears in the Apuseni Mountains in Romania are tenuously connected with the rest of the Romanian Carpathians and the recent development of transportation infrastructure may cut them off completely. Red List Category: LC (assuming some bears cross the various barriers).
- Dinaric-Pindos
This ~3,940 bear population is shared by nine countries, with an extent of occurrence of 115,300 km²: Slovenia (564), Croatia (937), Bosnia and Herzegovina (1,000), Montenegro (378), North Macedonia (375), Albania (190), Serbia (120), Kosovo: (unknown) and Greece (450-500). The northern portion of this population is close to the Alpine population; bears in the Italian Alps and Slovenia are weakly connected by male dispersers. However, there is not a continuous distribution of female bears within the Alps. Historical connections with the Carpathian population through Serbia and with the Eastern Balkans through North Macedonia are broken. In Slovenia, human‒bear conflicts are making it a challenge to allow for the spreading of the population into the Alps. With Croatia entering the EU, the status of bears was changed from “game species” to “fully protected”. Hunting is now termed 'culling' and is justified under the EU derogation regulation, which has weakened hunters’ support for bear management (Habitat Directive). This population is shared by many countries and is subject to widely varying monitoring methods and standards. There is a general lack of information from Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia. There is no monitoring and no management plans in these countries. There appears to be limited or even no connectivity among portions of this population in Montenegro, Albania, Kosovo and North Macedonia dividing the population into likely subpopulations, some of which continue to decline. There is a high likelihood of increased fracturing of this population and continued decline in important portions of the distribution. Red List Category: VU. Criteria: C2a(i).
- Karelian
About 1,660 bears are shared by Finland (1,780) and northern Norway (35) within 381,500 km². The Karelian population likely has some genetic exchange with the Scandinavian population to the south and west. This population is linked to the Baltic bear population via the large continental North Eurasian population (>100,000 bears) with bears in Belarus and Russia. Being part of this large population enhances their conservation status. However, the lack of reliable and regular information from Belarus or Russia makes it difficult to assess population or range changes. Red List Category: LC (in connection with Russia west of 35°E).
- Pyrenean
There are a minimum of 43 bears detected in 2017 shared by France, Spain and intermittently Andorra, within an area of 17,200 km² in the Pyrenees Mountains. It has been totally isolated for over a century, and divided into western and central segments, with little interchange among these. The last female of Pyrenean ancestry died in 2004, leaving the western segment with no females. The central segment has been growing since reintroductions from Slovenia in 1996–1997, 2006 and 2016, but genetically these are not Pyrenean bears. There is no possibility of re-establishing connectivity to any other population in the short term, but future reintroductions are planned in the western Pyrenees. Some losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents still occur. Red List Category: CR. Criteria: D1.
- Scandinavian
The bulk of this population resides in Sweden (2,782 bears) and the rest in south-central Norway (35), within 466,700 km² (Kindberg et al. 2011). The population is potentially connected with the Karelian population through dispersing males, but probably not females. The major pressure in Norway remains to the issue of damages to unguarded free-ranging sheep. This chronic conflict has led to parliament setting very low population targets for recovery. Although conflicts have been low in Sweden, new conflicts are appearing as bears expand into more densely populated areas to the south and as Swedish authorities have become more liberal in allowing the killing of bears on the calving grounds of domestic reindeer. However, generally, the bear is well accepted and managed in Sweden. In the national Red Lists, the Brown Bear is listed as NT in Sweden and EN in Norway, both based on the D1 criterion. Although conflicts have been low in Sweden, new conflicts are appearing as bears expand into more densely populated areas to the south. However, generally, the bear is well accepted and managed in Sweden. Red List Category: LC.
Geographic Range Information
The Brown Bear is the most widely distributed ursid. The species is widespread in Europe, however, subpopulations in Europe are highly fragmented, and some are extremely small and isolated. Details of the European subpopulations are given below (following LCIE 2007):
1. Cantabrian
Presently there are two bear nuclei in the Cantabrian Mountains in Spain. They are defined as the western and eastern portions.
2. Pyrenees
Western Pyrenees: the Western Pyrenean Brown Bear subpopulation is found in a 1,000 km² area located on both sides of the national border between France and Spain in the western portion of the Pyrenees Mountain Range. However, only about one-half of this area is used regularly.
Central Pyrenees: the Central Pyrenean Brown Bear subpopulation is on both sides of the national border between France and Spain in the central portion of the Pyrenees Mountain Range including Andorra.
3. Alps
Presently there used to be three bear nuclei in the Alps. In Central Austria there was a small nucleus originated from three bears released in 1989-1993, into an area with a naturally occurring male bear. However, this nucleus vanished during the last ten years. Another nucleus is located in the Central Italian Alps, centred in the province of Trento. This nucleus (49-66 individuals, all originated from the animals translocated in the 1999-2003 period) occupies an area of about 1,500 km², of which only 240 km² is used regularly. A third nucleus of bears is present in the Eastern Alps (Slovenia. Italy, Austria), and originated from individuals that arrived naturally from the Dinara-Pindos subpopulation. This nucleus is estimated at ten individuals and has a clear male bias.
4. Central Apennine
The subpopulation is located in Abruzzi National Park and the surrounding area in the Apennine Mountains in Italy.
5. Dinara-Pindos
This subpopulation consists of Brown Bears in the forested areas extending from the Dinara range in Slovenia in the north through the Pindos Mountains in Greece in the south. The countries involved are Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. The forested areas in these countries are less contiguous than in the Carpathian area, separating to some degree the functional habitat into more or less isolated sub-areas, although there are corridors.
6. Carpathian
The Carpathian subpopulation includes the Brown Bears in Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania. The Carpathian Mountains population is the second largest in Europe. The bears are widely distributed within the entire Romanian Carpathian Mountains range, starting from hilly areas and extending to sub-alpine habitats. Bears in Romania occur permanently or sporadically across a total area of 62,000 km², of which about 44,000 km² are forested.
7. Balkan
The Rila-Rhodope area is located in southwestern Bulgaria and north-eastern Greece. It includes the three connected subpopulations in the Bulgarian Rila Mountains and Pirin Mountains and the subpopulation in the western Rhodope Mountains on both sides of the national border. Of the total population of about 520 bears, only about 42 are found in Greece. The connection between the bears in Greece and Bulgaria is likely to consist of dispersing males from Bulgaria, as well as of family groups seasonally dispersing from Greece into Bulgaria.
The Stara Planina subpopulation is located from Kotlenska Mountain in the east to Zlatitsa-Teteven in the west, along a 120 km stretch of the Stara Planina Mountains (Balkan Range). The western end extends into Serbia and a few bears are shared over the border. The Stara Planina subpopulation was believed to be isolated from the populations to the south and west but there is recent evidence of bears in the corridors to the south towards Rila-Rhodopean Mountains, including family groups.
8. Scandinavia
The subpopulation is shared between Sweden and Norway, but much more than 95% of the individuals are in Sweden. In Norway, the bears are found mostly along the Swedish border and most individuals are dispersing young males from Sweden. The delineation is along the Swedish-Finnish border, and further north through Norway. Bears in Norway east of this line are in the Karelian and northeastern Europe subpopulations. The area between the Scandinavian and northeastern Europe subpopulations is very sparsely inhabited by bears.
9. Karelia and northeastern Europe
The north-eastern European subpopulation is the largest continuous Brown Bear subpopulation in Europe. Its range stretches from the Ural Mountains in the east (continuous with the bears on the east side of the mountains making it the largest Brown Bear subpopulation in the world) to the west coast of Finland and the Baltic. It ranges from 53° N in the south to 69° N in the north. This subpopulation includes bears in north-easternmost Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belarus.
This species once ranged across a large portion of North America, including Mexico, throughout Europe, Asia, and even into several countries in North Africa. Its current global range extends across parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, with the largest numbers in Russia, Alaska, and Canada.
Population Information
Brown Bears originally occurred throughout Europe (except the largest islands such as Ireland, Iceland, Gotland, Corsica and Sardinia), but later disappeared from most areas as the human population grew, suitable habitat was lost due to deforestation and agriculture, and the species was persecuted by humans. Today the total number of Brown Bears in Europe is about 55,000 bears (c.15,000-20,000 outside Russia) which occur within an area of more than 2.5 million km² (800,000 km² outside Russia). These bears are found in two large (>5,000), three medium (500-2,500), one small (100-500), and four very small (<100) subpopulations.
1. Cantabrian
The two Cantabrian subpopulations apparently have been separated since the beginning of the century and now show genetic differences. Today, they are separated by 30-50 km of mountainous terrain and interchange between the populations is thought to be limited, mainly due to unsuitable habitat and a high-speed railway and motorway. In the Western Cantabrian Mountains, the population seems to be stable or increasing in the last decade and is distributed over an area of 2,600 km². The most recent estimate using genetic methods (García-Garitagoitia et al. 2004) calculated 85-143 bears for the western nucleus, with an average number of 107. In the eastern Cantabrian Mountains, the subpopulation shows less potential for recovery, unless the corridor with the western portion is re-established. The total population for both Cantabrian nuclei may be approximately 328 bears; not all of these are mature individuals.
2. Pyrenees
The autochthonous western subpopulation was estimated to consist of three individuals. In 1996-1997 three bears were reintroduced from Slovenia. In 2006 the reintroduction action provided five (4F, 1M) bears from Slovenia mostly to the central area. In 2016 an adult male was translocated from Slovenia to the central Pyrenees. The autochthonous central population was gone before the last decade of the 20th century. In 1996-1997 three bears were reintroduced from Slovenia. There was subsequent reproduction, including one male dispersal to the western Pyrenees. Until recently the Western and Central Pyrenees were treated as separate units. With the dispersal of one male bear from the central to the western portion, the connectivity is now seen as possible. The local bears have been totally isolated for over one century and had low genetic diversity. The recent reintroductions have resulted in the influx of new genes.
3. Alps
The Central Austrian subpopulation consisted of about <10 bears twenty years ago. After increases following reintroductions and local reproductions, in recent years numbers have declined again and by 2016 all vanished. No more than four autochthonous bears survived in north-eastern Italy until ten were reintroduced from Slovenia in 1999-2003. With subsequent reproduction, the subpopulation in 2016 exceeded 50 bears and continues to grow.
Several individuals from the Trentino nuclei dispersed into Austria, Switzerland and Germany. This demonstrates the connectivity of the habitat within the Alps and the potential for recolonization. One bear was legally shot in Germany in July 2006 because of the potential threat it posed to human safety (the bear repeatedly entered villages and broke into barns). For the same reason, two bears were shot in Switzerland in 2008 and 2013, respectively. Occasionally individuals dispersing from the eastern Alpine nucleus have reached the central Italian Alps, confirming a potential connectivity among all the Alpine nuclei.
4. Central Apennine
An estimate yielded a figure of 70-80 bears in 1985. However, since then there has probably been a population decrease and in 2016 50 bears is a realistic estimate. Some expect this subpopulation to increase as poaching has been reduced in recent years, and areas surrounding Abruzzi National Park have been protected to secure suitable habitats. However, this population exists within a densely human-populated area and there are potential conflicts between bear conservation and development and recreation activities.
5. Dinara-Pindos
The subpopulation seems to be genetically very close to the remnant bears in the Alps. The subpopulation overall has been more or less stable in recent years. However, trends vary in different areas, with steady growth in Slovenia and stable in Croatia. After a marked drop in Bosnia and Herzegovina in the 1990s due to the war, the subpopulation segment there may be recovering. The trend is probably stable or slightly decreasing trends in the south of the Dinarids, whereas in the Pindos range it is characterized as growing (450-500) with local recolonization of the former range. The population size estimate of 3,940 is based on weak supporting evidence. Approximately half (1,800) of these individuals are mature. The population trend data is likewise based on little quantitative data and it is possible that the trend is stable rather than growing. In countries with bear hunting, there might be a political tendency for overestimation to justify higher quotas. In Slovenia in the north, this population is close to that of the Alps. There is not a continuous distribution of female bears in the Alps, but there is movement of male bears. In Greece in the south, the nearest bears are those of the Rila-Rhodope portion of the Balkan population along the border of Greece and Bulgaria, but there is little evidence of connection.
6. Carpathian
The Carpathian Mountains subpopulation is estimated at about 7,630 bears and is the second largest in Europe. Recent estimates of the Romanian subpopulation indicate that in Romania about 6,000 bears occur, the population trend being stable. The highest bear densities are found in the areas of Brasov, Harghita, Covasna, Mures, Bistrita, Arges, Vrancea and Sibiu counties (central part of the Romanian Carpathians). During the last 50 years, the Romanian bear subpopulation recovered from less than 1,000 individuals to about 6,000 individuals. This recovery process was influenced by both habitat conditions and wildlife management. However, recent developments (e.g. infrastructure developments) have had negative impacts on bears. Problems include behavioural changes (habituated bears), habitat fragmentation and reproductive isolation. Several areas (corridor between Apuseni Mountains and the main ridge of Carpathians, Prahova Valley, southern part of Carpathians - close to the Danube) have started to be affected by isolation processes, but there is still connectivity within the entire Romanian Carpathian subpopulation. Some dispersers from this subpopulation have entered the Czech Republic and Hungary. The next closest subpopulation is in northern Bulgaria and north-eastern Serbia, but the migration of individual bears may be very restricted, as the Danube is a major physical barrier.
7. Balkans
The subpopulation consists of two segments: Rila-Rhodope Mountains (about 350 bears) and Stara Planina Mountains (65-109 bears). The connections between subpopulations were recently proven, and there may be signs of recolonisation. In the early eighties, Carpathian bears were released in the Rhodope and Stara Planina mountains. The numbers are not known since there is restricted access to the data.
8. Scandinavia
After heavy persecution in both countries, the once numerous Brown Bear subpopulation in Scandinavia was reduced to about 130 individuals in four areas where they have survived since 1930. The population has increased to about 3,300 in 2008 in Sweden, with approximately 40 bears in Norway. Male bears may disperse between neighbouring female core areas, but when considering demographic viability they should be considered to be separated. This population consists of three subpopulations. In Sweden, the distribution of bears now resembles that of 1800, with bears occurring in 67% or more of the country. The population is one of the most productive in the world and is increasing at a rate of about 5.5% annually. This population is viable, both genetically and demographically, but low gene flow has been identified between the southernmost subpopulation and the other subpopulations. The population is connected with the north-eastern European population through dispersing males, but probably not by dispersing females. The increase in hunting rate in the last decade decreased the population to 2,782 bears in 2013.
9. Karelia and Northeastern Europe
Densities are generally low, with the highest densities in the southeastern part of the range and the lowest densities in the north and southwest. The total population size occurring west of 35 degrees east is estimated at c. 38,000 individuals. This population is connected with the Scandinavian one.
Habitat and Ecology Information
The original distribution of the Brown Bear in Europe illustrates its adaptability to different environmental conditions. With little or no human interference, Brown Bears occupied not only forests, but also steppes and tundra. Today, most of the Bear's former range is no longer suitable habitat due to human habitat alteration and human presence. Components of habitat can be grouped into three main categories: food, security cover, and den sites. Bear movements and habitat use are strongly affected by the availability of food. Furthermore, population density is positively associated with food availability. Areas with a high availability of preferred foods, such as berries, fruits, hard mast, colonial Hymenoptera, and ungulates, are of special importance to Brown Bears.
1. Cantabrian
The Cantabrian subpopulation inhabits the Cantabrian Mountains, which are partly covered with mixed deciduous forests.
2. Pyrenees
Mixed forests and pastures, depending on slope and elevation.
3. Alps
Habitat is predominately Alpine with steep slopes covered mostly by conifers, and mixed or deciduous forests. Human settlements and infrastructure in the valleys contribute to habitat fragmentation.
4. Central Apennine
Mountain habitat in the central Apennines; partly covered by deciduous forest (dominated by Beech).
5. Dinara-Pindos
Landscape is mountainous with mixed forests of Beech (Fagus silvestris), oak (Quercus sp.) and several conifer species, and oak (Quercus sp) with pastures, depending on slope and elevation.
6. Carpathian
The habitat is mainly the mixed forests in the Carpathian Mountain range.
7. Balkan
Mostly mountains with Black Pine (Pinus nigra) and oak (Quercus sp.).
8. Scandinavia
The habitat is dominated by intensively exploited boreal forest.
9. Karelia and Northeastern Europe
The habitat is dominated by intensively exploited boreal forests.
Threats Information
Bears have a low reproductive rate and are vulnerable to human-related mortality. They require large habitats that make them vulnerable to changes in land use. In Eastern Europe, land use once under centralised state administration has reverted to private ownership, often with no knowledge of wildlife management. Land use developments have tended to follow Western examples with more intensive use of productive areas. The best bear habitat has already disappeared in Europe through logging and forest clearance. The planting of exotic conifers has seriously altered local ecosystems in some places. Habitat fragmentation, particularly as a result of road construction, presents serious problems for a species requiring such large areas. Mortality caused by high-speed road and rail networks through bear habitat is a major threat in some areas including Greece and Croatia. Poaching remains a threat to many, but not all populations, and takes place irrespective of population size. Females with cubs, as well as males, are liable to be killed. Poaching has probably worsened in the 1990s in countries such as Albania, Bulgaria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, and North Macedonia as a result of poor economic and social conditions but seems to be less in the last decade. Poaching in Russia, to supply the lucrative market for bear parts in Asian countries, is a particular problem. Five very small, isolated bear populations in southern and western Europe (located in France, Spain and Italy), are highly threatened by their small population size. They could easily become extinct as a result of random fluctuations.
1. Cantabrian
The main pressure is the loss of adult individuals due to human-induced mortality.
2. Pyrenees
The main pressure is the loss of adult individuals due to killing by humans. Increasing inbreeding and small effective size of the population are other threats for the long term.
3. Alps
Damages and several attacks on humans done by bears have the potential to reduce the public acceptance of this species, and of trouble-making individuals in particular. Intensive management of all bear-related problems is underway. Despite the constant increase of the Central Italian nucleus, the limited numbers of individuals characterising all the Alpine nuclei show that all these are Critically Endangered. The loss of more than 15 bears from the central Austrian bear population and two dispersers from Italy suggest an unnatural high mortality rate of bears in the Alps. Unfortunately, illegal removals is the most likely explanation.
4. Central Apennine
The main pressure is the loss of adult individuals due to human-induced mortality. The population is critically endangered. The bear population has been totally isolated for over a century, thus there may be genetic problems.
5. Dinara-Pindos
Political instability and the lack of human capacity, as well as financial instruments, represent a pressure in the central part of the range including human-induced mortality, habitat fragmentation and disruption and degradation due to infrastructure development.
6. Carpathian
The socio-economic developments in Romania and to varying degrees in other countries have an influence on bear population in medium- and long-term and it is considered that the parts of this bear population are vulnerable.
7. Balkan
Human-induced mortality, habitat fragmentation and disruption and degradation due to infrastructure development. Presently in Bulgaria, there is a liberal (i.e., poorly functioning) system for declaring when conflict individuals are to be removed as well as poorly controlled poaching.
8. Scandinavia
The major pressure in Norway is related to damage to unguarded free-ranging sheep.
9. Karelia and northeastern Europe
Due to a large total population size and large area, the population is in favourable conservation status.
Use and Trade Information
The species is sometimes hunted for sport.
Conservation Actions Information
Since 1992, all Brown Bear populations have been listed on either Appendix I or Appendix II of CITES. In the EU, all populations are listed in Annex A of the European Union Council Regulation (EC) No. 338/97, that implements CITES in the member states (Knapp 2006). The Brown Bear is included on Appendix II of the Bern Convention and Annex II (except for Finnish and Swedish populations) and Annex IV of the EU Habitats Species Directive. Most European range states have national Brown Bear management plans.
General conservation recommendations include the following: Key bear areas and corridors need to be sufficiently managed and protected. Farmers need to be encouraged to use traditional livestock guarding techniques to reduce conflict arising from livestock depredation. Public awareness and education is also needed to inform people in bear areas about bear behaviour and ecology. International and national legislation protecting bears from poaching should be enforced. More research into population dynamics, genetics and bear habitat is also required to carry out work in bear action plans.
1. Cantabrian
The Cantabrian population is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur (snares set by poachers for Wild Boars).
2. Pyrenees
The species is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur.
3. Alps
The Italian and Austrian bear nuclei are under strict protection; in Slovenia, a regulated harvest policy is in place. The removal of the bear in Germany caused a great public outcry and quite a controversy between different national and international GOs and NGOs. Fortunately, the case also raised awareness of the need for a bear management strategy on the population level. Initiatives to coordinate and harmonize bear management between Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Germany are underway.
4. Central Apennine
It is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur.
5. Dinara-Pindos
In the largest part of this population's range (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro) the bear is a game species. In Slovenia and Croatia, the Brown Bear is hunted under status protected by the Habitat Directive. In Albania, North Macedonia and Greece, it is strictly protected. Additionally, in Greece, it is considered as a priority species under the EU Habitat Directive 92/43.
6. Carpathian
Whereas in Romania and Slovakia, bears are a hunted species, in other countries, they are harvested under various regimes, mostly related to the damage control system (but protected in Poland). Annually, in Romania, up to 250 bears were killed by hunters (about 4% of the estimated population), but since 2017 all bear hunting has been suspended. In 2005 a national bear management plan was approved by the authorities, its implementation being started by the Ministry of Environment and Water Management together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development. One of the first initiated actions was related to population surveys of larger areas (geographical criteria) and setting up hunting quotas based on the analysis at the national level. Compensation for damages caused by bears is paid by the game administrators, and it is foreseen that in areas where bears are not hunted these compensations will be paid by the Ministry of Environment and Water Management (the authority for protected species).
7. Balkan
Bears in Bulgaria are under protected status that allows the removal of problem individuals. The Greek portion is strictly protected, as well as are the few specimens in Serbia.
8. Scandinavia
There is a quota hunting regime in Sweden. The harvest rate allowed the further and steady population growth until it was increased to reverse the trend. In Norway only damage-causing bears are removed, but such a reduction is technically sustainable only due to the influx of individuals from Sweden.
9. Northeastern Europe
Bears are game animals in most of this population range under various quota systems.
