LIFE Bears with future

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 alnus) fruits were collected, with the fruits of whitebeam (Sorbus aria) and rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) collected in September.

Fruit collection work was undertaken by Brown Bear Foundation field teams in bear areas showing compatible ecological characteristics with the planting terrain selected. The objective is to maintain the areas’ ecotypes and in consequence maximise the success of the plantations by being adapted to the action areas. Within these areas, the fruits of wild cherry, whitebeam and rowan were located within authorised collection sites, given that these are regulated species. The wild cherries were collected in León and Asturias and the rest of the species just in León. Specifically, 217 kg of wild cherries, 20 kg of alder buckthorn, 15 kilos of rowan and 58 kg of whitebeam fruits were collected under licence from from the corresponding authorities and in collaboration with the rangers from each of the areas to certify the seeds of the regulated species.

A member of a FOP patrol collecting whitebeam seeds. Photo FOP

The 77 kg of alder buckthorn, whitebeam, rowan and wild cherry fruits collected in León were sent to the Central Forestry Nursery of the Castilla y León regional government. The remaining 140 kg of wild cherry fruits collected in sources in Asturias were taken to the La Mata Forestry Nursery of the Principality of Asturias. In these nurseries, with which there are collaboration agreements, the fruits will be cleaned and prepared for the production of seedlings to reforest areas of interest under a climate change scenario and away from human settlement.

The wild cherry is a heavily used species by the brown bear at the end of spring and beginning of the summer, when other high energy trophic resources are scarce. It is a highly attractive delicacy for the bears since they have been feeding principally on leafy vegetation since coming out of hibernation.

The alder buckthorn is another highly attractive trophic resource for bears in the summer, while the whitebeam acquires major relevance during the autumn feeding period in years of poor fruiting of other species such as European beech and oak species. The same is true of apples (Malus sp.) and sweet chestnut (Castanea sativa), which have also been planted within the project’s framework.

Finally, although the fruits of rowan are not as attractive to bears as those species noted above, it is still a fruiting species of interest and which together with silver birch (Betula alba), another species also planted by the project, contribute to rapidly increase the high quality tree cover present in degraded areas.

To date within the project’s framework, 18,434 wild cherry, 6,958 alder buckthorn, 7,150 whitebeam, 3,400 rowan, 17,994 silver birch, 5,000 apple and 6,030 sweet chestnut trees, a proportion of the latter two species grafted with local varieties, have been planted to date.

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

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 in the mountains housing brown bears. Fungi collecting is one of these activities.

These meetings started in March with talks and the distribution of materials. A digital infograph has been developed in collaboration with each of the associations and/or federations which have signed a collaboration agreement, such as a specific version of the video «Recommendations for visiting the Brown Bear Mountains»

A talk was given to the Cantabrian Mycological Society in March and to the Asturian Mycological Society in April, while activities started in June with the Galician Mycological Federation, via two days with talks and field excursions, on  17 June in O Courel and on 1 July in the Ancares area of Lugo, interchanging experiences and knowledge about fungi and bears.

Infographic for fungi collectors, prepared in collaboration with the associations and federations. Each of these entities distributes the infographic amongst its own members, using its respective logo.

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

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 between bears and human activities in three National Parks in Greece (Rodope Mountain Range, Prespa and Pindos) and in the Majella National Park in Italy.

The meeting was highly productive, with active participation by representatives of the Department of the Environment and Territorial Cohesion of the Principality of Asturias, the Somiedo Natural Park director, the wildlife rangers of the Brown Bear patrols of Asturias, the Biodiversity Research Institute (of the Higher Council for Scientific Research – Oviedo University –  Principality of Asturias) and the Bear Foundation  of Asturias.

In-depth analyses of the damages caused by brown bears to economic activities were explored. This included the intervention by the Brown Bear Patrol of the Principality of Asturias in a true certified case of a wolf/bear attack in a livestock farm. The complete process of how the agents obtained samples and analysed different evidence in order to determine which species had caused the attack was observed. Those assisting the meeting were able to resolve doubts on the methodologies used and the management of the compensation process for damage by large carnivores in this autonomous region.

Discussion panel in Pola de Somiedo (Asturias) of the LIFE ARCPROM and Bears wth Future projects. Photo FOP

Furthermore, an intense discussion panel session was held where interesting strategies and management methods were exchanged for dealing with habituated and/or conflictive bears in the three populations in the south of Europe. This meeting is deemed as particularly important as it allowed us to keep in close contact with how work in this aspect is being developed in other countries where the bear population is also increasing. Additionally, in the case of Greece, the bear population is greater than ours, which gives us the possibility to gain an idea of the potential future scenario for the bear in Spain. In Italy the project is centred on the brown bear population in the Apennine Mountains, a small isolated population of around 100 bears, but where for some time work has been underway to avoid habituation by some individuals.

Visit to the plantations of the LIFE Bears with Future project on land belonging to the Neighbourhood Council of Anllares del Sil, León. Photo FOP

The representatives of the LIFE ARCPROM project also showed great interest in the actions being undertaken for adaptation to climate change being undertaken by the LIFE Bears with Future project. Consequently, on one of the days we visited a plantation in Anllares del Sil (León) to explain in situ why and how we are working with the sweet chestnut. The project’s director, Guillermo Palomero and field technician, Luis Fernández, also explained how the selection of terrain responded to earlier studies on the different climate change scenarios. Likewise, the importance of using a proportion of plants grafted with local varieties at risk of disappearing, to favour their adaptation, resistance and fruiting capacity, was explained.

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

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 Sil area of León within the framework of the  LIFE Bears with Future project and finalised on 21 April 2023. The planting was undertaken in three public utility areas in the municipalities of Palacios del Sil and Páramo del Sil (León) and also in private estates in the same municipalities. Land custody agreements guaranteed for 30 years with the owners and corresponding administrative licences are a prerequisite for planting.

Preparatory work on the land started in October 2022, with hole digging using a walking excavator and scrub clearance and in November a second walking excavator was incorporated to speed up the processes. Later, in December 2022, 10 unemployed people from the municipalities where the works were to be undertaken were employed to form two work teams for the planting. Between December and the start of April, a total of 58,936 wild cherry (Prunus avium), alder buckthorn (Frangula alnus), apples (Malus sp.), whitebeam (Sorbus aria), rowan (Sorbus aucuparia) and silver birch (Betula alba) trees were planted in various enrichment patches to increase the trophic resources available for the bear and improve its habitat. Additionally, 6,030 sweet chestnuts (Castanea sativa), some of these grafted with traditional varieties, also in order to augment the availability of food resources for the brown bear under a climate change scenario, were also planted.

On-site preparatory work with a walking excavator in plantations in the Alto Sil area of the LIFE Bears with Future project

 Planting has been undertaken in part with seedlings coming from seeds collected by the LIFE project’s technicians in areas with ecological similarity to the planting areas, which were subsequently nursery raised in the Central Forestry Nursery of the Government of Castilla y León . In parallel, the sweet chestnuts were raised in the La Mata Forestry Nursery of the Principality of Asturias.

In addition to improving the habitat for the brown bear and the biodiversity in general, these actions contribute towards increasing the tree cover and environmental quality of the bear areas, increasing the value of ecosystem services that these areas provide, such as carbon capture and conservation of the hydrological resources.

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

On Thursday 16th February, a wide representation of broadcasting media, covering national, regional and local press participated in a session held in the Alto Sil, León, to learn first-hand about the progress of the LIFE Osos con Futuro project actions. This meeting was held in the Coworking Centre of Caboalles de Arriba, in the Villablino municipality and where, following a welcome by the Councillor of the Environment, the participants received information from the three partners of the project: Guillermo Palomero, the Brown Bear Foundation president, covered how climate change affects bears and the production of the wild fruits on which they feed, in addition to an introduction to the project’s objectives and actions; Víctor Gutiérrez, coordinator for the ecosystem conservation and restauration team of the Biodiversity Foundation, talked about the joint efforts between the administrations and organisations for the recovery of emblematic species such as the brown bear; and Eduardo Álvarez, the coordinator for León of the Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León , explained what the network of demonstration forest patches for the adaptation to climate change and to fruiting being developed within the project framework consists of.

The animated video “Recommendations for visiting the brown bear mountains”, also developed within this LIFE project, was screened after these explanations, providing a pleasant and visual means of spreading the best practices to be adopted to safely enjoy spare time activities in mountains with bear presence.

The visit continued in the municipalities of Palacios del Sil and Páramo del Sil to learn about the work of planting fruit trees and sweet chestnuts, where the reporters had time to carry out interviews, observe the work being carried out by the forestry teams of local workers and even to collaborate in the planting of a sweet chestnut tree.

Following a lunch break, a field trip in bear territory was organised in order to explain, in situ,  the recommendations and guidelines to follow to avoid potential conflicts.

A total of 15 different reporters from 9 national, 3 regional, 2 provincial and 1 local media outlets attended, although the remainder of the nearby local media of El Bierzo and Laciana, especially radio, using the opportunity of the meeting to give live interviews via mobile phone calls. Representatives from the written press, agencies, digital media, radio and television were all present.

The project outreach was highly significant thanks to the hundred or so media impacts that the meeting generated.

The visit was organised in coordinated fashion by the three project partners: Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), Natural Heritage Foundation of Castilla y León (Castilla y León regional government) and the coordinating body, the Brown Bear Foundation.

The Government of Asturias and the Tierra Pura Foundation also collaborate in the project.

Within the framework of the LIFE Osos con Futuro project, the Brown Bear Foundation (FOP) has signed collaboration agreements with the hunting federations of Asturias, Castilla y León and Cantabria. The objective in all these cases is to inform and raise awareness amongst their members, so that the hunting activities in winter are carried out in the safest possible manner for both the hunters and the bears.

The hunting federations with which agreements have been signed within the LIFE project framework are:

• Cantabrian Hunting Federation
• Castilla y León Hunting Federation
• Principality of Asturias Hunting Federation

The FOP is preparing specific material for this collective. More precisely, an animated video and a digital infograph are in preparation which will be distributed to the federations and also available via the general information channels of these federations and the FOP. These informative actions will be backed up with presential meetings with hunters in which the recommendations for hunting in bear areas will be presented and debated.

Signing of collaboration agreements with the hunting federations of Asturias, Castilla y León and Cantabria

A coordinated project

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

Within the framework of the LIFE Osos con Futuro project, the Fundación Oso Pardo (FOP) has signed collaboration agreements with the mountain sports federations of Asturias, Castilla y León and Cantabria. The objective in all these cases is to inform and raise awareness, so that the practice of these activities in winter is carried out in the safest manner possible for both the participants and the bears.

Global warming favours either a reduction in the hibernation of the brown bear, or leads to no hibernation at all. Additionally, coinciding with a greater winter presence of active bears, outdoors recreational activities are also increasing, especially in winter as a result of a warmer climate. This convergence may increase the possibilities of encounters and interactions between bears and humans, hence the necessity to inform about the best practices to avoid them.

The FOP has produced an animated video for this collective, the “Recommendations for visiting the brown bear mountains”, which is being widely broadcast in conjunction with the mountain sports federations. A digital information infograph is being finalised which will be distributed to all of these federations. In order to finalise these actions, a series of routes will be developed during which a FOP specialist will explain in situ the best mountaineering practices to undertake in bear areas.

The mountain sports federations with which agreements have been signed within the LIFE project framework are:

• Castilla y León Mountain Sports, Climbing and Hiking Federation
• Principality of Asturias Mountain Sports, Climbing and Hiking Federation
• Cantabrian Mountain Sports and Climbing Federation

Recreational activity in winter in a mountain with bears

A coordinated project

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

The first campaign of trophic enrichment plantations for the brown bear was started on 12 December 2022 in the Alto Sil area of León, within the LIFE Osos con futuro project framework and which by the end will comprise the planting of 150 thousand fruit trees and 25 thousand sweet chestnut trees occupying a total of 200 hectares spread across different parts of Castilla y León and Asturias.

The plantations are being made in the public utility lands belonging to the Anllares del Sil local council, in the municipality of Páramo del Sil and of the public mountains of Palacios del Sil. Planting will also be undertaken in land belonging to the Anllarinos del Sil local council, other areas of Páramo del Sil, as well as in private estates of both municipalities. A land custody agreement guaranteeing the long-term presence of these plantations is signed with each landowner prior to work commencing. Planting will also be undertaken in those farmlands acquired with LIFE funds.

Selection of the areas for planting was first undertaken by the project via suitability studies based on plant species and land characteristics in relation to climate change.

Fruit plantation in Páramo del Sil, with local workers hired under the LIFE project. In the center, Elías Suárez, from the FOP.

Local teams started preparing the ground in October 2022 for the hole digging and scrub clearance using a walking excavator, a machine which is able to reach difficult-to-access areas and work on steep slopes, but which produces a minimum impact on the terrain and the existing vegetation. This mechanised labour guarantees the clearance of large amounts of soil for each hole, greatly facilitating the rootstock development of the plants.

The tree and shrub species being planted, the fruits of which serve as food for the brown bear from the end of spring through to the start of winter, are cherry, apple, alder buckthorn, rowan and whitebeams, while chestnut planting will also start very shortly. Collection programs of native wild seeds for the nursery production of seedlings have been undertaken since the start of the project. Two forestry teams, each comprising three men and three women from the immediate area, have been contracted, contributing to local job creation. A total of close to 70,000 fruiting trees and shrubs are planned to be planted during this first plantation campaign, which will be completed between the end of March and start of April, depending on meteorological conditions.

A coordinated project

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

How can the Pyrenean brown bear population be helped by experiences acquired with the Cantabrian brown bear?

With this objective in mind, an exchange meeting with other international brown bear specialists was recently held in the French locality of Villeneuve de Riviére, organised by the Office français de la biodiversité (OFB), under the authority of the French Ministries for Ecological Transition, Agriculture and Food.

Even though both the Cantabrian and Pyrenees brown bear populations are growing, the former started recovering earlier (with around 350 bears in the last census of 2019), and the lessons which have been learned from each new challenge which has arisen can be exploited for smaller populations, such as that in the Pyrenees (around 70 individuals in the 2021 census).

During this meeting, the Fundación Oso Pardo presented its scientific research work directed towards brown bear conservation, in addition to the current work being undertaken by the LIFE Osos con Futuro project, the objective of which is to improve the adaptability of the species in the face of climate change in the Cantabrian mountains.

Presenting the projects of Fundación Oso Pardo during the networking

A coordinated project

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.

The actions of the LIFE Bears with Future project have aroused great interest among visitors to the Castilla y León Ecotourism Fair, Naturcyl, which this year has held its fifth edition between September 23rd and 25th at its usual venue, the town Ruesga, in the Palencia Mountains.

This is an area of ​​special interest for LIFE Bears with Future, as it is home to a large part of the bear population of the eastern Cantabrian Mountains and is a growing focus of attraction for hikers and other users of leisure activities in the mountains. For this reason, information has been offered on the recommendations for touring these mountains, emphasizing that they are also applicable in winter, due to the impact of climate change on the progressive reduction of bear hibernation.

Begoña Almeida, member of the Eastern Cantabrian Bear Patrol, offers information to visitors to the Naturcyl Fair at the stand of the Fundación Oso Pardo

The stand of the Oso Pardo Foundation has also offered information on the forestry work and plantations that are carried out in the LIFE project in climate change scenarios:

• Plantation of fruit trees to increase trophic availability for bears
• Plantation of native chestnut varieties to increase trophic availability for bears
• Restoration and treatment of chestnut forests to increase fruit production and climate resilience.

A coordinated project

The “Bears with Future” Project, co-financed by the European Union LIFE Project, will be carried out until 2025. It is coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation in partnership with the Biodiversity Foundation (Ministry for Ecological Transition and Demographic Challenge), and the Natural heritage Foundation of the Castilla y León regional government. The Government of Asturias is co-financer, via the Directorate General for the Environment and Rural Planning, of the Department of Rural Development, Agriculture and Fisheries. Tierra Pura Foundation collaborates technically and co-finances the project.