On Monday 11th November, LIFE Human Bear Coex organised a conference in Cangas del Narcea (Asturias) with around twenty technicians and managers from the partner municipalities, to share the progress made and plan the next steps of the project, in which the FOP works hand in hand with the local population. The exchange of knowledge and experiences, and mutual learning, is vital to continue advancing and working positively for the coexistence between humans and bears.
The nine municipalities with the highest density of bears in Spain (6 in Asturias and 3 in León) are leading the LIFE Human Bear Coex, an initiative to prevent and mitigate conflicts between humans and bears in towns and their environments, with a battery of actions promoted from the territory, among others:
- Clearing of security perimeters in inhabited areas and the busiest paths, an action that not only prevents chance encounters, but also contributes to wildfire prevention.
- Planting fruit trees far from houses, complementing the food that the forest already offers to bears.
- Protection of elements (such as beehives or fodder deposits) that may attract the bears.
- Monitoring and early warning of conflicts in inhabited environments.
- Testing innovative prevention methods, such as ‘anti-bear’ rubbish containers and covers.
Photo of the meeting of the LIFE Human Bear Coex partners in Cangas del Narcea (Asturias).
Our goal is to have ZERO HABITUATED BEARS to people or human food sources in the Cantabrian Mountains. Coordinated by the Brown Bear Foundation (FOP) and funded by the European Union, the nine municipalities with the highest density of bears in Spain (Somiedo, Belmonte de Miranda, Proaza, Cangas del Narcea, Degaña and Ibias, in Asturias, and Villablino, Páramo del Sil and Palacios del Sil in León) are partners of LIFE Coexistence between Humans and Bears. The Junta de Castilla y León and the Principality of Asturias support it as partners, and the Fundación Patrimonio Natural de Castilla y León and the Fundación Oso de Asturias participate as collaborators.