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.