Credit: Bruno D’Amicis
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Mario CipolloneMain Venue
Public Library – Viale Principe di Napoli 13 67032, Pescasseroli AQ
The conservation and recovery of large carnivores require structured discussions and debates about different approaches that range from hands-off non-intervention to hands-on intensive management of both habitats and species. This workshop will explore the extent to which differences in these approaches are actually contextual, rather than fundamental. We will establish a framework based on a gradient of human land-use intensity, from peri-urban, via agricultural and forestry settings, to wilder and wilderness settings. Along this gradient we will explore both the broader human-nature interaction as well as the specific case of human-bear interactions, identifying the range of possible and appropriate approaches in each context. The discussion will help find ways for different approaches to coexist with each other. The workshop is open to anyone with an interest in practical approaches to coexistence with bears, and is jointly organised by Rewilding Europe and the EU-funded CoCreating Coexistence (CoCo) project.
Main Venue
The workshop will be done in Italian. No registration required.Museo storico del parco
Comparing experiences with bears in different environments, told through creative storytelling. Words and images can be a useful tool for conveying objective scientific knowledge, while also appealing to empathy, increasing identification. By leveraging a symbolic presence, we can set in motion a process of behavioral changes that will facilitate coexistence with wildlife, based on a more conscious approach and a new social awareness. In a friendly conversation, 2 experts and bear enthusiasts will share their experiences in the Apennine and Alpine contexts, respectively: Dr Elisabetta Tosoni (a zoologist and science communicator with a passion for storytelling) and Dr Massimo Vettorazzi (environmental engineer with a passion for bears and drawing).
Drop-ins welcome!
Jennapher Teunissen van Manen, Annette Mertens, Valerio RealeMain Venue
Daniela Gentile, Abruzzo Lazio e Molise National ParkMain Venue
Daniela Gentile, Roberta Latini
Roughly 81 Apennine brown bears are alive today. To see how that number came about, this talk travels back 4,000 years to the completion of their isolation, then returns forwards through a century of conservation history in the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park: its founding in 1922, its dissolution and restoration, and the scientific era that followed. The genome tells a similarly double-edged story: what isolation took away, and what it unexpectedly left intact. The return journey ends in the present, with new challenges and old threats still open, and with tools sharper than they have ever been. The outcome is not yet written. (No DeLorean is provided.)
Presenter email: [email protected]
by Daniela Genta and Luigi Di StanoMain Venue
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Elisabetta Tosoni, Department of Biology and Biotechnologies "Charles Darwin," Sapienza University of Rome, Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park.Main Venue
Paolo Ciucci, Andrea Benazzo, Giorgio Bertorelle, Luigi Boitani, Ian Marc Bonapace, Stefano Civitarese, Paolo Colangelo, Elisa Desiato, Aurora Donatelli, Giulia Fabbri, Daniela Gentile, Leonardo Gentile, Vincenzo Gervasi, Patrizia Giangregorio, Jenny Glikman, Roberta Latini, Anna Loy, Luigi Maiorano, Filippo Marino, Nadia Mucci, Paula Mayer, Mario Posillico, Elisabetta Tosoni
Apennine brown bears (Ursus arctos marsicanus) are a relict, small, and highly inbred population, isolated from other European brown bear populations for millennia. Estimated at approximately 50 individuals in 2014, they have been regarded as a “natural experiment,” persisting against considerable odds and contrary to theoretical expectations. The establishment of the Abruzzo National Park (PNALM) in 1922, along with sustained conservation efforts, has been crucial to their continued survival. However, in spite of long-standing legal protection and conservation measures, no clear demographic recovery and range expansion beyond their historical core has occurred over recent decades. The population remains exposed to a high risk of extinction due to its extremely small size and severely depleted genetic diversity, which favors the accumulation of deleterious mutations. A 2008 review highlighted that an unexpected yet substantial threat to the long-term persistence of Apennine brown bears was the enduring scarcity of robust scientific knowledge. Since the mid-2000s, however, a renewed research effort—initiated by a 5-year field study conducted in the PNALM—has generated novel data on their natural history and population ecology, fostering extensive multidisciplinary collaboration and substantial gains in scientific insights. While the expansion of knowledge—supported by outreach and stakeholder engagement, including local NGOs—has been instrumental in raising social awareness and participation, it also prompted management authorities to commit to renewed conservation efforts and coordinated, inter-institutional actions. In this work, we review the past 18 years of research across diverse disciplines on this bear population, critically evaluating the expected conservation outcomes. We also examine how a lack of accountability and gaps in the science-policy interface remain major obstacles to a more effective, long lasting conservation of this iconic population.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Vincenzo Gervasi, ISPRAMain Venue
Antonio Antonucci, Giovanni Barbon, Eleonora Bianchi, Roberto Binatti, Romolo Caniglia, Paolo Ciucci, Antonio Di Croce, Giovanna Di Domenico, Luciano Di Martino, Graziana Dizonno, Alberto Dominici, Stefano Donfrancesco, Eugenio Duprè, Elena Fabbri, Daniele Falcinelli, Carmelo Gentile, Daniela Gentile, Patrizia Giangregorio, Elisa Laparra, Roberta Latini, Luigi Maiorano, Sara Marini, Federica Mattucci, Paola Morini, Nadia Mucci, Anna Padula, Davide Pagliaroli, Emanuela Peria, Fausto Quattrociocchi, Simone Ricci, Vincenzo Ruma, Valeria Salvatori, Luciano Sammarone, Giorgio Valle, Piero Genovesi.
Monitoring population size and spatial distribution of the critically endangered Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is paramount to inform and evaluate the efforts produced for its long-term conservation. In 2025, a comprehensive, non-invasive genetic sampling campaign was conducted across the subspecies' entire range in Central Apennines (Italy) to update abundance and distribution parameter estimates eleven years after the last systematic survey. We analysed multi-source genetic data (from rub trees, hair-snags, buckthorn aggregations and opportunistic sampling) using Spatial Capture-Recapture (SCR) models. SCR allowed to evaluate density variation across space and to explore its correlates.
Total population was estimated at 81 individuals (43 females, 38 males; 95% CI: 73–88). In the historical core area, the population remained stable and possibly close to saturation, slightly increasing from 51 bears (95% CI: 44–63) in 2014 to 56 bears (95% CI: 49–63) in 2025 (~4.4 bears/100 km²). When considering the newly expanded core area, the estimated population totals 65 individuals, while peripheral zones host 16 bears (95% CI: 9-22) at a tenfold lower density (0.4 bears/100 km²), showing a slight male bias (56%).
Crucially, the model showed that peripheral expansion is not limited by a lack of suitable habitat. Instead, range expansion is strongly governed by ecological connectivity and by the occurrence of anthropogenic mortality events. Peripheral zones well-connected via ecological corridors showed significantly higher bear densities, whereas areas lacking connectivity or highly exposed to human-induced mortality risks exhibited significantly reduced densities. Therefore, peripheral colonization remains fragile.
Future conservation priorities must focus on protecting and enhancing ecological corridors and on mitigating human-caused mortality (e.g., traffic collisions, poaching, poisoning, drowning in artificial basins, etc.), as these factors actively slow down or threaten to negate the establishment of new population nuclei in suitable territories.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Marco Salvatori, MUSE - Science Museum of TrentoMain Venue
Marco Salvatori, Natalia Bragalanti, Andrea Corradini, Luca Pedrotti, Luca Corlatti, Valentina La Morgia, Vincenzo Gervasi, Chiara Rossi, Heidi Hauffe, Barbara Crestanello, Davide Righetti, Giulia Bombieri
Large carnivores have been extirpated from much of their historical range, but targeted conservation actions have supported their recovery. The reintroduction of the brown bear in the central Alps represents a notable example, yet long-term viability of this population remains uncertain due to its small size, isolation, and increasing conflicts with humans. Using spatial capture-recapture and survival models based on genetic data and known bear deaths collected on 222 individuals over 21 years (2003− 2023), we assessed spatio-temporal trends in bear density, abundance, survival, and range expansion, accounting for sex and age-specific differences. Population size in 2023 was estimated between 92 and 122 individuals (mean = 106). Density increased at an annual rate of 8 %, with a mean in 2023 of 1.6 bears/100 km2 in the whole study area, and 2.5 within the area permanently occupied by females. Bear density was higher in proximity to the release site and on steeper slopes. Survival probability varied by sex and age, and was lower for males and younger individuals. Site fidelity was highest for females, with no permanent emigration recorded. Despite the high site fidelity, the area occupied by females expanded substantially, increasing by 140% over two decades. However, this expansion remains confined to the western side of the Adige Valley, which represents a major ecological barrier in the central Alps, hindering connectivity with the nearest Dinaric-Pindos bear population. Despite growth, the population remains small and vulnerable to stochastic events. Observed spatial patterns and dynamics seem to reflect the interplay between intrinsic biological traits, like female philopatry, and anthropogenic factors, including artificial barriers. Sustained genetic monitoring, improved connectivity, and science-based management will be crucial to ensure the long-term persistence of this population in a human-dominated landscape and increasingly hostile social context.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Coffee Tent
Cécile Vanpé, French Biodiversity Agency (Office Français de la Biodiversité, OFB)Main Venue
Grégoire Pauly, Cécile VANPE, Tanguy DAUFRESNE, Mélanie ROY, Jérôme SENTILLES, Pierre-Yves QUENETTE, Christophe BALTZINGER
Species will be required to disperse rapidly through fragmented landscapes in order to keep pace with the changing climate. In this context, long-distance dispersal of diaspores is recognized as a key mechanism in plant dynamics and helps plants track their niches and migrate in altitude. Omnivorous Ursids are likely to be good vectors of long-distance dispersal of plants due to their large body size, predominantly plant-based diet, high mobility, large home ranges, large diversity of habitats and long gut retention time.
We investigated the endozoochorous dispersal of plant diaspores by the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the critically endangered Pyrenean population situated in south-western Europe. To get a comprehensive view of the full process and the different filters that affect the dispersal effectiveness, we combined faecal DNA metabarcoding, coproscopic analyses, germination experiments under greenhouse and an in natura experiment.
We identified 53 different plant taxa in the diet. Among the 16 species for which we could find information on the fruiting period, three fleshy-fruited and six dry-fruited plants were consumed during their fruiting periods. Intact diaspores extracted from faeces samples belonged to 27 different taxa, including 15 herbaceous plants, six fleshy-fruits and one diaspore dry fruit. We described the dispersal of plants that produce dry or fleshy fruits, as well as ferns and mosses. We also highlighted the importance of considering the endozoochory process up to the faecal matrix, which can limit germination. We finally showed that dung beetles play a unique role in the disintegration of faeces and the secondary dispersal of diaspores.
Overall, this study revealed the dispersal of a wider range of plants than previously thought in Ursids, which could influence the structure and dynamics of Pyrenean plant communities and consequently the functioning and resilience of Pyrenean ecosystems in the face of global changes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Jenny Hansen, Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchMain Venue
Jenny Hansen, Ole-Gunnar Støen, Jonas Kindberg, Anne Hertel, Rick Heeres
Research over the past two decades has shown social–spatial structuring among female Scandinavian brown bears, suggesting an awareness of conspecifics across the landscape. This is notable because brown bears are regarded as solitary, raising questions about how social contact occurs when close associations are not a consequence of aggregation. We build on this work by identifying drivers of female–female encounters using 16 years of high-resolution GPS data.
We constructed a matrix of adult females occurring within 1000 m of one another and defined encounters as dyads entering a shared space within 100 m at the same time. We modeled how relatedness, age, body size, reproductive status, season, diel period, bear density, home range size, and home range overlap influence the distances females maintain and the probability of encountering one another. We included dyad identity as a random effect to account for repeated observations of the same female pairs.
We found that encounters are strongly structured by social and life-history traits rather than arising solely from shared space use. Closely related females maintained shorter distances and had higher encounter probabilities, whereas older females were more spatially separated and less likely to encounter conspecifics. While larger home ranges and spatial overlap increased encounter probability, encounters were not explained by space use alone. Reproductive status and season further shaped encounter dynamics, with pronounced seasonal increases during pre-mating and mating periods.
Importantly, mother–daughter pairs exhibited distinct and flexible relationships, with distances and encounter probabilities varying by reproductive status and season. Dyad-level differences suggest pair-specific tendencies in how females share space. Together, these results demonstrate that female brown bear encounters reflect dynamic, context-dependent behavior, highlighting previously unrecognized complexity in social behavior.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Lucie Lemière, University of Inland Norway (INN), Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementMain Venue
Manon Seu, Lucie Lemière, Olivier Devineau, Alina L. Evans, Andrea Friebe, Martin Mayer, Boris Fuchs, Alexandra Thiel
Brown bear (Ursus arctos) females are known to reduce their movement when accompanied by dependent offspring. In this study, we used GPS data from 76 sexually mature (age > 4 years) Scandinavian brown bear females (N=155 years of data) between 2006 and 2023 to identify movement patterns associated with reproductive status: solitary vs. with cubs of the year (COY). To classify reproductive status, we trained a Random Forest model (RF) on data obtained from solitary females (N=93) and females with COY (N=62) whose status had been determined based on aerial surveys. We used two movement metrics derived from GPS data (mean daily step length and home range) and two activity metrics derived from bi-axial accelerometer data (mean daily activity and the proportion of passive state). Based on the knowledge that a female returns to solitary behavior within a few days after losing her entire litter, we estimated the timing of 17 litter loss events that occurred during the active season (from April 10th to July 31st) with two machine learning algorithms (the previous Random Forest model (RF) and a Hidden Markov Model (HMM)) detecting shifts in reproductive status based on the four previous metrics.
The HMM performed better than the RF, with an overall accuracy in predicting the reproductive status of a female on a given day of 92% and 86% respectively. The accuracy of both methods was highest at the beginning of the active season and decreased from May to July as the movement of the two reproductive statuses became less distinguishable, probably due to the combination of an increased offspring mobility and a decrease in roaming behavior at the end of the mating season.
These algorithms allow for remotely detectable and accurate estimates of reproductive status, and a higher temporal resolution of litter loss events compared to aerial surveys. They can be particularly useful for individuals that have evaded annual monitoring and when cub losses occur in early spring.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Eva Filipczykova, Czech University of Life Sciences PragueMain Venue
Eva Filipczykova, Melanie Clapham, Russell C Van Horn, Hanna Meyer, Wouter Hantson, Luis Arturo Román-Luzuriaga, Flavio Salvador Torres Manitio, Owen T Nevin, Aleš Vorel
Habitat loss and degradation are major drivers of global biodiversity decline, including for the globally vulnerable and locally endangered Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus). Although scent-marking behaviour offers important insights into communication and social organization, no previous study has examined marking sites in a spatially explicit and exclusive manner for habitat-use assessment or species distribution modelling (SDM). We aimed to identify environmental and anthropogenic predictors shaping the spatial distribution of Andean bear marking sites in the montane cloud forests of the Eastern Cordillera of the Ecuadorian Andes, to map additional areas with a high probability of marking-site and general species occurrence, and to assess differences in bear presence and behaviour between areas with and without evidence of human use. We documented 234 marking sites and an equal number of pseudo-absence locations to develop an SDM using a Random Forests algorithm. We evaluated model performance using standard metrics and a fully independent field validation conducted after model development. The SDM showed ‘excellent’ discrimination for marking-site occurrence, with distance to water, evening hillshade, and distance to pastures identified as the most influential predictors. Independent validation demonstrated ‘acceptable’ discrimination and reliably detected both marking sites and overall Andean bear presence. The independent validation further revealed that bears scent-marked and foraged more frequently in areas without human use. These findings indicate that levels of human activity can influence Andean bear scent-marking and foraging, underscoring the importance of integrating human-bear interactions into conservation planning and tourism management. By identifying areas where essential bear behaviours and human activities overlap, our results highlight opportunities to support long-term coexistence between people and Andean bears in shared landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Sabrina Manchi, MOM (Museo Orso Marsicano), Palena (CH), Maiella National Park, ItalyMain Venue
Baptiste Brault, Sabrina Manchi, Andreas Zedrosser, Andrea Friebe, Jon Swenson, Fanie Pelletier
Anthill dens are the most common (53%) winter den type used by brown bears in central Sweden, i.e., a den dug under or into a large, inactive and typically overgrown anthill originally built by red wood ants Formica spp. Especially female brown bears commonly use abandoned anthills as winter dens, as it appears to improve their reproduction success. However, anthills likely require several decades to reach the size large enough to serve as a bear den after the colony has abandoned the site. At the same time, reuse of anthill dens by bears is very rare and red wood ants are an important food source for brown bears. This feeding behavior reduces the abundance and size of potential den sites, especially in areas with high bear densities. Because the bear population has increased substantially in the study area, we suspected that the availability of inactive anthills suitable for dens has declined over time.
The aim of this study was to determine temporal changes in the use of anthills as winter dens by brown bears. We documented 1215 dens used by 270 bears monitored by telemetry from 1986 to 2023. We predicted that a) the use of inactive anthills as winter dens has decreased during the study period, b) this decline is less pronounced in females than in males, and c) the average size of anthills used as dens has decreased over time. Our results supported all predictions. Because anthill denning likely is associated with improved reproductive success in females, a reduction in the use of such dens may negatively affect reproductive rates and ultimately population growth. However, the availability of large, inactive anthills for denning may have been unnaturally high at the beginning of the study, as bears had started to recolonize the study area 50-60 years ago.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Pino Garcia Sanchez, Nottingham Trent UniversityMain Venue
Pino Garcia Sanchez, Vincenzo Penteriani, Maria del Mar Delgado, Ancuta Fedorca, Louise K. Gentle, Daniele Falcinelli, Ilpo Kojola, Samuli Heikkinen, Slavomír Find’o, Michaela Skuban, Mihai Fedorca, Ovidiu Ionescu, Georgeta Ionescu, Andrés Ordiz, Jon E. Swenson, Antonio Uzal
Connected wilderness is essential for sustaining human–wildlife coexistence and enabling species to adapt to rapidly changing landscapes. Across Europe, landscapes are increasingly reshaped by land-use change and expanding infrastructure, driven by urban encroachment and the intensification of other human activities. While these processes support economic growth and development agendas, they also lead to habitat loss and fragmentation, particularly affecting wide-ranging species such as large carnivores by restricting movement and increasing human–wildlife interactions. As a result, large carnivore populations persist in fragmented and heterogeneous environments across Europe, where local conditions strongly influence behavioural adaptability and long-term persistence. The brown bear (Ursus arctos), one of Europe’s four large carnivores, exhibits considerable behavioural plasticity in response to human activity and environmental pressures, making it an ideal model species for investigating landscape connectivity and informing conservation planning. In this study, we analysed GPS data from 93 brown bears (52 females and 41 males) across three European regions with contrasting levels of human alteration: Finnish–Russian Karelia, the Slovak Carpathians, and the Romanian Carpathians. Our objective was to identify priority areas for connectivity conservation across different socio-ecological contexts. We applied an integrated analytical framework combining state-space models, habitat selection, and landscape connectivity, and compared outcomes across regions. Preliminary findings reveal marked context-specific habitat preferences and movement patterns, highlighting the strong influence of local environmental and anthropogenic conditions on bear behaviour. These results underscore the value of behaviour-based, regionally tailored approaches for corridor planning and connectivity conservation, particularly in human-modified landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
On Your Own
Cecily Costello, Montana Fish, Wildlife & ParksMain Venue
Cecily Costello, Lori Roberts, Milan Vinks
Habitat alteration and human-caused mortality have led to range reduction and fragmentation for many bears species, but conservation actions have been successful in reversing some of these trends. Natal dispersal is the primary natural mechanism leading to recolonization and population connectivity, however it represents one of the least understood of bear behaviors. We used age-specific and spatially explicit grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) data to document natal dispersal and evaluate its drivers within the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem (Montana, USA) during several decades of population growth and range expansion. We identified mother-offspring pairs either by observation or parentage analysis and evaluated annual distance between offspring locations and their natal (i.e., mother’s) range. Using data from all pairs (n > 450 offspring aged ≥2), mean movement distance stabilized by the ages of 3 and 4 years, for female and male offspring respectively. Restricting analysis to >300 offspring known or assumed to have established their adult home range, we found that typical dispersal distances were <20 km for females and 20–60 km for males. Nevertheless, numerous cases of long-distance dispersal were documented among both sexes, with maximum distances exceeding 100 km. Most bears dispersed within the area of estimated occupied range at the time of their rearing, suggesting that range expansion was achieved by a small proportion of individuals. Some evidence suggested that dispersal was influenced by bear population density and habitat contiguity at range peripheries. These analyses demonstrate the capacity for dispersal to contribute to connectivity and gene flow among fragmented bear populations. But predicting when connectivity might be achieved remains difficult due to the individuality of the behavior and the potentially novel conditions existing within the intervening landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Daniela Gentile, Abruzzo and Molise Bear Monitoring NetworkMain Venue
Roberta Latini, Antonio Antonucci, Giovanna Di Domenico, Daniela Gentile, Arianna Mugnari, Fausto Quattrociocchi, Laura Scillitani, Elisabetta Tosoni
Monitoring wide-ranging wildlife populations is challenging in administratively fragmented landscapes, where inconsistent methods and limited coordination undermine conservation outcomes. The Apennine brown bear is one of the world's most endangered bear populations, estimated at around 50 individuals. The population is distributed across a core area of 1,460 km², where most reproducing females occur, and a surrounding low-density expansion area of 3,463 km² spanning three Italian regions. Ensuring reliable, comparable, and long-term monitoring is therefore a conservation priority. Since 2018, the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise and the Maiella National Parks have jointly implemented a coordinated transboundary Monitoring Network in the expansion area, based on a shared and standardised protocol for data collection and validation. The protocol was informed by an existing bear presence probability model, allowing survey effort to be strategically allocated and thereby maximising efficiency and detection probability. From 2018 to 2024, 137 trained operators conducted (min-max) 190-385 field surveys annually, detecting 154-825 bear signs and 7-45 individuals per year, including in areas that had not been previously surveyed. A major outcome of the Monitoring Network was the revision of the spatial distribution of reproducing females, which revealed a doubling of their occupied range and provided clear evidence of ongoing demographic and spatial expansion of the population. The data collected also informed spatial planning, regulation of human activities (e.g. hunting), and the development of an updated population size estimation protocol implemented in 2025. Despite remaining methodological challenges, this experience demonstrates how coordinated and standardised large-scale monitoring can deliver robust and relevant conservation outcomes. As such, it represents a transferable model for the monitoring of wide-ranging species in fragmented administrative contexts.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Andrés Vargas Arboleda, Instituto de Investigación de Recursos Biológicos Alexander von Humboldt.Main Venue
Adriana Reyes, Andrés Felipe Vargas Arboleda, Valentina López Velazco, Nicolas Reyes Amaya, Ramiro Velazco, Héctor Males Silva, Leidy Jhoana Escobar Escobar, Arbey Flor, Angela Maria Fajardo, Daniel Rodríguez
We evaluated ecological aspects of the bear population using spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) models based on four community camera-trap grids separated by 12 km, totaling 37,824 camera-days over two years. We recorded 529 detections corresponding to 116 individuals (60 males, 40 females, and 16 undetermined). Estimated density was 7.57 individuals/100 km², with a peak of 0.081 individuals/km² during the second sampling period, followed by a gradual decline. The second year showed more detections (343 vs. 186), associated with a 30% increase in females and more cubs, suggesting favorable reproductive conditions in a low human–bear conflict landscape. Density increased with distance from roads (β = 1.59), concentrating in less disturbed areas and confirming the effects of infrastructure on connectivity. Values exceeded those reported for Chingaza National Natural Park, highlighting the strategic importance of this corridor. This study demonstrates that community-based research can sustain real coexistence processes. It honors Adriana Reyes, who led the project and dedicated years to working with corridor communities; following her passing before its completion, these results celebrate her scientific and human legacy.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Oscar Dalling, Montana State UniversityMain Venue
Oscar Dalling, Andrea R. Litt, Anna K. Moeller, Kerry A. Gunther, Mark A. Haroldson, Matthew J. Gould, Frank T. van Manen
Estimating population abundance is a fundamental challenge in ecology, yet it is central to assessments of population status and management outcomes. American black (Ursus americanus) and grizzly (U. arctos) bears occur in North America at low densities, are highly mobile, occupy large home ranges, and typically lack individually recognizable markings, all of which complicate efforts to estimate abundance. Camera traps can help address many of these challenges, however, their application has been limited by the requirement for individual identification. Recent analytical advances eliminate this constraint. We applied two modeling approaches—time-to-event (TTE) and space-to-event (STE)—as a novel way to estimate densities of black and grizzly bears across Yellowstone National Park, USA. During July and August 2024, 120 camera traps set at random locations captured 1.4 million motion-triggered and time-lapse photographs, including images of both bear species. Approximately 85% of detections for grizzly bears (n = 77) and black bears (n = 97) were motion-triggered photos. We used telemetry data from Global Positioning System-collared bears (56 grizzly and 12 black bears) to estimate species-specific movement rates and field-based measurements to estimate the viewable area for each camera trap. These additional data are crucial for TTE and STE models in linking the detection process to a density estimate. Camera-based estimation techniques offer significant advantages compared with study designs based on captures or aerial surveys, improving safety for bears and humans, while sampling large areas. Additionally, deploying cameras at random locations creates a dataset that can be used to simultaneously estimate abundance of multiple species and address other ecological questions. Our assessment of these techniques provides detailed guidance towards establishing efficient, camera-based approaches for density estimation and monitoring of bear populations.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Klemen Jerina, University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty, Department of Forestry, Ljubljana, Sloveniant of Forestry,Main Venue
Klemen Jerina, Tomaž Skrbinšek
Reliable estimates of brown bear abundance are essential for effective conservation management. Non-invasive genetic monitoring provides robust and precise census estimates, but it is costly, logistically demanding, and often delayed due to extensive laboratory processing.
In Slovenia, the first national genetic survey was conducted in 2007 and repeated at eight-year intervals (2015, 2023) in accordance with the national monitoring strategy. Because management requires annual, up-to-date information, we developed demographic models calibrated with genetic estimates and validated using independent data (e.g., mortality records and monitoring at permanent counting sites). Models are updated annually with new mortality and demographic data and recalibrated after each genetic survey.
Simulations showed that models calibrated in 2007 and 2015 would deviate by up to 7% over an eight-year projection period. The 2023 genetic survey enabled the first empirical blind validation: eight years after calibration, model predictions differed from the genetic estimate by only 2.7%, with a mean deviation below 1% (≈8 individuals). For management purposes, substantially larger deviations (up to ~20%) would remain acceptable, confirming both the reliability of the modeling framework and the adequacy of the eight-year genetic interval.
Demographic modeling is approximately 100 times less costly than genetic censusing and provides fully up-to-date annual estimates, whereas genetic results typically reflect population status with a 1.5–2-year delay. Its main limitation is the need for periodic calibration against reliable empirical estimates. The key strength thus lies in integrating both approaches: periodic genetic surveys combined with annual, model-based estimation. We believe that developed methods and framework is transferable to other brown bear populations and wildlife species, provided that reliable long-term mortality data are available.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Hsin-Chien Tsai, Formosan Wild Sound Conservation Science CenterMain Venue
Hsin-Chien Tsai, Po-Jen Chiang, Jamie Bolam, Chium Tse Huang, Ching Hua Yang, Ho Tsung Chu, Ming Chuan Li, Kun Sung Wu
The Formosan black bear (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) is an endangered subspecies endemic to Taiwan. While historically restricted to remote mountain ranges, recent observations suggest a population expansion into Zhuoxi Township in Eastern Taiwan, leading to increased human-bear conflicts. This study provides Taiwan’s first rigorous black bear density estimates by integrating Indigenous participatory monitoring with Spatial Mark-Resight and Spatially Explicit Capture-Recapture models to guide conflict mitigation. We employed a three-tiered approach: (1) Semi-structured interviews (n=38) to document local Traditional Ecological Knowledge (TEK) from Indigenous communities regarding bear trends; (2) Systematic camera trapping (2021–2025), which evolved into 2*2 km monitoring grid in late 2024 to track distribution; and (3) Density estimation using a 4*4 km grid (n=17 stations) in 2025. We utilized high-hanging honey baits to elicit standing behavior, enabling individual identification via unique chest markings from camera trap images. Results from TEK and biological monitoring were highly consistent. 84% of residents perceived an increase in bear abundance over the last decade. The camera trap Relative Abundance Index (RAI) doubled from 0.38 to 0.77 events per 100 trap days (2021–2024). In the 2025 survey, 13 unique individuals were identified and utilized for density modeling. SECR estimated a density of 14.1±7.3 bears/100 km² , while SMR models further supported these findings with estimates ranging from 11.6 to 24.6 bears/100 km². These results are significantly higher than historical estimates. These findings confirm that while the species remains endangered, local populations in Eastern Taiwan are recovering and expanding into the human-wildlife interface. Conservation must shift from passive protection to proactive coexistence, integrating Indigenous partnerships and conflict mitigation to ensure the sustainable recovery of this iconic species.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Coffee Tent
Andrea Corradini, Fondazione Edmund MachMain Venue
Andrea Corradini, Agnieszka Sergiel, Craig Whitman, Mark Haroldson, Matthew Gould, Elise Loggers, Cecily Costello, Kerry Gunther, Stephen Smith, Courtney Cass, Frank T. van Manen
Understanding how individual traits and environmental factors influence physiological state is essential for predicting species responses to changing environments and long-term persistence. Haematological parameters provide integrative measures of health and physiological condition and can reflect variation in both intrinsic traits and environmental context. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of North America brown bears have experienced substantial ecosystem-level changes in recent decades, including density-dependent demographic processes, dietary shifts, and increased use of human-modified landscapes. We used long-term research and monitoring data (2000–2024) to examine sources of variation in haematological parameters in free-ranging brown bears. Using an extensive dataset comprising 378 complete blood counts from 257 adults (86 females, 171 males), we evaluated the relative associations of individual traits (sex, age, percent body fat, diet) and external factors (density, human modification) with 14 haematological parameters. Parameter-specific linear and generalized mixed-effects models were fitted to assess patterns across different physiological axes. We found contrasting patterns in the correlates of haematological parameters. Oxygen-transport–related parameters were more strongly associated with intrinsic traits, whereas immune-related parameters showed greater associations with environmental variables, particularly elevation and population density, which were significant predictors of leukocyte profiles. Together, these findings suggest that different components of haematological variation reflect distinct physiological and ecological correlates. The study findings support the use of haematology as an integrative indicator of physiological variation in wildlife and provides important insight into how intrinsic condition and environmental context are reflected in blood-based metrics within complex, changing ecosystems.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Cecilia Di Bernardi, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences SLUMain Venue
Cecilia Di Bernardi, Aimee Tallian, Jenny Hansen, Inger Maren Rivrud, Jenny Mattisson, Neri Horntvedt Thorsen, Joseph Bump, Örjan Johansson, Jonas Kindberg, Ole-Gunnar Støen
When large carnivores are attracted to exploit anthropogenic resources, they subject themselves to an increased human-induced disturbance and mortality. How they balance such risk-reward trade-offs remain largely unknown despite important fitness consequences. As adaptable generalist, brown bears (Ursus arctos) may show high behavioural plasticity and individual variation, with some individuals more prone to risk-taking than others.
We examine individual variation in risk-reward movement trade-offs of brown bears in alpine reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) calving areas in Idre Sámi reindeer herding community, Sweden. Bears in Sweden are primarily forest dwellers, but spring reindeer calving in open mountain terrain creates a seasonal pulse of food that attracts individuals to make short, opportunistic forays into risky, exposed areas to predate calves. Preliminary exploration reveals substantial variation in mountain forays and predation patterns, among individuals and across years within individuals. Using fine-scale GPS data from 33 collared bears in 2019-2024, we classified movement into behavioral states to detect mountain forays and to quantify individual variation in foray timing, frequency and duration. We then examined the drivers influencing the risk-reward movement trade-off of bears by linking movement decisions to environmental factors such as snow cover and reindeer calf availability, as well as bear demographic status. After accounting for these drivers, we expect the remaining variation to reflect individual differences, linked to experience and risk-proneness.
Our findings will advance our understanding of how large carnivores balance risks with rewards when exploiting anthropogenic attractive sinks, emphasizing the role of individual behavioral plasticity in shaping movement decisions. This knowledge has direct applied relevance for the ongoing debate between Sámi communities and authorities on developing locally adapted management strategies.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Stefano Filacorda, University of UdineMain Venue
Stefano Filacorda, Duško Ćirović, Slaven Reljić, Neda Bogdanović, Ilija Pantelić, Djuro Huber, Goran Gužvica, Lidija Šver, Ratko Popović, Haris Hadžihajdarević, Marija Iković, Igor Stojović, Aleksandar Perović, Dražen Kotrošan,, Mirko Šarac, Josipa Šimić, Lorenzo Bernicchi, Lorenzo Frangini, Sara Vezzaro, Virginia Barca
Brown bear (Ursus arctos) habitat management often lacks quantitative assessments of the functional value of different environments as refuge or foraging areas. Specifically, the energetic costs associated with habitat use and activity intensity are frequently overlooked. Within the framework of the Interreg IPA Adrion 4Pethabeco project, this study aimed to investigate activity rhythms and behavioral patterns to estimate the energetic costs and functional significance of habitats (e.g., foraging vs. refuge).
Data were collected from 14 bears equipped with Vectronic GPS-accelerometer collars in the Alpine region (Italy) and the Dinaric-Balkan region (Croatia and Serbia). Accelerometer data were analyzed on an hourly basis and categorized into three behavioral states: resting, foraging, and moving. Energetic costs were assigned to each category and subsequently linked to specific habitat types. Results show that bears in the Alpine region exhibited significantly higher average activity levels (+33%) compared to those in the Dinaric-Balkan areas. These differences correspond to distinct behavioral patterns: Alpine bears spent less time resting (-10%) and more time foraging (+36%) and traveling (+43%) than their Dinaric-Balkan counterparts. Consequently, the estimated energetic cost of activity was 14% higher for bears in the Alpine area.
Different habitats displayed clear functional roles, with specific selection patterns for refuge, foraging, or movement. This work provides a critical foundation for habitat management by aligning the biological requirements of the species with the energetic and functional value of the landscape.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Clara Tattoni, University of Insubria ItalyMain Venue
Clara Tattoni, Andrea Corradini, Francesco Chianucci, Marco Ciolli, Natalia Bragalanti, Francesca Cagnacci, Adriano Martinoli, Damiano G. Preatoni, Francesco Bisi
Mast seeding, the variable and intermittent production of seeds by trees, generates strong temporal fluctuations in food availability with cascading effects on wildlife behavior and ecosystem functioning. This study examines how mast seeding of European beech (Fagus sylvatica L.) influences the spatial behavior of brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the Italian Alps.
Using a combination of historical records and field sampling, annual beech seed biomass was estimated and mapped for the Province of Trento over a 15-year period (2007–2021). The energetic value of beechnuts was quantified in laboratory, providing an estimate of the caloric resources available to bears. These data were integrated with records of bear-related damages and GPS telemetry from 16 individuals to assess bear responses at both home-range and landscape scales.
Standardized damage to beehives and livestock declined markedly during mast years, indicating reduced reliance on anthropogenic food sources when natural resources were abundant. Conversely, during beech crop failures, bears increased their use of agricultural areas and reduced their use of beech forests, reflecting behavioral flexibility in response to resource scarcity. At the landscape level, damage risk was highest in agricultural and pasture areas located near beech forests and far from urban centers.
By linking mast seeding dynamics, bear movement patterns, and damage occurrence, this study highlights how inter annual variability in key food resources shapes brown bear behavior. The results provide a spatially explicit framework to anticipate conflict risk and support adaptive management strategies.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Tatra National ParkMain Venue
Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica
Brown bear hibernation attracts considerable interest not only among scientists but also the general public. Bear dens are often perceived as almost mythical, and common beliefs about their selection and structure do not always reflect reality. This discrepancy results mainly from the difficulty of locating and studying these sites, as well as from methodological biases associated with different survey approaches. At the same time, bear dens require special protection, as hibernating bears can be easily disturbed, which may be dangerous for both humans and animals, especially newborn cubs.
Between 2001 and 2025, a total of 86 brown bear dens were documented in the Tatra Mountains using a combination of telemetry, snow tracking, and incidental observations. Of these, 55 dens were located using telemetry, a method that provides objective and spatially unbiased data on den site selection. Among telemetry-located dens, 14 were situated in caves, 12 were ground nest dens, 10 were excavated dens, and 7 were semi-excavated dens. The remaining 31 dens were discovered through snow tracking and incidental findings: 17 in caves, 7 ground nest dens, 4 excavated dens, and 3 semi-excavated dens. Overall, seven caves and two excavated dens were reused multiple times. Environmental preferences of den sites were analysed, including topography, elevation, and habitat characteristics, to identify factors influencing den selection by bears.
Although both telemetry and tracking can be considered objective methods, tracking is strongly dependent on the presence and persistence of snow cover and therefore is only rarely successful under current climatic conditions. In contrast, incidental discoveries are inherently non-random and biased toward dens that are more visible and accessible to humans, such as caves and excavated dens. This likely leads to an overestimation of the proportion of dens located in such structures when not relying on objective methods such as telemetry.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Zachary David, Free the BearsMain Venue
Zachary David, Brian Crudge, Matt Hunt
For decades, Free the Bears has provided lifelong sanctuary care to Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) and sun bears (Helarctos malayanus) rescued from the illegal wildlife trade and bear bile industry in Laos and Cambodia. While this approach has delivered substantial welfare gains, it offers limited scope for population-level conservation. In response, we are developing a structured, multi-stage pre-release programme aimed at identifying and preparing suitable individuals for potential future rewilding. This presentation focuses on the practical challenges, iterative testing, and lessons learned throughout the development of this programme. We describe the design and function of Pre-Release Stage 1 and Stage 2 facilities, which incorporate restricted human-bear interaction, automated weighing devices, concealed observation points for behavioural monitoring, and progressive access to increasingly large and complex, forested enclosure space. Husbandry and feeding regimes have been repeatedly trialled and refined to reduce predictability and human association, including randomized feeding schedules, dispersed feeding locations, and experimental remote feeding devices. Behavioural monitoring across both stages combines structured direct focal observations with indirect behavioural measures derived from trials of proximity loggers, VHF collars, fixed antenna arrays, and accelerometers to evaluate enclosure use and activity while minimising disturbance. We highlight operational constraints and technological limitations encountered during testing, as well as solutions adopted throughout this process. Overall, this process is designed to generate detailed individual-level behavioural profiles that, when linked to eventual post-release outcomes, will allow retrospective evaluation of candidate selection and pre-release conditioning, thereby informing the refinement of future pre-release strategies.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
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Browse preessenter posters while enjoying Italian drinks and small plates of food.
Mariana Almaraz Alandia, Andean Carnivore Conservation ProgramMain Venue
Mariana Almaraz Alandia, Ximena Velez-Liendo, Caroline Charão Sartor
Like other large carnivores, bears are particularly vulnerable to habitat loss and fragmentation, processes that have intensified in human-dominated landscapes. Although studies on intraguild dynamics are essential for conserving carnivore communities, they remain scarce in regions like South America. The Andean Carnivore Conservation Program (ACCP) has been monitoring Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) in the inter-Andean dry forest of San Lorenzo, Tarija, Bolivia, one of the last remnants of this ecosystem in the country and an area increasingly affected by human activities. The program has recorded other carnivore species, including puma (Puma concolor), one of South America’s largest felids, and two small felids, margay (Leopardus wiedii) and Geoffroy’s cat (L. geoffroyi). Using camera trap data, we assessed temporal and spatial niche partitioning between the Andean bear and these three felid species. Temporal interactions were evaluated through activity patterns overlap, while spatial interactions were examined using single and multi-species occupancy models incorporating environmental and anthropogenic covariates. Margay and Geoffroy’s cat, both primarily nocturnal, had the lowest activity overlap with the mainly diurnal Andean bear, whereas puma exhibited a moderate temporal overlap. Spatially, the only significant interaction was that of Andean bear with puma when considering the presence of other small and medium-sized carnivores, causing a slight decrease in their spatial co-occurrence. Andean bears were not sensitive to any of the anthropogenic disturbances considered in this study, suggesting a degree of tolerance within this heterogeneous landscape. Overall, our results indicate that temporal segregation and limited spatial avoidance may facilitate coexistence among carnivores in anthropized ecosystems. This is the first study analysing the spatial and temporal dynamics for a carnivore guild composed by a bear species, a large and two small felids.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Giulia Amato, University of UdineMain Venue
Giulia Amato, Shannon M. Crowley, Dexter Hodder, Roy V. Rea
Camera trapping is a non-invasive method widely used to inventory and monitor wild species. It is mainly used to quantify and identify the presence of species within a particular monitoring site (i.e. species abundance and community composition). Optimising placement protocols is essential to obtaining unbiased results. Strategies in camera trapping often use camera deployments along trails or in randomly placed locations, however it is not always possible to implement these strategies simultaneously. In this study, we deployed 112 paired (random vs linear feature placements) camera traps in central-British Columbia (Canada) between July and October 2022, to assess the differences in camera placement on the detection of large mammals (e.g. black bears, grizzly bears, wolves, moose, elk and mule deer). We also investigated the influence of hunting season/human activity on species detection and daily activity during hunting and non-hunting seasons. Logistic regression modelling suggested that all species were detected more frequently on-trail than off-trail, with higher detection rates for carnivores. Once the hunting season started, the probability of on-trail detections decreased for most species, except for moose and grizzly bears. Black bear detections were negatively associated with the hunting season, though daily activity of bears remained similar between the two monitoring periods, displaying the highest coefficient of overlap. Grizzly bear and moose detections were positively connected with young forest. In addition to location and environmental features, we recommend considering the influence of the hunting season on species detection when designing camera trap studies. Furthermore, when managing forested habitats, we recommend maintaining patches of habitat to provide wild species with cover from potential predators and the risk of being shot.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Noah Andexler, Northern Michigan UniversityMain Venue
Noah Andexler, Grant Hilderbrand, Buck Mangipane, Justin Pinero, Diana Lafferty
For omnivorous species such as brown bear (Ursus arctos), diverse diets make forage identification challenging using traditional methods (e.g., scat dissection and stable isotope analysis). However, recent advancements in next generation sequencing, such as whole genome sequencing (WGS), provide an opportunity for high resolution diet analysis, as well as the possibility of deriving additional specimen information (e.g., host and sex identification). In this study, we used WGS on the PromethION nanopore platform to sequence DNA from 151 brown bear fecal samples to identify prey species, confirm host ID, and to assign specimen sex. Brown bear fecal samples were collected across three coastal meadows along Cook Inlet in Lake Clark National Park and Preserve, Alaska. We matched basecalled DNA sequences to the National Center for Biotechnology Information reference databases, and aligned sequence fragments to corresponding taxon, resulting in read abundances. Brown bear dietary breadth revealed a median species richness of 39 species, with a mean Shannon diversity index (Hˊ) of 2.65. Across all samples, 51% of reads were Carex spp., with other supplemental dietary species such as seacoast angelica (Angelica lucida), silverweed cinquefoil (Potentilla anserina), and beach pea (Lathyrus japonicus). We also identified a diverse array of intertidal species (n=25) in bear diets with the most notable species being common octopus and soft-shelled clams, suggesting brown bears forage intertidal resources. Samples were verified as brown bear based on genomics data, and sex identification is currently underway. Our research presents a framework for future comprehensive metagenomic analyses and provides a novel understanding of dietary breadth for a generalist species using noninvasively collected samples. Further development of WGS methodologies can provide broad application to ecological research, making it a potentially essential tool in the developing field of metagenomics.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Louise Archer, University of Toronto / Polar Bears InternationalMain Venue
Louise Archer, BJ Kirschhoffer, Jon Aars, Danielle James, Katharina Miller, Nicholas Pilfold, Joanna Sulich, Geoffrey York, Megan Owen
Maternal denning plays a vital role in the development and survival of altricial polar bear cubs by providing protection from external conditions. However, the denning period remains challenging to study and monitor because polar bear dens are often remote and difficult to access. Denning is typically inferred from satellite telemetry data, yet the accuracy of these measures in capturing important denning behaviors that are relevant to management and monitoring is unclear. We installed trail cameras and custom-built continuously recording cameras at 17 maternal den sites in Svalbard, Norway, over a 10‐year period to monitor polar bears emerging from maternal dens. We combined observations from cameras with telemetry data (location, temperature, and activity levels) obtained from satellite collars worn by the denning bears. Den emergence phenology was variable across individuals, with mothers and cubs remaining at the den site for between 2 and 31 days post den breakout. Behaviour during the emergence period was influenced by external environmental temperature and the amount of time since den breakout; bears were more likely to emerge and stay outside longer when temperatures were warmer and as more time had passed since their initial emergence from the den. We also describe fine scale behaviours and activity patterns of mothers and cubs before their final departure from the den site. Our study highlights the importance of the post‐emergence period for cub acclimatization and development. We also provide new monitoring tools to study polar bear denning behavior, which is increasingly vulnerable to disruption in a rapidly changing Arctic.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Francesca Bandoli, Giardino Zoologico di PistoiaMain Venue
Francesca Bandoli, Andrea Zacchi, Pier Attilio Accorsi, Paolo Cavicchio
Animal welfare encompasses the physical, psychological, and emotional well-being of an animal, as well as its ability to express species-specific behaviours. Long-term monitoring that accounts for changes in animals’ needs over time is increasingly recommended to ensure a comprehensive welfare assessment of animals under human care. This study aimed to monitor the welfare of a pair of rescued European brown bears (Ursus arctos) housed at Pistoia Zoo (Italy) across seasons, through the analysis of ethological and physiological animal-based parameters. The subjects' behaviours were video-recorded over an 8-month period (December 2016 – July 2017). Ten 1-hour observation sessions per day per individual were conducted using continuous focal animal sampling, resulting in an average of 662 hours of video recordings per subject. During daylight observation sessions, weather conditions, ambient temperature, relative humidity, wind speed, background noise, and visitor number were also recorded. Video footage was analysed using BORIS software, and data were evaluated with generalized linear mixed models and the Behavioural Competence Index. Additionally, 167 fresh faecal samples were collected and processed for steroid assays using radioimmunoassay (RIA). Here, we present the results related to the bears’ faecal glucocorticoid concentrations, day- and night-time activity budgets, and behavioural repertoire, and discuss whether and how behaviours varied between subjects and in relation to environmental conditions and visitor presence. Finally, we discuss how these findings informed evidence-based husbandry practices aimed at improving the bears’ overall well-being
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Fern Bendio, Brigham Young University- ProvoMain Venue
Tom Smith, Fern Bendio, Erin Lewis
To determine the minimum canine bite force and claw force of polar bears (Ursus maritimus) relevant to human–bear interactions, we measured the force required to reproduce damage created by live bears. High-density polyethylene enrichment toys previously used by captive polar bears were examined for puncture marks and claw scratches. We quantified damage depth using microscopy. Stainless steel replicas of a polar bear canine tooth and claw were then tested with a calibrated tensile testing system until the same damage depth was reproduced. We found that a mean force of 1,444 newtons was required to replicate canine puncture depth and a mean force of 987 newtons was required to replicate claw scratch depth. These values represent minimum force estimates because the bears were well-fed and not motivated to exert maximal effort. We conclude that although polar bears possess substantial bite and claw strength, limitations in jaw gape relative to adult human head circumference make molar crushing unlikely during most interactions. These results suggest that craniofacial injuries and material failures are more likely caused by canine scraping and clawing than by molar compression. This noninvasive method provides in vivo force estimates for a large carnivore and offers practical data that may inform bear-resistant product design, injury interpretation, and management strategies aimed at reducing human–bear conflict and supporting coexistence.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Livia Chavko, Sapienza University of RomeMain Venue
Livia Chavko, Anna Loy, Paolo Colangelo, Laura Gramolini, Ian Marc Bonapace, Diana Lobo, Paolo Ciucci
The Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is a relict, long isolated, and highly inbred population facing a higher extinction risk over the next century than previously recognized. While genetic rescue is currently considered risky on genomic and social grounds, population expansion beyond its current historical stronghold has been identified as the most effective conservation strategy. Previous modelling has suggested that adequate landscape suitability exists across the central Apennines, with at least 15 interconnected Critical Conservation Areas (CCAs, high suitability patches ≥ 70 km2), many of which largely overlap with existing protected areas. On this basis, the current conservation strategy for the Apennine brown bear aims to establish a metapopulation structure across the central Apennines. However, no quantitative assessment has been conducted to determine whether a hypothetical metapopulation across the Apennines would result in a significantly lower extinction risk than the current single core population. In this work, we use Vortex to examine whether, and under which structural conditions, such a metapopulation would ensure a substantially lower extinction risk. Specifically, we compared the extinction risk of a hypothetical metapopulation spanning the maximum possible extent, centred on the 15 CCAs across the central Apennines, with that of smaller subsets of interconnected subpopulations located closer to the current core population, representing a more realistic conservation scenario over the next one or two decades. While fully aware that our projections are highly sensitive to the uncertainty of key parameters characterizing the simulated metapopulation, we consider the results valuable because they provide unique insights: both for evaluating the effectiveness of the current conservation strategy and for identifying the population parameters that are most critical to estimate and monitor during the anticipated range expansion.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Po-Jen Chiang, Formosan Wild Sound Conservation Science Center Co., Ltd.Main Venue
Po-Jen Chiang, Wen-Hsu Chen, Chia-Hen Chung, Hsin-Chien Tsai, Yen-Jen Kuo, Jamie Bolam, Hwa-Ching Lin, Chun-Tse Huang, Chang-Yu Wu, Hung-Yi Chang, Jui-Fen Yang
The recovery of endangered Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus formosanus) in Taiwan faces a unique challenge where natural habitats are closely knit with human settlements. Historically, accidental trapping was underreported. However, the 2022 implementation of a "no-penalty" reporting policy and Payment for Ecosystem Services (PES) brought "black numbers" of hidden mortalities to light. By shifting from blaming farmers to empathizing with crop protection needs, this approach saved at least 25 individuals. We evaluated the post-release efficacy of 12 such bears (15 release events) tracked between 2020 and 2025. Post-release survival was 75% (9/12); mortalities were linked to poor physical condition or renewed conflict. We documented three notable behavioral patterns. First, telemetry revealed near-zero movement for 1.5–2.5 months in winter for several individuals, suggesting dormancy; notably, camera footage from one bear visually confirmed tree-cavity denning. We hypothesize that Taiwan's steep altitudinal gradient mimics high-latitude conditions, triggering facultative dormancy. Second, movement scale diverged by age. While subadults established stable territories, one translocated adult male recorded a record-breaking home range of 803.2 km², traversing extreme gradients (70–2,500 m). Third, translocated adult males showed strong homing behavior. Despite releases up to 72 km away, they undertook extensive journeys to return to capture sites. This drive often channeled bears back through settlements, leading to recurrent conflicts as they raided poultry or cabins. Detailed movement analyses will be presented. Our findings suggest Taiwan is mirroring trends seen in Japan, where bears are expanding into town edges. While the "no-penalty" policy rescues bears, post-release management remains complex. Telemetry monitoring must serve as a real-time early warning system to support communities practicing coexistence.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Duško Ćirović, University of Belgrade Faculty of BiologyMain Venue
Duško Ćirović, Neda Bogdanović, Ilija Pantelić
Hibernation occurs as a unique strategy enabling some mammals to cope with severe environmental conditions. Bears are considered facultative hibernators and also the only mammal species in which females give birth during hibernation period, meaning that for pregnant females, hibernation is obligatory. However, it has been shown that bears, mostly males, might change their winter behavior, causing them to remain occasionally or constantly active during winter. We analyzed winter behavioral patterns of 8 brown bears monitored in Serbia between 2021 and 2026, resulting in a total of 15 bear winters. Previous study suggested four different hibernation strategies: an obligate hibernation strategy in females, a facultative hibernation where individuals hibernate all winter, a facultative intermittent hibernation and a strategy where individuals remain active for the entire winter. However, new data revealed a remarkable finding; one female with yearlings hibernated for only 41 days, which is substantially shorter not only compared to previously obtained results for this reproductive category (136 days), but also to the overall denning duration range for females in general (75-172 days). In addition, we identified a long-distance excursion made in late October (pre-hibernation period) while accompanied by four COY. Total length of excursion was ~53 km, calculated as the furthest point from the centroid of the 99% dBBMM UD. Over 49 days, she covered a total distance of 303 km, traveling on average 6 km/day. She was moving from Varda Mountain (BIH), across the Tara Mountain (SRB), crossing the Drina River, all the way to Srebrenica, before she returned to Varda, using almost the same route. There is evidence that she was disturbed by hunting activity, highlighting the serious impact that human-related disturbances can have on bears. This may pose an increased risk for females with COY, as their movement is constrained by the limited mobility of their offspring.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Stefania Salucci, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del MoliseMain Venue
Stefania Salucci, Sabrina V.P. Defourny, Leonardo Gentile, Vincenza Di Pirro, Alessandra Alessiani, Daniela Averaimo, Maria Chiara Cantelmi, Antonio Cocco, Massimo Vignoli, Rosario Fico, Antonio Petrini
Streptococcus gallolyticus is a Gram-positive bacterium commonly regarded as a commensal of the gastrointestinal tract of humans and animals, while infections in wildlife are rarely reported and its pathogenic role remains poorly understood. The Marsican brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is an endangered subspecies with a core population of about 60 individuals, mainly restricted to the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM), Italy. This report describes a case of systemic S. gallolyticus infection in a Marsican brown bear found dead within the PNALM. The carcass was submitted to the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise of Teramo to determine the cause of death and exclude poisoning or illegal killing. RX examination, performed at OVUD of Teramo, ruled out the presence of fractures, bullets or metallic foreign bodies. External inspection revealed multiple parallel skin lesions affecting the head, neck, thorax, and limbs; several were penetrating and associated with edema, hemorrhage, and severe muscle lacerations, findings consistent with intraspecific aggression. Necropsy showed sero-hematic effusion, fibrinous pleurisy, and multifocal adhesions between the lung and thoracic wall; the pericardium was thickened and covered with fibrinous material. Advanced autolysis prevented histopathological evaluation. S. gallolyticus was isolated from multiple organs (lung, kidney, heart, bone marrow, and muscle), in pure culture from the heart and bone marrow, supporting systemic infection; identification was achieved by MALDI-TOF. Virologic, parasitological, and toxicological tests were negative. Traumatic skin and muscle injuries likely acted as predisposing factors for opportunistic infection. This case highlights the importance of integrated diagnostic approaches in wildlife mortality investigations and underscores the value of systematic sanitary surveillance for the conservation of endangered wildlife populations.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Elisa Desiato, University of FerraraMain Venue
Elisa Desiato, Giorgio Bertorelle, Fabrizio Riguzzi, Alice Bizzarri, Roberta Latini
Human–large carnivore coexistence remains a central challenge in conservation. In Central Italy, the Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) represents a particularly relevant case for investigating long-term dynamics of public perception, as it is now associated with a relatively positive attitude among local populations compared to other European contexts.
This study applies computational text analysis to reconstruct the temporal evolution of attitudes towards the species using historical and contemporary newspaper retrieved from digital repositories and local press archives. The analysis spans from the establishment of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park to the present.
Documents were digitized using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) and processed through automated filtering procedures based on keywords and lexical patterns to identify bear-related content.
Sentiment classification was conducted using a Vision-Language model (Qwen2-VL), a multimodal large language model capable of integrating visual and textual information and directly analyzing digitized newspaper pages. A structured prompt guided the model to evaluate: (i) textual relevance to the bear as a real animal, (ii) sentiment polarity (positive, negative, neutral), and (iii) supporting evidence sentences.
Although results are preliminary, the workflow enabled reconstruction of a historical sentiment trend, demonstrating the feasibility of integrating AI-based language analysis with wildlife perception research. This work highlights the potential of computational approaches for examining human–wildlife relationships across extended timescales.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Giovanna Di Domenico, Maiella National ParkMain Venue
Giovanna Di Domenico, Marco Di Santo, Rossella Ferretti, John Forcone, Marco Antonelli, Franco Ferroni, Antonio Pollutri, Antonio Antonucci
The long-term conservation of large carnivores depends on the ability to engage local communities and economic actors, particularly in expansion areas where social acceptance is a key limiting factor. Most coexistence initiatives focus on mitigating direct human–bear conflicts and on stakeholders affected by damage. While essential, this approach alone may be insufficient to address the broader ecological and social dimensions of large carnivore conservation.
Within the LIFE ARCPROM project, Maiella National Park and WWF Italy developed a Bear Friendly label as an innovative ecosystem-based tool to promote coexistence with the Apennine brown bear. The initiative expands potential beneficiaries beyond damaged producers to include agricultural farmers whose practices support habitat and biodiversity conservation and ecosystem functionality. The method followed a participatory process including: (1) co-design of criteria and communication strategies with economic operators; (2) technical support for the adoption of prevention measures and sustainable farming practices; (3) development of market opportunities; and (4) stakeholder engagement through seminars and workshops. Eligibility criteria combine damage-prevention measures with organic or low-impact farming and conservation of local agricultural varieties. In 2022-23, 27 producers were awarded the Bear Friendly label, covering over 70 products and 66 production sites across 21 (54%) municipalities of the Park.
Reflecting the bear’s role as an umbrella species, our approach reframed coexistence as shared responsibility for wildlife and habitats, rather than solely damage management. The Maiella Bear Friendly label demonstrates how ecosystem-based and participatory strategies can strengthen conservation outcomes by broadening community engagement and supporting habitat functionality, offering a scalable and replicable model for coexistence with large carnivores.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Giovanna Di Domenico, Maiella National ParkMain Venue
Giovanna Di Domenico, Luca Madonna, Fabrizia di Tana, Simone Angelucci, Antonio Antonucci
The management of food-conditioned bears represents a major challenge for conservation in human-dominated landscapes. We describe the case of the Apennine brown bear M1.176, born in 2020, whose early and intense exposure to people and anthropogenic food led to strong confidence toward humans and an almost exclusive reliance on garbage. During 2021 repeated dissuasion efforts and an initial relocation attempt didn’t change the situation. In early 2022, following one month of intensive but only partially-effective dissuasion in Roccaraso Village, M1.176 was captured and held in captivity for 20 days under conditions excluding human contact and providing only natural food, before being translocated to a remote area of the Maiella National Park.
After release, M1.176 remained for 16 consecutive days in the wild, feeding exclusively on natural food resources, avoiding villages and anthropogenic structures. Given the bear’s high level of conditioning and the short distance between the capture and the release area (≈30 km), both the duration of this period and the quality of behavior observed contrasted with expectations of a rapid return to human settlements. When the bear returned to Roccaraso, garbage feeding was markedly reduced and replaced by feeding on poultry. This shift coincided with the installation of bear-proof garbage containers and stricter waste management regulations.
This case shows that even highly food-conditioned bears may temporarily regain wild behavior and abandon systematic garbage feeding when food availability is effectively reduced. The 16 days spent in the wild represent an unexpected outcome of the captivation–translocation process and suggest that the period of captivity may have contributed to a partial behavioral reset. Overall, the case of M1.176 highlights the importance of prevention measures and supports combining food-access management with targeted interventions to improve behavioral outcomes even in severely compromised individual.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Manuel Díaz Fernández, Fundación Oso de AsturiasMain Venue
Manuel Díaz Fernández, Javier Naves, Miguel de Gabriel Hernando, José Tuñón, Eloy Revilla
Negative interactions between humans and large carnivores represent one of the main conservation challenges due to the social conflicts they can generate. In the case of brown bears, these interactions include visits to human settlements, a type of event increasingly reported in recent years. We present a study where we collected 73 bear visits events to human settlements between 2009 and 2021 in the Cantabrian population (NW Spain). These events were mainly caused by young individuals, occurring mostly at night and during the summer, when bears were primarily attracted by fruit trees available in human settlements. The affected settlements were located in areas of high habitat quality, close to breeding cores, and with a high intensity of bear damage. Within these areas, human settlements with bear visits differed from nearby ones by having a larger perimeter, a shorter distance to forest patches, and greater surrounding terrain ruggedness.
Our results highlight the need for improved, standardized, and transparent data collection and categorization of these events, linked to adaptive intervention protocols that prioritize preventive measures, particularly the management of trophic attractants, to anticipate conflicts and promote coexistence. In response to this specific challenge, an integrated and participatory process is being developed in the Cantabrian region. This includes: (1) seminars and thematic sessions with representatives from rural stakeholders, media, NGOs, regional administrations, and the scientific community to examine social perceptions, management challenges, and communication strategies; (2) technical processes aimed at refining existing decision-making protocols to improve the interpretation of these events, data collection, and intervention actions. We will present the main findings and shared recommendations arising from this collaborative process at the conference, showcasing an integrated approach to human–bear coexistence.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Kayla Doucette, University of AlbertaMain Venue
Kayla Doucette, Colleen St. Clair, John Paczkowski
The human shield hypothesis suggests that vulnerable species and individuals use human presence as refuge from predators, but this behavioural tactic may oppose the efficacy of management actions that are intended to make animals fearful of people, including aversive conditioning. Aversive conditioning is a management tool that uses repeated negative stimuli to teach animals to associate humans with stressful experiences and thus avoid human-use areas. We hypothesized that subordinate bears use human presence as a shield from dominant bears, which include larger bears for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis) and all grizzly bears for black bears (U. americanus), and predicted reduced responses to aversive conditioning for subordinate individuals when and where they were in spatial and temporal proximity to dominant individuals in Kananaskis Country, Alberta, Canada. We analyzed time-stamped GPS data for black and grizzly bears collected via observation by wildlife technicians and GPS collars. We defined a series of space-time cubes where grizzly bears occurred within 500-1000 meters and 30-120 minutes of a black bear location. Black bear reactivity to aversive conditioning efforts were scored as resistant, low, or high. Black bears were up to 18% less reactive to aversive stimuli when a grizzly bear was nearby relative to when grizzly bears were absent. These results suggest that black bears are more fearful of grizzly bears than humans exerting aversive stimuli and reveal the need for context-dependent uses of aversive conditioning that maintains the security of individuals from conspecifics while minimizing potential conflict with people.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Daniele Falcinelli, University of Rome "La Sapienza"Main Venue
Daniele Falcinelli, Ilpo Kojola, Samuli Heikkinen, Vincenzo Penteriani, María del Mar Delgado, Paolo Ciucci
Human-caused mortality is a primary threat to large mammal conservation worldwide, and hunting represents one of its most pervasive sources. Beyond direct demographic impacts, hunting influences animal behaviour and space use. Despite its relevance, modelling of hunting-mortality risk remains underexplored, particularly regarding the influence of different modelling strategies on spatial prediction accuracy. Here, we compared four alternative approaches for modelling hunting-mortality risk in a European brown bear Ursus arctos population in central Finland, using long-term (2002–2014) harvest and telemetry data. We developed resource selection functions contrasting hunting-mortality locations with (i) random background locations, (ii) GPS-telemetry locations of live bears, (iii) random locations weighted by a species distribution model specific for the hunting season, and (iv) random locations weighted by a bear-density probability surface. Predictive performance was evaluated with independent harvest data (2015–2017) using the Boyce index. Across all approaches, hunting-mortality risk increased with bear density, forest and shrubland cover, while decreasing with hunter density. Although the spatial distribution of predicted risk was broadly consistent among approaches, the extent and intensity of high-risk areas varied markedly. The random-background approach identified the most extensive high-risk zones and achieved the highest predictive performance; other approaches predicted more localised and clustered risk hotspots, performing comparatively worse. These results indicate that the random-background approach may better capture potential risk across landscapes, suggesting that harvest reflects landscape accessibility and human-use patterns rather than strictly animal space use. Integrating this approach with SDMs within habitat-based frameworks can help identify potential refugia and ecological traps, promoting the conservation of threatened large mammals.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Dario Fernandez-Bellon, fRI ResearchMain Venue
Abbey Wilson, Cameron McClelland, Sarah Michaud, Jun Han, Gordon Stenhouse, David Goodlett, Kristenn Magnusson, Karen Graham, Hugo Fernández-Bellon, David Janz, Darío Fernández-Bellon
A common approach to monitoring bear populations is the use of non-invasive DNA sampling through hair snags to estimate population sizes. Although successful in acquiring population size estimates, genetic capture-recapture lacks the demographic insights needed to identify drivers of population dynamics. Here we test whether it is possible to use grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) hair hormone concentrations to determine key demographic parameters, specifically sex, age class, and in the case of females whether they were pregnant, lactating, or accompanied by cubs. We measured hormone profiles (16 steroid and thyroid hormones relating to reproduction, stress, and nutrition) from 130 grizzly bear hair samples collected during live-capture events in Alberta, Canada, from 2008-2019, for which we were able to determine sex, age class, and measures of reproductive status in females. We used random forest models to predict demographic parameters based on different combinations of hormone values, with a predictive accuracy ranging from 53% to 94%. Our best performing models were those developed to predict sex (80% accuracy when applied to all bears and 94% accuracy when subset to adult bears). Age class models performed better on male bears (86% accuracy) than on female bears (73% accuracy). Our analyses of female reproductive status were constrained by sample size limitations but resulted in a predictive model able to determine whether an adult female was accompanied by cubs of the year with 66% accuracy. By testing this methodology on hair samples collected from captured grizzly bears where these demographic parameters were known, we demonstrate its potential applicability to non-invasive monitoring approaches. Pairing hair hormone concentration analysis with genetic capture-recapture surveys has the potential to provide multi-dimensional population data to wildlife managers, better informing evidence-based decisions.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Eva Filipczykova, Czech University of Life Sciences PragueMain Venue
Eva Filipczykova, Koen Cuyten, Ingrid Vermeulen, Christopher Schmidt, Žaneta Křišťanová, Aleš Vorel, Agnieszka Olszańska, Agata Pietrzyk-Kaszyńska, Agnieszka Sergiel, Alistair J Bath, Bernd Nonnenmacher
Bears have been kept in castle moats in what is now Czechia since at least 1707, a practice that has increasingly raised animal welfare concerns. Several facilities do not comply with current welfare standards and, in some cases, even with minimum Czech legal requirements, resulting in public complaints and petitions. At the same time, some interest groups support maintaining the tradition. In 2023, the international animal welfare organisations Stiftung für Bären and Bears in Mind initiated a collaboration with the Czech National Heritage Institute (NPÚ), which manages these sites. This led to a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) signed in 2024 to gradually end bear keeping in state-owned castle moats by 2030. Partners implement the MoU through public education, relocation of existing bears to improved conditions, and a commitment not to introduce new bears, marking the launch of the Bear Hope project. In 2023, four castles (Český Krumlov, Konopiště, Náchod and Točník) housed seven bears. In December 2024, a male Asiatic black bear was relocated from Konopiště to Zoo Ostrava. In January 2025, the last brown bear at Náchod died. Since then, no new bears have been introduced to Konopiště or Náchod. As of 2026, five brown bears remain: three at Český Krumlov and two at Točník. In April 2025, the partners organised an international scientific conference on modern captive bear management. Concurrently, under the supervision of the Czech University of Life Sciences Prague (CZ) and the Institute of Nature Conservation PAS (PL), a social research project assessed visitor perceptions. Results indicate that video-based educational materials effectively engage younger audiences (15–17 years). The three bears in two small enclosures (250 m² and 620 m²) at Český Krumlov Castle remain the project’s most urgent case, as all exhibit severe physical and behavioural indicators of stress, underscoring the need for a definitive welfare solution that has yet to be secured.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Anna Filipowska, University of Agriculture in KrakowMain Venue
Anna Filipowska
Tatra National Park (TPN, 211 km²), located in southern Poland, lies at the north-western edge of the Western Carpathian brown bear population. Between 2012 and 2022, tourism pressure in TPN doubled to over 4.5 million visitors annually, making it one of the most intensively visited protected areas in Europe. Under such conditions, visitor behaviour directly affects both human safety and bear management outcomes.
We analysed questionnaire surveys conducted among visitors in 2012 and 2022 (N = 526) to examine changes in bear-related knowledge, behavioural intentions, and management preferences. Using chi-square tests and logistic regression models, we compared responses between years and identified predictors of support for removal-based management, including lethal control of problem individuals or population reduction measures.
Over the decade, knowledge regarding bear ecology, conservation status, and appropriate behaviour during encounters declined, while support for removal-based management increased. Importantly, perceived danger was not a significant predictor of management preference. Instead, support for removal-based management was associated with limited knowledge of and adherence to recommended environmental practices, including misunderstanding of encounter guidelines and park regulations. Visitors who indicated inappropriate responses to hypothetical bear encounters were more than six times as likely to support removal-based management.
In highly visited mountain protected areas, insufficient visitor preparedness may increase the likelihood of risky encounters, potentially triggering management interventions affecting individual bears. Strengthening visitor competence should therefore be considered an integral component of bear management under conditions of overtourism.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Marina Gaona, Fundación Oso Pardo (Brown Bear Foundation)Main Venue
Laura García de la Fuente, Raúl García de Vega Yáñez, Javier Blanco González, Ana Belén Ramos Guajardo, Joaquín Miguel Abella de Bascarán, Marina Gaona, Guillermo Palomero
Measuring the economic dependence of rural and mountain businesses on brown bears can reveal the extent to which the species has become an indispensable element of natural capital for many areas that have committed to its conservation. A quantification of the direct economic contribution of Cantabrian brown bears to local economies and their potential to support jobs is here presented, considering patterns in time and space. The study has covered most of the distribution area in NW Spain and considers that its effect goes beyond that linked to bear-watching tourism. In 2018 a socioeconomic stratified random sampling covered 198 businesses located in 32 municipalities; in 2025, this data collection process involved 220 businesses spread across 28 municipalities already sampled in 2018 (panel for monitoring effects over time) and another 40 with more recent presence of the species (to measure differences in territories with varying levels and years of bear presence). The 30% of the sampled businesses perceived that their turnover and clientele depended in 2025 on the presence of the brown bear; for them, on average 37% of the annual income depends on bears, being "Services related to nature tourism and ecotourism" and “Active tourism and accommodation” the most dependent activities. The highest economic dependence is found in the central-western bear sector (39% of businesses dependent and 40% of their turnover), with a more consolidated population and a greater number of bears with cubs, particularly marked in those municipalities that have projected an image of coexistence and conservation of bears as their endogenous resource. The research confirms that economic dependence has grown between 2018-2025 in the municipalities under control, as the probability of dependence has grown significantly in both eastern and central-western population areas, with an average percentage of turnover linked to bears remaining similar or increasing slightly with respect to 2018.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Patrizia Giangregoria, Italian Institute For Environmental Protection and Research, ISPRAMain Venue
Patrizia Giangregorio, Federica Mattucci, Anna Padula, Romolo Caniglia, Marta De Barba, Barbara Boljte, Marjeta Konec, Elena Pazhenkova, Tomaž Skrbinšek, Roberta Latini, Gianpiero Di Clemente, Ivana Pizzol, Antonio Antonucci, Nadia Mucci
Genetic monitoring of small, isolated populations with extremely low genetic variability is essential for effective conservation management, as precise and reliable individual identification is critical to avoid biased population estimates and ensure robust demographic inference. The Apennine brown bear, a critically endangered and genetically depauperate population, poses significant challenges for individual genotyping using conventional short tandem repeat (STR) panels due to low polymorphism, genotyping errors, and limited comparability across laboratories and time.
We evaluated the genotyping performance of a high-throughput sequencing (HTS) microsatellite panel comprising 43 loci, including the ZFX/Y for sexing, on 46 invasive samples representing 46 individuals previously genotyped with capillary STR methods.
After quality filtering, 36 polymorphic loci were retained, showing high amplification success (mean=96%) and low genotyping error rates. Individual discrimination power was high, with a probability of identity (PID) of 5.0×10⁻¹⁶ and a probability of identity among siblings (PIDsib) of 4.1×10⁻⁸. The low PID and PIDsib values, combined with a high number of mismatches among genotypes, ensure reliable individual identification and provide redundancy to accommodate missing data across multiple loci. Genetic diversity metrics reflected the population’s low variability, yet several loci exhibited multi-allelic patterns.
This HTS-STR panel overcomes the limitations of capillary electrophoresis-based genotyping by offering a greater number of markers, along with unambiguous allele identification, thereby improving the informativeness and reliability of traditional STR analyses. Our results demonstrate the utility of this approach for precise individual identification, with additional potential for parentage inferences, pedigree reconstructions, and monitoring demographic and genetic parameters over time.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Simone Giovacchini, Biome srlMain Venue
Simone Giovacchini, Mauro Fabrizio Ecoview srl, Fausto Quattrociocchi, Mario Cipollone
After decades of conservation efforts, the Apennine brown bear remains critically endangered, with long-term survival depending on population growth and expansion beyond its core range. The Roveto Valley connects the core area to the widest suitable habitat patch across Central Italy, but State Road 690 may hinder the dispersal movements through the risk of collision with vehicles. Thanks to IBA funds, we analysed traffic data (volume, speed, vehicle type, daily and seasonal patterns) and assessed road permeability using Infrastructure Obstruction Profiling. All barriers, under- and overpasses were inspected to verify their functionality. A wildlife suitability map was overlaid to the road’s barrier profile and species-specific movement abilities to produce a bear road-kill risk map. Both wildlife presence and road mortality was monitored to validate suitability and road-kill risk maps. Traffic volume is high, especially during daylight, and speed limits are often ignored. However, the road includes numerous functional under- and overpasses and limited continuous barriers. It does not appear the road acts as a complete physical or behavioural barrier. The upper valley, where habitat suitability and crossing structures are greater, likely supports more crossing attempts for bears. Higher-risk segments occur mainly in the middle and lower valley. Roadkills have been rare for large mammal in the last 15 years and mainly affected synanthropic mesomammals. Nevertheless, low mortality on large mammals may reflect their very low densities in the valley (especially bear and red deer) rather than representing truly safe crossings along the road. Thus, as we hope bear densities will grow in the next years in this area, the implementation of correct mitigation measures along the State Road are claimed, especially in the upper valley to support female dispersal and in the middle/lower valley to protect roaming males crucial for future genetic connectivity across the Apennines.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Matthew Gould, Government AgencyMain Venue
Matthew Gould, Mark Haroldson, Frank T. van Manen, Justin Clapp, Kerry Gunther, Justin Schwabedissen
Approximately 3–5 million visitors recreate annually in Yellowstone (YNP) and Grand Teton (GTNP) National Parks, USA, primarily near developed areas, campsites, and trails from May-October. This period overlaps with the active season for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos), increasing potential for human–bear encounters. Whereas the human-bear interface and associated mitigation strategies in developed areas are well studied, the potential for human-bear interactions along trails is less understood. Identifying where and when bears cross or use trails is critical for reducing risk. GPS collars provide detailed location data but connecting consecutive fixes with straight lines can misrepresent crossings and use intensity. Variable GPS fix rates and movement between fixes add uncertainty, particularly given high mobility of grizzly bears. Continuous trajectories with quantified uncertainty provide a more realistic and useful representation of movement paths. Treed Gaussian Process (TGP) models address this by combining Gaussian process interpolation with Bayesian treed partitioning to capture distinct behavioral shifts. Each shift in movement behavior is fit with an individual Gaussian process, improving accuracy for heterogeneous movement. Posterior predictive sampling produces continuous trajectories with credible intervals, enabling robust inference. Derived movement metrics can be computed and linked to environmental covariates. We applied TGPs to grizzly bear GPS telemetry data (2009–2025) to reconstruct continuous trajectories, quantify trail interactions, and identify crossing hotspots and trail use in YNP and GTNP. Results will inform National Park Service management strategies to enhance visitor safety on recreational trails while providing for long-term conservation of grizzly bears
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Hannah Hess, Columbia UniversityMain Venue
Hannah Hess, Viorel Popescu, Mihai Pop, Ruben Iosif, Marissa Dyck
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) persist at high densities in the Romanian Carpathians, where they coexist within an intact mammalian community alongside expanding human infrastructure such as logging and agriculture. Effective bear management requires understanding both bear habitat selection and interactions with the broader mammalian community across space and time. Using a two-year camera-trap dataset of 13 mammal species, we applied piecewise structural equation modeling to quantify direct and indirect seasonal pathways shaping the mammalian network (including bears, large carnivores, mesocarnivores, and prey species) while integrating human activities and habitat characteristics. Preliminary results indicate that interspecific interactions are the primary drivers of community structure in the cold season, while environmental and human factors play a stronger role in the warm season. Bears exhibit distinct roles within the network between seasons. During the cold season, bear relative abundance (e.g., number of camera trap detections) predicted badger presence, suggesting a facilitative relationship, potentially through carrion provisioning or soil disturbance during foraging. In both cold and warm seasons, wild boar relative abundance consistently predicted bear density, indicating that bears may predate wild boar as well as track boar activity to locate concentrated food resources (e.g., ground-dwelling insects, tubers, etc.).
To translate these findings into a management-relevant spatial context, we used linear mixed models and GIS to map bear relative abundance based on wild boar occurrences across environmental gradients and human disturbance regimes. By linking these community-level processes to the landscape, we aim to anticipate where bear space use, mediated by facilitative interactions and human pressures, may elevate the risk of human-bear encounters, supporting targeted monitoring and proactive conflict mitigation strategies.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Woo-Chan Jang, Korea National Park Institute for Wildlife ConservationMain Venue
Woo-Chan Jang, Ock-Ju Im, Sin-Young Choi, Eui-Beom Kyeong, Jeong-Jin Yang, Woo-Jin Jeong, Doo-Ha Yang
South Korea’s captive bear industry, initiated in 1981, has steadily declined since the country acceded to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) in 1993, together with a reduction in demand for bear bile. The government amended relevant legislation to prohibit the ownership, keeping, and breeding of captive bears from 2026 onward, and established a public sanctuary in Gurye, Jeollanam-do, on 30 September 2025 to receive bears surrendered by farms or confiscated through administrative actions. The sanctuary, named the Gurye Bear Maru Shelter, covers 25,744 m² and comprises three husbandry buildings (each with 10 indoor dens, five outdoor pens, and one large outdoor enclosure) and an on-site veterinary clinic. Operational responsibility was delegated to the Korea National Park Service (KNPS), which has implemented national restoration programs for the endangered Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus). KNPS conducts on-farm immobilization and transport, performs comprehensive health examinations upon intake, and provides veterinary care, adequate nutrition, and environmental enrichment to facilitate recovery and behavioral adjustment following prolonged confinement under substandard conditions. To date, 24 bears rescued from six locations are housed; most are older individuals born before the 2014 sterilization program and present with severe injuries or chronic impairments (e.g., limb or tongue amputation, dental defects, blindness, hind-limb dysfunction). PCR screening for 59 infectious agents detected positives only for four targets: Clostridium perfringens, Campylobacter jejuni, enteropathogenic E. coli(EPEC), and enterohemorrhagic E. coli(EHEC). Next steps include expanded CT-based diagnostics, enclosure upgrades and staged acclimation to reduce stereotypies, diversified enrichment, and planning for additional intake of remaining farm bears.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Rabin K.C., National Trust for Nature Conservation (NTNC)Main Venue
Rabin K.C., Jyoti Sharma
The Himalayan Black Bear (HBB) faces severe conservation challenges in Nepal due to habitat loss and intense human-bear conflict (HBC). This study, conducted between October 2022 and May 2023, assessed the occupancy, and conservation status of HBB in the Jumla district of western Nepal. Using a single-season occupancy framework, we surveyed 28 grids of size 5km x 5km covering more than 50% forest area. Within these grids, five 1-km replicates were surveyed for direct sightings and indirect signs such as scats, scrapes, and diggings. During the survey, the total of 109.2 km of the transect was surveyed. The naïve occupancy of HBB was 0.62 and the model-averaged HBB occupancy was estimated of 0.79 (SE ± 0.012). The terrain ruggedness and distance to human settlements had a negative influence on bear occupancy, whereas distance to rivers showed a positive influence. To complement the ecological data, a household survey of 150 local residents was conducted evaluate HBC. Results highlighted a critical need for intervention, as evidenced by the collection of eight bear pelts from illegal killings during the study period. Consequently, a multi-tiered conservation approach was implemented, including the distribution of 2,000 educational posters, school awareness programs for over 300 students, and 24 community outreach session targeting herders and local residents. These findings underscore the importance of integrating rigorous occupancy modeling with community-based conservation to ensure the long-term survival of the Himalayan Black Bear in western Nepal.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Lola Dugourgeot, CEFS, INRAEMain Venue
Lola Dugourgeot, Inès Khazar, Pierre-Yves Quenette, Cécile Vanpé, Nicolas Morellet, Yannick Chaval, Nathan Ranc
In a context of habitat fragmentation caused by anthropogenic activities, maintaining connectivity between populations is crucial for the long-term preservation of species. At the regional scale, this connectivity is mainly achieved through dispersal. Predictions of biological corridors are efficient management tools to inform conservation and reintroduction actions. Such predictions should ideally be derived from the movement behaviour of dispersing individuals, that explore novel and/or unfamiliar environments during the exploration phase, yet these data are rarely available, particularly for species targeted by conservation programs. Wildlife translocations or reintroductions offer an alternative to understand the movement of individuals outside of familiar areas into novel environments, in a quasi-experimental set-up. As in dispersing individuals, explorative behaviour is expected to predominate over spatial memory (i.e. the exploitation of familiar areas through memory) during translocation, at least in the early phase. Studying the movements of translocated individuals may therefore provide a proxy for dispersal, offering insights into spatial connectivity and home range formation that may otherwise be difficult to obtain in the wild. Using GPS and VHF data from 11 translocated brown bear individuals in the Pyrenees (France and Spain), we first segmented the trajectories into exploration and settlement phases. We contrasted bear movement behaviour and resource selection depending on the movement phase and quantified phase-specific spatial connectivity. We showed that bear movement behaviour differed significantly among behavioural phases, with heightened risk-taking toward humans during exploration, leading to cascading effects on connectivity estimates and corridor delineation for regional conservation planning. Wildlife translocations offer an interesting experimental set-up to understand the mechanisms at the root of home range formation in wild animals.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Kiyoon Kim, Chungbuk National UniversityMain Venue
Kiyoon Kim, Wonhyeok Lee, Jeongjin Yang, Euibeom Kyeong, Dong-Hyuk Jeong
This study investigated the species composition of parasitic ticks and the prevalence of tick-borne pathogens (TBPs) in reintroduced Asiatic black bears in South Korea, while assessing the subsequent physiological impact on the host. A total of 367 ticks were collected from 14 bears. Morphological identification identified five species, with Haemaphysalis flava (59%) being dominant, followed by Amblyomma testudinarium (14%), Haemaphysalis longicornis (23%), Haemaphysalis japonica (2%), and Ixodes nipponensis (2%). The presence of A. testudinarium, a species typically associated with large mammals, reflects the bears’ utilization of interior forest habitats where such tick species are established. Molecular screening of 71 tick pools revealed a 38% (n=27) prevalence of Rickettsia spp., while SFTSV and Borrelia spp. were not detected. Pathogen prevalence peaked in the adult stage, suggesting a pattern of bio-accumulation throughout the tick life cycle. Crucially, bears infested with Rickettsia-positive ticks (n=9) exhibited significantly higher levels of White Blood Cell (WBC) counts, Eosinophils, and Mean Corpuscular Volume (MCV) compared to the negative group (p < 0.05). These hematological alterations are associated with systemic inflammatory responses in the host. As the first comprehensive surveillance of the bear–tick–pathogen tripartite relationship in South Korea, this study highlights the importance of incorporating vector surveillance and management into wildlife conservation strategies under a One Health framework. However, further studies with larger sample sizes are required to validate these findings.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Tae-wook Kim, National Park Institute for Wildlife Conservation, Korea National Park ServiceMain Venue
Tae-wook Kim, Sang-Hyun Han, Ju-yeol Choi, Man-woo Kim, Sa-Hyun Lee, Doo-Ha Yang, Chi Hong Lim
In terms conservation of large mammals, maintaining functional connectivity among core habitats is essential for sustaining population viability and mitigating human–wildlife conflict. This study aimed to identify priority core habitat and corridors of the reintroduced Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus ussuricus) in South Korea and to delineate conservation-relevant habitat units at a landscape scale. We analyzed 65,318 location records collected between 2004 and 2022 using Morphological Spatial Pattern Analysis (MSPA) and circuit theory–based connectivity modeling. MSPA results indicated that core habitats comprised approximately 23% of the study area and were largely concentrated within national parks. Additional landscape elements associated with ecological connectivity were identified as islets (0.68%), loops (0.16%), and branches (0.01%), highlighting structurally important but spatially limited habitat features. Circuit theory analysis revealed key linkage zones among major habitat patches, with the top 10% of normalized current flow forming a primary linear corridor connecting Jirisan National Park, Dukyusan National Park, Gayasan National Park, and Songnisan National Park. These findings demonstrate that protected areas function as central nodes of the reintroduced bear population and that mountain ranges surrounding national parks represent the principal axis of landscape connectivity in South Korea. Our results provide a scientific basis for designing connectivity-focused conservation strategies and informing policy frameworks aimed at long-term population persistence and conflict mitigation.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Ririko KOIDO, Kyoto UniversityMain Venue
Ririko KOIDO, Naoki OHNISHI, Yoshiaki TSUDA
In recent years, conflicts between humans and the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) have become a serious social issue in the main island of Japan (Honshu), where its distribution range has expanded. In contrast, the population on Shikoku Island remains small and requires urgent conservation attention. Understanding spatial variation in genetic characteristics is essential for elucidating the factors that shape the species’ genetic structure across Japan, and for developing regionally appropriate management and conservation strategies. In this study, we evaluated genetic diversity and population structure of the black bear using genotype data on nuclear microsatellite loci from 1,857 individuals sampled across the species’ entire distribution range in Japan. Bayesian clustering analysis revealed approximately 16 genetic groups, hereafter referred to as regional populations. The genetic discontinuities among these regional populations appear to reflect the influence of landscape heterogeneity, including basin structures, mountain ranges, and anthropogenic land use. Populations in central Honshu exhibited high genetic diversity and large effective population size (Ne), indicating relatively stable demographic conditions. In contrast, populations in western Japan and northeastern Honshu showed lower genetic diversity and substantial variation in Ne, suggesting regional differences in vulnerability and demographic stability. Importantly, rare alleles maintained in some isolated populations contributed to nationwide genetic diversity, indicating that even small or isolated populations play a critical role in maintaining long-term evolutionary potential. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating regional genetic information into management and conservation frameworks to balance population control and conservation in Japan.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Nikija Kronberga, University of Freiburg, GermanyMain Venue
Nikija Kronberga
After a long absence, the Eurasian brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) population in Latvia has increased significantly, from only 11 confirmed individuals in 2015 to an estimated 148 in 2024. This return has been widely discussed in the media and on social networks, particularly concerning safety and property damage. To address a research gap in ethnographic studies on human-bear relations in Latvia, I conducted ethnographic fieldwork in north-eastern Latvia.
The methodology follows a two-phase interdisciplinary approach: participant observation while accompanying wildlife biologists during bear monitoring, followed by 30 semi-structured interviews with 37 research participants. Most participants live in isolated rural homesteads and experience the return of bears directly or indirectly. Data were analysed using qualitative content analysis.
The theoretical framework is multispecies ethnography, treating both humans and bears as interacting actors negotiating a shared landscape. This study focuses on species encounters, where interactions are often indirect and mediated through traces such as footprints, beehive damage, or the unintentional attraction of bears to supplementary feeding sites, revealing forms of multisensory communication. While these practices influence the bears’ use of the landscape, preliminary analysis also indicates that residents actively exchange information through digital and social networks, thereby shaping societal perceptions and forest use. Through these interactions, human and non-human actors affect one another and shape a new socio-ecological reality. By examining how rural populations, lacking previous experience, adapt to and negotiate coexistence, this study offers a perspective on how bears are perceived and impacted by those most directly affected. The findings offer valuable implications for future conservation and wildlife management strategies in Latvia.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Daniela Gentile, Abruzzo and Molise Bear Monitoring NetworkMain Venue
Svitlana Kudrenko, Roberta Latini, Daniela Gentile, Elisabetta Tosoni, Fausto Quattrociocchi, Laura Scillitani, Jacopo Ursitti Abruzzo, Andrés Ordiz
The Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) population in the Central Apennines, Italy is one of the most endangered bear populations in Europe, with approximately 50 individuals in 2014. We analyzed GPS data (7,464 days, 88,388 fixes) collected from 15 bears (11 females and 4 males) that were collared between 2016 and 2023. The bear age at the first capture ranged from 1.5 to 15 years. Some of the bears exhibited normal behaviour and avoided humans (n=8), whereas other bears seemed to have lost fear of humans, i.e, they were habituated and/or food conditioned (n=7). Most of the fixes (n=87,404) were recorded outside the denning period and more than half of the total fixes were recorded during autumn months. Bears were denning in high altitude areas (1,000 masl and higher) regardless of their behaviour pattern during the active period. Outside the denning season, however, habituated and food-conditioned bears preferred lower attitudes, particularly during hyperphagia, compared to bears exhibiting normal behaviour. Habituated and food-conditioned female and male bears stayed at lower attitudes, i.e., closer to areas with human presence, more often during night and twilight hours than individuals with normal behaviour.
This study provides the first comparative analysis of spatial behaviour and daily activity patterns in the Apennine brown bear. Given the high risk of extinction faced by this population, knowledge of bear behaviour underpins effective human–bear coexistence management and the maintenance of habitat connectivity, which are essential for the long-term persistence of the Apennine brown bear within and beyond protected areas.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Mirim Kwon, Chungbuk National UniversityMain Venue
Mirim Kwon
Microbiomes are vital to wildlife health, yet the impact of reproductive strategies on ursid genital microbial environments is poorly understood. This study compared vaginal microbiomes of seasonally breeding Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus; ABB) and year-round breeding sun bears (Helarctos malayanus; SB) to establish baseline data for reproductive monitoring and conservation.
Vaginal swabs were collected from ABB (n=3; one in South Korea, two in Laos) and SB (n=2; in Laos). Genomic DNA was analyzed via triplicate full-length 16S rRNA (V1–V9) sequencing (Oxford Nanopore MinION) and processed using the Emu algorithm and R.
Significant interspecies differences in microbial composition were observed (p=0.001). ABB was dominated by Firmicutes (72.2%), specifically Staphylococcus agnetis and S. schleiferi. SB showed higher Proteobacteria (35.8%) and Bacteroidota (24.8%), with Haemophilus influenzae and Porphyromonas detected. Notably, ABB individuals showed no significant microbial differences despite the geographical distance between South Korea and Laos.
ABB exhibited significantly higher alpha diversity (p=0.0039) and distinct beta diversity (p=0.001), suggesting a more complex, stable ecosystem. These differences may be associated with contrasting reproductive ecologies between the two species; however, the underlying hormonal and immunological mechanisms were not directly assessed in this study.
This study provides the first species-level reference dataset describing vaginal microbiomes in endangered bear species. These findings suggest that reproductive ecology may shape genital microbial communities in ursids and may support microbiome-based reproductive health monitoring in conservation programs. Given the limited sample size, these results should be interpreted as preliminary baseline observations. Further longitudinal and population-level studies incorporating hormonal and environmental variables are required to validate these findings.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Jeong-jin Yang, National Park Institute For Wildlife ConservationMain Venue
Jeong-jin Yang, Dong-Hyuk Jeong, Du-ha Yang, Dain Lee, Eunju An, Jisang Yu
The Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is classified as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and is a primary focus of restoration efforts in South Korea. Establishing a stable sperm biobank is essential to preserve genetic diversity and mitigate spatiotemporal constraints in conservation breeding. While basic cryopreservation protocols utilizing 6% glycerol were established in the early 2000s, they often result in suboptimal post-thaw motility, posing a significant bottleneck for effective genetic resource management. To overcome these efficiency gaps, this study aimed to develop a highly optimized, high-efficiency protocol by evaluating the synergistic effects of various additives and advanced freezing techniques.
From 2020 to 2025, 268 semen samples were collected from 15 captive males via transrectal ultrasound-guided urethral catheterization. We conducted iterative optimization trials using an egg yolk–based extender (6% glycerol) to evaluate additives (Equex-STM, trehalose, HSP-70) and three freezing methods: vapor-phase, pellet/droplet, and programmable automated freezing. Post-thaw sperm quality was assessed using Computer-Assisted Sperm Analysis, viability, and morphology.
The highest post-thaw recovery was achieved through programmable automated freezing combined with 0.5% (v/v) Equex-STM. Under this optimized protocol (n=85), post-thaw motility was 48.37 ± 19.16% and viability was 67.30 ± 17.11%, nearly doubling the efficiency of conventional glycerol-only methods. Recovery rates related to fresh semen were 60.49 ± 22.78% for motility and 76.32 ± 25.44% for viability.
These findings provide a robust technological foundation for an advanced national sperm biobank, offering a vital tool for genetic management and sustainable restoration of endangered ursid populations.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Elise Loggers, Montana State UniversityMain Venue
Elise Loggers, Andrea R. Litt, Oscar G. Dalling, Matthew J. Gould, Kerry A. Gunther, Mark A. Haroldson, Frank T. van Manen
Telemetry units with a global positioning system (GPS) have transformed our understanding of animal movement and behavior. We typically assume that animal behavior does not affect GPS location fix success, but this assumption may be violated when body position affects orientation of the antennae, compromising satellite acquisition. Accounting for this potential behavioral bias may be important for reliable inferences. Modern radio collars often incorporate onboard sensors, providing auxiliary data streams (e.g., activity) that can help reconstruct behavior and improve location estimates for failed GPS fixes. We used telemetry and activity data from GPS-collared grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) to test whether a two-stage hidden-Markov and state-space modeling framework improved interpolation of failed fix locations. We then investigated how including estimates of failed GPS locations in analyses that rely on location data affects parameter estimates (e.g., movement metrics, behavioral classifications, resource selection).
Fix attempts were 2.29 (CI =2.28–2.30) times more likely to fail during inactivity than activity and were likely the result of bears resting in positions that compromised satellite communication. Our methods accurately identified 97% of inactive fixes, and estimated locations were within 16.5 m (SD=63.4 m) of true locations. Including interpolated inactive locations reduced median movement rates by 2.3 times (CI=2.2–2.5) and increased the proportion of time that behavioral models classified bears as resting. Variation in resource selection coefficients indicated that including estimated inactive locations changed inferences about bear-environment relationships: coefficient magnitudes shifted and confidence intervals did not overlap. Characterizing the relationship between failed fixes and behavior helps reduce the risk of conflating artifacts of data collection with biological patterns, enhancing inference and improving conservation decisions.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Joanna Macur, Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of ScienceMain Venue
Joanna Macur, Maja Lazarus, Łukasz Paśko, Agnieszka Sergiel
Non-essential trace elements (TEs) are well-known environmental contaminants that lack a defined biological function in mammals. Although TEs occur naturally, anthropogenic activity remains the primary driver of this pollution. Elements such as mercury (Hg) and lead (Pb) exert adverse effects on living organisms, targeting the nervous and endocrine systems, among others. For omnivores like bears, the risk of TEs toxicity is caused by the bioaccumulation of inorganic toxicants from plant- and animal-based diets. Despite the established neurotoxicity of TEs in wildlife, data regarding their accumulation in the brain and subsequent effects on large terrestrial mammals remain limited. Thus, results are often interpreted using toxicity thresholds from domestic species, laboratory models, or humans. Our aim was to identify all TEs’ neurotoxicity thresholds for wild terrestrial mammals by conducting a systematic literature review in accordance with PRISMA 2020 guidelines. The search yielded 24 articles providing neurotoxicity thresholds exclusively for Pb and Hg in wild mammals. Subsequently, we searched available published data on Pb and Hg levels in brain tissue across all bear species to evaluate their exposure relative to these neurotoxic thresholds. Concentrations in brain tissue were reported only for polar bears (Ursus maritimus; Hg) and brown bears (Ursus arctos; Hg and Pb). Toxicity thresholds for Hg were exceeded in polar bears, with values indicative of possible neurochemical and neurobehavioural impairments, as well as changes in electrical potential and genetic damages. Although Pb and Hg levels in brown bears’ brains did not exceed threshold values, the finding of the highest Pb concentrations in young individuals was concerning due to particularly high risk of adverse effects on developing brain. With threshold data limited to two bear species and two TEs, future effect studies including other contaminants would help assess neurotoxicological risk in bears.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Alexandrea Manuel, University of MontanaMain Venue
Alexandrea Manuel, Maja Pedersen, Nils Pedersen.
Few wildlife species are as deeply tied to Montana’s landscape and identity as the grizzly bear. Since the Endangered Species Act, recovery efforts have increased bear populations and their presence in urban–wildland interface zones¹. Missoula, Montana’s second-largest city (pop. 122,546), lies near the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem and supports black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos horribilis)2,3. Black bear sightings within city limits are common from spring through fall.
Missoula also has a visible unhoused population, with 644 individuals locally (8,430 statewide) experiencing homelessness, with approximately 65% chronically unhoused4,5. In 2024, following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in Johnson v. Grants Pass, Missoula enacted stricter camping ordinances, including daytime dismantling requirements and buffer zones around residential and commercial areas6. These policies have contributed to unhoused relocation into more remote areas.
Despite growing attention to human dimensions of wildlife conflict, little research has examined bear interactions involving unhoused populations. Reports from the Associated Press describe heightened bear activity following shelter closures. Recent scholarship in natural resource management calls for incorporating unhoused perspectives. This study uses a community-based participatory research (CBPR) design grounded in a One Health framework to understand how Missoula’s unhoused community coexists with bears.
A mixed-methods approach integrates quantitative analyses of bear encounter data with qualitative focus groups exploring risk perceptions, safety practices, and structural constraints. Findings will inform community-driven bear safety resources and conflict mitigation tools.
By centering lived experience, this research expands human dimensions scholarship to include a highly mobile and marginalized population, informing more inclusive wildlife management strategies.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Takuma MATSUMOTO, University of TsukubaMain Venue
Takuma MATSUMOTO, Ririko KOIDO, Misako KUROE, Rumiko NAKASHITA, Yu ENDO, Takeshi SAITOH, Takushi KISHIDA, Yuichiro NISHIOKA, Toshiaki YAMAMOTO, Akiko TAKII, Shigeyuki IZUMIYAMA, Naoki OHNISHI, Yoshiaki TSUDA
Understanding the impact of landscape variables on these dynamics of Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is essential to propose effective management programmes to mitigating human-bear conflicts, which have become quite serious in Japan. This can also contribute to maintaining long term evolutionary integrity of the species. In this study, we aimed to identify mountainous landscape factors which affected local genetic structure of the bears, employing landscape genetics approach. This study was conducted in the Ina Valley of central Japan, one of Japan's largest mountainous regions, where human habitats have been developed along the Tenryu River in the valley for long history. We examined about 500 bear individuals which were culled in the study area. We determined sequences of control region of maternal inherited mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and genotyped 16 simple sequence repeats loci of biparental inherited nuclear DNA for population genetic analyses. The relationships between pairwise genetic distance among individuals and landscape variables were evaluated using Resistance GA (RGA, Peterman 2018). Both mt and nuclear DNA variations showed that the examined individuals were divided into two major genetic groups separated by the Tenryu River. The RGA analysis identified human development, elevation, broadleaf forests, and coniferous forests as significant landscape factors which restricted the bear dispersal. Notably, this is the first study which identified the forest types as the important landscape variables for the bear dispersal. Moreover, sex-specific RGA analyses showed that the ranking of landscape factors was not consistent between males and females. This study shed a new light on deep understanding of the genetic structure and dispersal of bears in mountainous areas. It also sheds light on landscape factors that restrict bear dispersal, which can be applied to local bear management in the Ina valley.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Kasper Mickos, University of HelsinkiMain Venue
Kasper Mickos
Conflicts between humans and brown bears are increasing around Europe. In the Habitats Directive of the European Union (EU), bears are strictly and equally protected in all EU countries, resulting in traditional bear hunting quotas being suspended in many core bear range countries. Where hunting has served as the main method for conflict mitigation, e.g. Finland, this has led to both bear numbers and conflicts increasing rapidly. Thus, (re-)learning and developing methods for coexistence and conflict mitigation is also urgent in core bear range countries.
A key issue behind conflicts is bear damages to food production, with apiaries, i.e., managed beehives and honey therein, being especially prized by bears. The most common method for protecting apiaries from bears is electric fencing. However, these fences are labour and resource-intensive, and their efficacy has not been systematically investigated in Finland. Thus, my 1st study question is: How effective and cost-efficient are electric fences in protecting apiaries from bears?
Bears’ fear of humans and the resulting avoidance behaviours are recognized as crucial facilitators of human-bear coexistence. We know from playback experiments that hearing the human voice causes a fear response in large carnivores, often resulting in them fleeing the area. This leads to my 2nd study question: if bears flee when hearing human sounds, could we use playbacks of these as added protection of food production sites from bear damages?
Preliminary results suggest that the effectiveness and costs of electric fencing vary markedly: improvements and added protections are necessary to halt increasing damages. I will lay out a path for further development of anthropogenic sounds as bear deterrents based on my current field work. My results have wide applicability in helping the development of both novel and existing methods for coexistence to help limit the Europe-wide increase of human-bear conflicts.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Nadia Mucci, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research (ISPRA)Main Venue
Federica Mattucci, Patrizia Giangregorio, Anna Padula, Elena Fabbri, Massimo Delledonne, Marzia Rossato, Alfonso Esposito, Riccardo Focaia, Francesca Davoli, Roberta Latini, Giampiero Di Clemente, Ivana Pizzol, Andrea Benazzo, Giorgio Bertorelle, Nadia Mucci, Romolo Caniglia
Preserving genetic diversity in critically endangered taxa is crucial for effective conservation management. The Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus), endemic to Central Italy, comprises only ~50 individuals and represents a morphological, behavioural, and genetic uniqueness worldwide. However, this population shows low genomic variability and high inbreeding levels due to long-term isolation and human-induced bottlenecks. Consequently, continuous monitoring of genetic diversity, population dynamics, and reproductive success is essential for planning effective management strategies and ensuring the long-term persistence of this subspecies.
We selected a panel of 89 highly informative Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms (SNPs) from five Apennine bear genomes and tested their genotyping efficiency on 46 biological samples belonging to 26 individuals. Genotyping was performed using a cost-effective, high-throughput targeted genotyping-by-sequencing approach that combines Molecular Inversion Probes (MIPs) with Illumina next-generation sequencing, a method particularly well suited for low-quality and non-invasively collected samples.
This approach successfully enabled the genotyping of all blood samples (average read number = 8249, Allelic Dropout = 0.03%, False Alleles = 0.01%) and non-invasively collected hair samples (average read number = 3210, Allelic Dropout = 0.05%, False Alleles = 0.01%). The selected SNP panel provided highly accurate individual identifications (PID = 2.4×10–30, PIDsibs = 6.1×10–16), estimates of genome-wide variability (HO = 0.412 ± 0.139, HE = 0.379 ± 0.118), and may be promising for parentage reconstructions.
Overall, our results demonstrate the suitability of this genome-wide SNP panel for monitoring genetic variability and population dynamics trends in the Apennine brown bear, providing essential information to support sound conservation management practices of this small, isolated population living in a human-dominated landscape.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Rumiko NAKASHITA, Forestry and Forest Products Research Institute, JapanMain Venue
Rumiko NAKASHITA, Akiko TAKII, Hiroo TAMATANI, Misako KUROE, Hayato IIJIMA, Shigeyuki IZUMIYAMA
Understanding the drivers of bear occurrences and damage is essential for developing effective conflict prevention strategies. To clarify what attracts captured individuals to human settlements, we reconstructed individual dietary histories of Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) captured in Nagano Prefecture, Japan, and examined their relationships with damage incidents. Hair samples were analyzed as sequential segments, and carbon and nitrogen stable isotope ratios (δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N) were used to assess temporal dietary patterns at the individual level. Results indicated that dietary variation was more pronounced among individuals than among regions. In particular, individuals associated with maize damage showed elevated δ¹³C values, whereas individuals suspected of fish farm damage or food waste use exhibited simultaneous elevations in both δ¹³C and δ¹⁵N, suggesting reliance on anthropogenic food resources. Such isotopic characteristics were more frequently observed in certain areas. For a subset of individ
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Lara Naves-Alegre, Miguel Hernández University of Elche / University of GranadaMain Venue
Lara Naves-Alegre, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, John Beecham, Leonardo Bereczky, Noa González-Borrajo, Ignacio Jiménez-Senen, Roberta Latini, José Vicente López-Bao, Patricia Mateo-Tomás, Javier Naves, Pierre-Yves Quenette, Julien Steinmetz, Vladimir R. Todorov, José Tuñón, Radostina Zaharieva, Miguel de Gabriel Hernando
In long-lived species with extended maternal care, early-life experiences can have lasting effects on spatial behaviour and risk perception, with direct implications for conservation in human-dominated landscapes. Rehabilitation and reintroduction are increasingly used for large carnivores, yet how variation in rehabilitation conditions shapes post-release behaviour remains poorly understood. We assessed how differences in rehabilitation characteristics influenced habitat selection in 30 orphaned brown bear (Ursus arctos) cubs rehabilitated and released across six European countries between 2007 and 2022. Using telemetry data, we examined how individual traits, behavioural drivers, and rehabilitation variables (age at release, duration of rehabilitation, and social versus solitary rearing) interacted with landscape features to shape post-release habitat selection. Habitat selection varied with individual traits: females tended to select areas closer to forests and human settlements, while bears were increasingly found nearer roads and farther from settlements as they aged. Rehabilitation characteristics were strongly associated with post-release habitat use. Bears released at younger ages and those spending less time in rehabilitation showed stronger selection for forested areas and greater avoidance of roads, indicating reduced use of anthropogenic infrastructure. Our results demonstrate that rehabilitation conditions are not behaviourally neutral and that variability in rehabilitation practices can shape how young bears navigate human-modified landscapes after release. Assessing rehabilitation success solely through survival or conflict records may therefore overlook meaningful behavioural differences that influence exposure to anthropogenic risk. Incorporating behavioural and spatial indicators into rehabilitation assessments may improve reintroduction outcomes and long-term coexistence between large carnivores and humans.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Tawqir Bashir, Sher-e-Kashmir University of Agricultural Sciences and Technology of KashmirMain Venue
Mehnaz Nazir, Tawqir Bashir, Navdeep Singh
Human wildlife conflict (HWC) in the Kashmir Himalaya is increasingly driven by interactions between expanding human land use and the ecological requirements of large carnivores, especially the Himalayan black bear (Ursus thibetanus laniger). Seasonal food scarcity, habitat encroachment, and the availability of crops collectively intensify human–bear encounters, making the species a focal point of conflict. Understanding the spatial patterns and socio-ecological drivers of bear conflict is critical for developing effective mitigation strategies. We evaluated patterns of HWC across the Greater Himalaya and Pir Panjal ranges of Kashmir, based on questionnaire surveys of 600 respondents across the region and reported a total of 1105 conflict incidents. Black bear emerged as the main conflict species involved in 49.77% incidents, followed by leopard. Conflict distribution differed significantly between the two landscapes, with black bear incidents markedly higher in the Greater Himalayas than in the Pir Panjal. Most black bear conflicts involved crop damage, resulting in considerable economic losses. Though less frequent, human attacks increased fear and hostility toward wildlife. Other species such as, macaques, red foxes, langurs, porcupines, and wild boars were involved less frequently, and were more region-specific. Current measures involving fire, noise, night vigilance, and guard dogs were largely ineffective. Compensation covered only human injury, excluding crop losses thus worsening local hardship and dissatisfaction. Despite spatial differences in conflict frequency, community perceptions were similar across both landscapes supporting conservation, excluding conflict-prone species like black bears and leopards. Overall, black bears dominated conflict records, highlighting their key role in human–wildlife interactions in the Kashmir Himalaya. Targeted mitigation and fair compensation are urgently needed to reduce conflict and support coexistence in the region.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Ena Oster, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineMain Venue
Ena Oster, Agnieszka Sergiel, Đuro Huber, Ankica Sekovanić, Slaven Reljić, Maja Lazarus
Mercury (Hg) is a globally distributed contaminant that accumulates in wildlife tissues and can cause nephrotoxic, haematotoxic, neurotoxic, and negative reproductive effects even at low levels. From a practical perspective, hair sampling represents one of the most suitable methods for monitoring metal(loid) exposure in animals due to its accessibility and potential for non-invasive collection. The aim of this study was to examine the relationship between Hg concentrations in hair and kidney tissue in brown bears (Ursus arctos). Total Hg concentrations were determined in cut hair and kidney cortex samples from free-ranging brown bears (N = 79) from the Dinara-Pindos population, hunted or traffic-killed in Croatia between 2009 and 2022. Mercury concentrations in kidneys ranged from 0.191 to 9.20 mg/kg dry weight (mean ± SD: 1.56 ± 1.83 mg/kg; median: 0.968 mg/kg), while hair Hg concentrations ranged from 0.023 to 1.11 mg/kg dry weight (mean ± SD: 0.244 ± 0.177 mg/kg; median: 0.191 mg/kg). A positive correlation was found between Hg concentrations in hair and kidneys (r = 0.636, p < 0.001). Linear regression analysis further supported a significant linear association between the two matrices (adjusted R2 = 0.396, F(1,77) = 52.238, p < 0.001). Although hair and kidney tissues reflect Hg exposure over different temporal scales, the observed relationship indicates that hair Hg concentrations can provide information on relative differences in renal Hg exposure at the population level. These findings highlight the utility of hair as a practical, ethical, and non-invasive approach for evaluating mercury exposure in free-ranging brown bears.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Barbara Paoletti, University of TeramoMain Venue
Barbara Paoletti, Vincenza Di Pirro, Simone Morelli, Donato Traversa, Angela Di Cesare, Ilaria Lallone, Roberta Latini, Roberto Bartolini, Leonardo Gentile
Bears harbour a wide variety of endoparasites, including nematodes (roundworms, hookworms, capillariids), cestodes, trematodes and protozoa. Many of these parasites have significant veterinary and zoonotic importance. The roundworm Baylisascaris transfuga is considered the most important bear parasite, believed to be responsible of both disease in bears and life-threatening larva migrans syndrome in humans. There is no evidence of patent natural infections by B.transfuga in non-ursid or humans, although experimental studies have shown that migrating larvae may invade the central nervous system in some animal species. In Italy, little information is available on the occurrence of parasites in free-ranging bears, therefore the present study aimed to update the information currently available in brown bears from the Abruzzo, Lazio e Molise National Park (PNALM). In 2024, fecal samples from Marsican brown bears (n = 102) were collected in the PNALM. The samples were stored at -20°C and thawed 24h prior to copromicroscopic examination. All the samples were examined by floatation and McMaster techniques. Parasite elements were identified according to their morphological and morphometrical features. Sixteen samples were positive for parasites (15.68%). This result should be carefully interpreted, as it cannot be excluded that multiple samples from the same animal have been collected, causing an overestimation of the infection rate. The most prevalent parasite was B.transfuga (7%) followed by Ancylostomatidae (6%), coccida (5%), Capillaria aerophila (2%) and cestodes (1%). All parasites found showed a low level of parasitism. The results of this study confirm that brown bears are infected with different parasite species, some of them with a zoonotic potential, such as B.transfuga, Ancylostomatidae and C.aerophila. A constant parasitological surveillance is pivotal for monitoring the health status of bears and for the availability of updated epidemiological information.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Maria Párraga, Fundación Oso PardoMain Venue
José López-Bao, Patricia Mateo-Tomás, María Fernández, María Párraga, Guillermo Palomero
Brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain) have experienced a remarkable recovery and spatial expansion over the last decades. Approximately, 370 individuals and a range of 18,800 km2 have been estimated in recent years. While this represents a major conservation achievement, growing bear numbers and increased human–bear interactions raise new challenges for long-term coexistence. In this context, understanding temporal changes in perceptions around sharing the landscape with bears is critical to anticipate potential conservation conflicts. We conducted 1,873 face-to-face interviews between October 2024 and May 2025 across 155 municipalities within the current estimated bear range in the Autonomous Regions of Galicia, Asturias, Castilla y León, and Cantabria. We assessed attitudes toward bears, perceived risks, and compatibility with rural livelihoods. Current perceptions were compared with data collected in the late 2010s (n ≈ 800) using the same questions in the area. Although, nowadays, people positively value bears (average Likert score = 3.7 out of 5), compared to the 2010s, we detected a significant decrease in this valuation. Furthermore, concerns around sharing the landscape with the species has increased, and the proportion of respondents considering that bear presence is compatible with rural livelihood has significantly declined, with notable decreases >25% in some municipalities. While most respondents believe bears are unlikely to attack people, recurrent bear presence in villages and livestock depredation were identified as emerging concerns. Our results suggest an early stage of a potential erosion of the previous scenario of tolerance towards bears. Continuous monitoring of public attitudes over time will be essential to alert potential situations of conflict around bears and inform effective actions for mitigation in a scenario of population expansion.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Aida Parres lluch, Institute of Nature Conservation, Polish Academy of SciencesMain Venue
Aida Parres Lluch, Kamil A. Bartoń, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Agnieszka Sergiel, Filip Zięba, Nuria Selva
Protected areas (PAs) are a key tool for wildlife conservation, yet many are small and increasingly permeated by human pressure, raising concerns about their capacity to safeguard natural behaviours, particularly in wide-ranging species whose movements often extend beyond PA boundaries. Using high-resolution GPS-data from 28 brown bears (Ursus arctos) in the northern part of the Carpathians, we assessed the effectiveness of PAs to preserve natural spatial behaviours by studying the dynamical character of brown bears’ space use and its relationship with environmental seasonality, through changes in photoperiod, temperature, and vegetation productivity, across a gradient of human footprint inside and outside PAs. We measured brown bear space use dynamics as day-to-day changes in the home range displacement during the bear active season (April–November). More than two-thirds of the daily home ranges were fully located within PAs; yet more than 60% of these were exposed to moderate to high human pressure. Only inside PAs, bears exhibited a clear seasonal pattern in their home range dynamics, strongly synchronised with changes in environmental seasonality, particularly in females, with home range displacements increasing in late spring and declining towards autumn. Outside PAs, these patterns were lost. Increasing human pressures within PAs altered the timing and amplitude of the seasonal pattern in bears’ home range dynamics and weakened its association with environmental cues, particularly in females. This suggests that although PAs can help preserve natural spatial behaviours of wide-ranging species, their effectiveness declines as human pressure intensifies within their boundaries. Conservation strategies should therefore prioritise not only expanding the coverage of PAs but also limiting infrastructure development and reducing human pressures within their boundaries to preserve the behavioural integrity of species and their role in ecosystem functioning.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Taylor Peltier, Utah State UniversityMain Venue
Taylor Peltier, Anna Miller, Julie Young, Sara Fischer, Emily Pomeranz, Cody Norton, Tyler Petroelje
Regulated hunting and shifting public attitudes toward black bears (Ursus americanus) have facilitated the species’ recovery across many regions of the United States. In Michigan’s lower peninsula, bear abundance has increased by roughly 70% in the last ten years. Although this recovery represents a conservation success, the continued expansion of bears, combined with changes in human demographics, has contributed to rising frequency and severity of human–bear conflicts. Fostering human-bear coexistence requires bridging the ecological and social factors that shape relationships with bears. To address this need, we developed a multi-mode survey to collect information from residents on aspects that may affect human-bear coexistence including attitudes, normative bear population beliefs, wildlife value orientations and support for bear management actions. We administered surveys to 12,000 residents across Michigan’s northern lower peninsula using a stratified sampling design along a rural–urban gradient. We paired these data with 408 bear genetic samples collected by wire corrals, rub trees, and scat to map bear density across the region. Through combined social and ecological analyses, we identified high conflict risk areas to target outreach and education efforts. This work provides a framework for evidence-based improvements in human–bear coexistence using social and ecological data.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Alex McInturff, University of WashingtonMain Venue
Samantha Kreling, Ellen Pero, Peter Alagona, Alex McInturff
Bear recovery increasingly occurs in landscapes that have undergone substantial environmental change following species extirpation, making evaluation of contemporary and future habitat quality central to restoration feasibility assessments. Food availability is a key determinant of restoration success, yet remains poorly characterized where species have been long absent. We assessed the current and future food resource landscape relevant to potential grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) recovery in the state of California within the United States where populations have been extirpated for more than a century. Using research-grade iNaturalist observations, we modeled distributions of known and key grizzly bear food taxa and mapped food-species richness across candidate restoration regions. We then projected changes under two mid-century climate scenarios (SSP2-4.5 and SSP5-8.5). Under contemporary climate conditions, all regions supported diverse but spatially heterogeneous food resources, with the Sierra Nevada consistently exhibiting the highest modeled richness. Climate projections indicated regionally divergent trajectories. While many areas showed stable or increasing food-species richness under both emission scenarios, particularly the Northwest Forest area, the Sierra Nevada region was associated with the largest projected losses, especially at lower elevations under the higher emission scenario. These results highlight potential trade-offs between regions that currently support high resource diversity and those that may offer greater resilience amidst future change. Our analysis provides a broadscale, spatially explicit assessment of food resource richness and resilience relevant to grizzly bear recovery in California. More broadly, we demonstrate how community-science data can be leveraged to reconstruct resource landscapes and inform restoration feasibility assessments for long-absent species under ongoing climate change.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Mihai POP, Research and Development Institute for Wildlife and Mountain Resources/University of Bucharest/ Association for the Conservation of Biological DiversityMain Venue
Mihai POP, Auvikki de Boon, Daniel Martin-Collado, Agnes Keresztesi, John Linnell, Filippo Marino, Katrina Marsden, Juliette Young
Human-bear coexistence is under pressure in Europe due to the increase in conflicts. Within the Co-creating Coexistence project running in 12 EU countries, we were interested in how perceptions of the damage trend, emotions, and information sources vary based on farmers' age and experience. The Romanian sample includes 96 respondents, mostly men (92.7%), with a mean age of 48.0 years (SD=11.7), a mean of 30.2 years of experience (SD=13.3), with 72.9% managing sheep and 24.0% cattle. Perceived bear impact is 59.4% very negative, 29.2% negative. Official municipal records show bear damages fell slightly from 2023 to 2025, yet 37.5% of shepherds say damages are significantly increasing, and only 5.2% perceive a decrease. Farmers aged 40-50 are the most pessimistic, 42.9% perceiving a significant increase in damages, compared with only 30.8% of those over 60. Negative emotions predominate among farmers. Worry is the dominant feeling (75% feel it strongly/very strongly), followed by anger (52.1%) and fear (31.2%). In contrast, positive emotions are virtually absent: only 2.1% feel pride, 9.4% admiration, and 16.7% curiosity. Negative emotions decline with age, while positive emotions peak in the 40-50 group. Farmers with 20-30 years of experience show the highest anger levels. Farmers’ main information sources about wildlife are hunting associations (26%), traditional media (20.8%), and peers (19.8%). Researchers are virtually ignored across all farmers, with 3.6% usage in any age group and 0% in groups over 50 or with more than 30 years of experience. This trust gap in scientific expertise is a major barrier to implementing evidence-based solutions. Negative emotions have implications for social acceptance, and current communication appears ineffective, farmers rely primarily on informal sources rather than technical expertise. Significant differences among the four pilot areas indicate the need for differentiated approaches in communication and coexistence solutions.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Michael Proctor, Birchdale EcologicalMain Venue
Michael Proctor, Clayton Lamb, John Boulanger, Grant MacHutchon, Wayne Kasworm, David Paetkau, Cori Lausen, Eric Palm, Chris Servheen
The influence of bottom-up resources and top-down mortality risk underlies the demographic trajectory of wildlife populations. For species at risk, understanding factors driving population dynamics is crucial to effective management and, ultimately, conservation. We explored the relationship between availability of the dominant food resource and mortality risk across 3 grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations in British Columbia, Canada. We integrated analyses of bottom-up and top-down demographic parameters from DNA and GPS telemetry data to understand and inform a comprehensive efficient management paradigm across the region. We modeled important huckleberry (Vaccinium membranaceum) patches and looked at their influence on habitat selection, bear density and female fitness in relation to mortality risk in each of those realms. Huckleberry patches were identified by following 43 GPS collared bears over 10 years. Habitat selection was explored through ecological modeling and density through Spatial Capture Recapture modeling. Female fitness was linked to huckleberries, habitat and mortality risk through extensive family pedigrees across 20 years that revealed reproductive success. In all 3 analyses huckleberry patches were the most influential bottom-up factor and secure habitat was the most consistent top-down variable. These results suggest that both bottom-up and top-down forces drive several population processes of grizzly bears in the region, especially for females. We found that 38% of huckleberry patches were in non-secure habitat and that these patches were associated with lower fitness and density relative to those in secure habitat. Bears were effectively not utilizing their most important food source when they were within 500m of an open road, revealing bottom-up resources being impacted by top-down mortality risk. An examination with population-level metrics such as density, vital rates, and fitness may be needed for effective conservation management.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Andres Rios, Nuevo Leon Parks & Wildlife, MexicoMain Venue
Andres Rios, Marcela Aguallo, David Carrera, Gabriel Mata, Manuel Múzquiz
The Monterrey Metropolitan Area (MMA), northeastern Mexico, is a highly permeable urban–wildland interface occupied by the American black bear (Ursus americanus eremicus), listed as Endangered under Mexico’s NOM-059-SEMARNAT-2010. More than seven million people inhabit a mountain basin within the Sierra Madre Oriental, where protected areas spanning 480–3,460 m above sea level intersect expanding urban infrastructure. Rapid urbanization has intensified human–bear interactions, placing coexistence at the center of regional wildlife management. Approximately 30 bears are relocated annually by Nuevo León Parks & Wildlife (PVSNL), with individuals marked, GPS-collared when feasible, and sampled for health assessment. Telemetry confirms sustained peri-urban habitat use and partial habituation in some individuals.
Since 2024, 47 managed bears have undergone PCR-based pathogen screening. Vector-borne bacteria were detected, including Ehrlichia spp. (21%), Anaplasma spp. (2%), and Borrelia spp. (2%). Zoonotic pathogens included Brucella spp. (8%) and Leptospira spp. (4%), indicating pathogen circulation across urban–wildland–livestock interfaces. No positivity was detected for additional screened pathogens. These findings highlight epidemiological permeability in peri-urban ecosystems and support structured wildlife health surveillance under a One Health framework.
Spatial analyses integrating telemetry and conflict records identify convergence between movement corridors, anthropogenic food sources, and heterogeneous human tolerance as primary drivers of conflict hotspots. Regulatory responses include Environmental Standard NAE-SMA-009-2024, mandating wildlife-resistant waste infrastructure, and standardized interagency protocols for conflict response. Urban black bear coexistence in northeastern Mexico operates within a dynamic socio-ecological system requiring integrated ecological monitoring, pathogen surveillance, and adaptive governance under accelerating land-use chan
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Roxana Rojas-Vera Pinto, University of ReadingMain Venue
Roxana Rojas-Vera Pinto, Rubén Bernardo-Madrid, Mauricio Vela-Vargas, Robert Márquez, Viviana Albarracín, Daniel Rodríguez, Andrés Laguna, Rodrigo Cisneros, Willy Maldonado, Ximena Vélez-Liendo, Manuela González-Suárez
In order to promote the coexistence of humans and Andean bears, it is essential to understand where and how interactions occur. Previous studies have shown that human-Andean bear interaction (HABI) events are often described in the literature using incomplete and heterogeneous information, limiting our ability to assess their context, drivers, and outcomes. The aim of this study is to enhance the collection and reporting of HABI events by providing wildlife managers, researchers, and conservation practitioners with practical guidelines for HABI data collection and reporting.
A three-day workshop was held in Colombia in 2025, attended by 10 Andean bear specialists from across the species’ range. Following an exchange of knowledge and experiences related to HABI data collection in different socio-economic contexts, we collaboratively developed guidelines to improve both systematic monitoring and opportunistic data collection. First, we identified and reached consensus on terms related to human-wildlife interactions, including how to define an event. We then identified 13 categories and 25 subcategories of HABI, of which 11 subcategories were classified as conflict related. Furthermore, we established minimum requirements and best practices for HABI data collection and reporting. We propose that a HABI event should, at a minimum, record and report the date and time (at a minimum the year), geographic location (as coordinates) and interaction typology. To facilitate opportunistic reporting, we designed a standardized form that can be adapted to different formats or platforms.
The guidelines and form will be presented as a booklet in Spanish and will be shared with stakeholders across the species’ distribution range. A second workshop is planned for 2026 to focus on training and implementation of the guidelines with stakeholders from several management agencies and NGOs.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Héctor Ruiz-Villar, Area of Zoology, Department of Biodiversity and Environmental Management, Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of LeónMain Venue
Héctor Ruiz-Villar, Ana Morales-González, Ezequiel Martínez-Vera, Vincenzo Penteriani, Andrés Ordiz
Seed dispersal is a key ecological process shaping plant dynamics and biodiversity. While carnivores and omnivores are increasingly recognized as endozoochorous seed dispersers, little is known about the use of seeds by other species after defecation, particularly in Eurasia. We studied post-dispersal seed removal from brown bear (Ursus arctos) scats in the Cantabrian Mountains (NW Spain), focusing on wild cherry (Prunus avium) during peak fruiting. Using trail cameras (608 trap-nights) and environmental variables, we assessed how cherry tree density, rodent abundance, vegetation cover and carnivore activity influenced seed removal by rodents and visitation rates by birds. Rodents removed seeds from 65% of scats, while birds visited 93% of the scats. Seed removal by rodents decreased in areas with high cherry density, suggesting reduced reliance on gut-passed seeds when alternative resources were abundant. Rodent abundance was higher near scats with seed removal, although it did not predict removal rates. Vegetation cover reduced bird visitation, likely due to decreased visibility and increased perceived predation risk. Rodents delayed seed removal following carnivore presence, indicating risk-sensitive foraging, though overall removal was not suppressed. Birds were likely attracted to invertebrates associated with scats rather than seeds. Our results reveal a two-stage dispersal system, combining primary endozoochory by brown bears with potential secondary dispersal by scatter-hoarding rodents. This process may enhance plant recruitment by relocating seeds to low-competition microsites. We provide the first empirical evidence of this two-stage dispersal system in Eurasia and demonstrate that brown bears act not only as seed dispersers but also as trophic facilitators, provisioning resources for rodents. These findings highlight the multifunctional roles of large omnivores and rodents in ecosystem functioning and conservation.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Luca Russo, Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN), Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)Main Venue
Luca Russo, María del Mar Delgado, Samuli Heikkinen, Ilpo Kojola, Ancuta Fedorca, Mihai Fedorca, Pino García-Sánchez, Slavomír Finďo, Michaela Skuban, Paolo Ciucci, Daniele Falcinelli, Vincenzo Penteriani
Understanding the mechanisms driving animal space use is essential to predict wildlife responses to environmental change. Although habitat selection has traditionally been explained by environmental characteristics, growing evidence shows that spatial memory—knowledge gained from past experience—also influences movement decisions. Individuals may differ in how much they rely on previous experience versus current environmental cues.
In brown bears (Ursus arctos), consistent differences along the shy–bold continuum affect risk-taking, use of anthropogenic areas, and exploratory behaviour. Shy individuals show greater caution and site fidelity, whereas bold individuals are more exploratory and tolerant of human disturbance. We tested whether reliance on spatial memory varies with behavioural type.
Using multi-year GPS data from four European populations (Karelian, Romanian, Slovak, and Italian), we quantified behavioural types from repeatable movement metrics, including daily travel distance, displacement, diurnality, and proximity to anthropogenic features. Boldness was estimated using mixed-effects models, and bears were classified as shy or bold by sex.
We applied a resource selection framework comparing environment-based models (topographic and anthropogenic covariates) with memory-based models indexing previous seasonal use. Model performance was assessed as the proportion of used locations falling within areas of highest predicted suitability.
Preliminary results show that both memory and environmental variables explain bear space use, but their relative importance differs between behavioural types. Shy individuals rely more on previous-use indices, whereas bold individuals respond more to current environmental conditions, particularly in human-modified landscapes. These findings indicate that personality shapes the balance between memory and environmental drivers of habitat selection.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Agnieszka Sergiel, Institute of Nature Conservation of Polish Academy of SciencesMain Venue
Agnieszka Sergiel, Craig Whitman, Mark A. Haroldson, Andrea Corradini, Matthew J. Gould, Cecily M. Costello, Kerry A. Gunther, Stephen Smith, Courtney Cass, Djuro Huber, Frank T. van Manen
Haematological parameters are key indicators of blood function and provide valuable insight into animal health and physiological responses to environmental conditions. Commonly used indices include haemoglobin (Hgb) concentration, red blood cell (RBC) count, haematocrit (Hct), and differential leukocyte counts. These parameters vary with external factors (e.g., temperature, altitude, season), internal physiological or pathological states, individual characteristics such as sex and age, and anthropogenic influences, including capture and handling procedures. Population-specific reference intervals are therefore essential for accurate interpretation. Although haematological reference ranges for brown bears have been reported for several North American and European populations, their applicability across populations may be limited because of differences in stress exposure, capture methods, anaesthetic protocols, and blood sampling procedures. We aimed to establish haematological reference intervals for a brown bear population in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of North America, using a long-term dataset of complete blood counts. The reference population was selected a posteriori and comprised 203 clinically healthy individuals (68 females and 135 males) ranging in age from 2 to 30 years. We classified bears into four age categories: subadults (2–4 years, n = 54), young adults (5–9 years, n = 76), prime-aged adults (10–18 years, n = 59), and geriatric individuals (≥19 years, n = 14). Sampling occurred across spring (n = 58), summer (n = 58), and fall (n = 87). We estimated reference intervals using the reflimR package in R following a three-step approach of data exploration, evaluation of extreme or biologically implausible values, and stratification by sex, age class, and season. The resulting intervals provide population-specific baseline values for health assessment and long-term monitoring of brown bears in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Michito SHIMOZURU, Hokkaido UniversityMain Venue
Michito SHIMOZURU, Ryota TSUTSUI, Shiori NAKAMURA, Ryota MATSUBAYASHI, Kohei SHINJO, Masami YAMANAKA, Yuri SHIRANE, Kyogo HAGINO, Hideyuki ITO, Toshio TSUBOTA, Jumpei YAMAZAKI
Age is an essential information for understanding the ecology and management of bears. Instead of traditional age estimation method by counting cementum annuli of the teeth, those based on DNA methylation levels have been developed for wildlife over the past two decades. Recently, we have established age estimation method based on blood DNA methylation levels in multiple bear species. However, it is sometimes difficult to obtain fresh blood samples from dead bears, which makes it desirable to develop a method using more accessible samples. This study aimed to construct age estimation models based on liver- and muscle-derived DNA in brown bears and Asian black bears. Liver and muscle samples were collected postmortem from both captive and wild bears with known ages. After bisulfite treatment of the extracted DNA, PCR amplification was performed on 12 DNA regions, and DNA methylation levels at multiple cytosine-phosphate-guanine (CpG) sites were obtained by a next generation sequencer. The results showed a significant positive correlation between age and methylation levels at 11 CpGs located in 6 DNA regions in liver DNA. However, no such correlations were observed in any targeted CpGs in muscle DNA. An age estimation model based on the obtained methylation levels is under development and its accuracy is being validated. Using liver DNA for age estimation would allow for simpler and more accurate age determination of dead bears (hunted or killed for management purposes), thereby contributing to bear population monitoring and management.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Yuri SHIRANE, Hokkaido Research OrganizationMain Venue
Yuri SHIRANE, Hifumi TSURUGA, Kazuki MIURA, Takafumi HINO
Bear-inflicted human injuries and fatalities pose serious challenges to both public safety and bear conservation. Accurate identification of individual bears involved in severe incidents is essential for clarifying the causes of attacks and for making appropriate management decisions. Here, we report a case in which a single brown bear involved in two fatal attacks on humans was genetically identified using microsatellite analysis in Hokkaido, Japan. Following a fatal attack in 2021, hair samples collected near the victim were used for genetic profiling of the responsible bear. This profile was compared with those of 120 bears killed between 2021 and 2024 within the municipality where the 2021 incident occurred and in neighboring municipalities. The results indicated that the offending bear had not been removed during this period. In 2025, another fatal bear attack occurred in a residential area 2.5 km away from the 2021 incident site within the same town. Microsatellite analysis of bear hair samples collected from the victim revealed that this second incident was caused by the same individual bear identified in 2021. Furthermore, genetic comparison confirmed that the bear removed six days after the 2025 incident matched the genotype obtained from the hair sample. These cases emphasize that rapid and continuous sampling combined with DNA analysis is essential for managing severe human–bear conflicts. Such forensic genetic approaches enable accurate identification of problem individuals and support timely management decisions, including targeted removal following serious attacks. Moreover, genetic confirmation of the removal of the responsible bear plays a critical role in ensuring transparency of management actions and in restoring a sense of safety among local communities.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Raffaele Silani, University of PadovaMain Venue
Raffaele Silani, Jacopo Morelli, Francesca Zanusso, Alina Lynn Evans, Giulia Maria De Benedictis
Anaesthetising free-ranging brown bears entails substantial cardiovascular risk, exacerbated by limited baseline health information and the routine use of hypertensive sedative agents. Although cardiovascular monitoring is essential, blood pressure is not routinely measured due to limitations of non-invasive techniques.
This prospective experimental study aimed to evaluate the feasibility and accuracy of non-invasive blood pressure (NIBP) measurements obtained from the tongue compared with invasive blood pressure (IBP) measurements in brown bears (Ursus arctos). The accuracy of heart rate (HR) measurements obtained using the non-invasive device was also evaluated.
Sixteen brown bears were anaesthetised with medetomidine–tiletamine–zolazepam. Paired IBP (femoral arterial catheter) and NIBP (lingual cuff) measurements were recorded every three minutes. Agreement between methods was assessed using American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM) and American Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) criteria.
A total of 172 paired measurements were included in the analysis. Mean invasive arterial pressures were 186±50 mmHg for systolic, 131±34 mmHg for mean, and 111±30 mmHg for diastolic arterial pressure. NIBP and IBP measurements showed moderate to strong correlations (r=0.58–0.84), with closer agreement at lower pressure ranges.
HR measured by the non-invasive device showed good accuracy and precision compared with ECG (r=0.79, mean bias −1.04 bpm, 95% limits of agreement −14.35 to +12.27 bpm).
Although NIBP measurements did not meet ACVIM or AAMI validation criteria, the technique provided consistent blood pressure and heart rate trends across individuals, making it a valuable monitoring tool in field conditions where invasive blood pressure measurement is impractical.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Sydney Stephens, University of TrentoMain Venue
Sydney Stephens, Andrea Corradini, Natalia Bragalanti, Claudio Groff, Alessandro Brugnoli, Nina Gandl, Sybille Klenzendorf, Darragh Hare, Alexandra Zimmerman, Francesca Cagnacci
Large carnivore movement is restricted not only by physical infrastructure but by "social carrying capacity" as well. While biological suitability in the Alps is well-documented, integrating human acceptance, which can act as an invisible resistance layer rerouting dispersal, narrowing corridors, and suppressing realized range- into spatial connectivity models remains rare. We address this gap by combining spatiotemporal social data with biological movement to quantify the realized resistance bears face.
After reintroduction of brown bears (Ursus arctos) to the Central Alps 25 years ago, the population has grown (98 [CI: 86-120] in 2023), yet range expansion remains limited, failing to create connectivity for an Alpine-Dinaric metapopulation. Human-caused mortality comprises a major share of adult deaths, indicating social constraints may limit connectivity before ecological capacity is reached.
We analyze changes in acceptance through time and space with a rare longitudinal acceptance dataset containing data from before (-2 years) and after (+1, +22 years) reintroduction (n=1200-2000). We see a drop in mean tolerance across villages immediately post-reintroduction (+1.5 to -0.6) and later remained stable on average, but became spatially polarized with bear density and perceived damages.
We integrate acceptance surfaces with biophysical, recreation/mobility, and bear (telemetry and multi-source presence) data using Bayesian Additive Regression Trees to estimate permeability. This is converted to resistance surfaces and movement corridors with a monotonic cost transformation and circuit-theory analyses, validated against bear GPS movement and independent detections. This baseline enables future comparison with the Carpathians, where bears persist without extirpation history, for insights on historical drivers on present conditions.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Sydney Stephens, University of TrentoMain Venue
Sydney Stephens, Austin Green
Low-elevation shrublands of the red rock deserts in southeastern Utah have traditionally been treated as marginal, transitory habitat for forest-associated large mammals between “sky island” mountain ranges. However, increasing observations of black bears (Ursus americanus) and other large mammals near Castle Valley suggest that desert habitat use may be more frequent, prolonged, and climatically mediated than previously assumed. We are developing a long-term camera-trap monitoring network to test the hypothesis that poor winters—indexed by reduced snowpack, altered freeze timing, and drought-linked declines in landscape productivity—increase movement and desert corridor use by black bears dispersing from the La Sal Mountains toward the Book Cliffs region of southeastern Utah. Using a two-tier sampling design, we will deploy permanent “sentinel” cameras in hypothesized desert corridors (canyons/washes and travel choke points) paired with rotating “pulse” arrays at mountain edges and desert control areas.
This design is motivated by preliminary camera-trap detections and stable isotope evidence consistent with prolonged low-elevation use: hydrogen isotope values (δ²H) differed significantly between desert (Rio Mesa/Castle Valley) and the La Sal source area (p = 0.03) and did not vary by month, suggesting at least some individuals may rely primarily on low-elevation resources rather than using them only as brief dispersal routes.
Primary outputs include changes in probability of corridor use, identification of high-function corridors, and multi-species co-occurrence patterns to test whether corridor selection shifts with predator–competitor presence. This scalable, non-invasive framework will quantify climate-linked pulses of corridor use and community change in arid landscapes, supporting proactive corridor prioritization and conflict-prevention as winters become increasingly variable and outdoor tourism in this region increases.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Aimee Tallian, Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchMain Venue
Aimee Tallian, Ole Gunnar Støen, Jenny Mattisson, Fredrik Stenbacka, Wiebke Neumann, Håkan Sand, Anders Johansson, Jonas Kindberg
Understanding how animals interact with one another is a fundamental goal of ecology. Although studying interactions between free-ranging animals is challenging, the advent of high-resolution GPS tracking technology has helped increase our understanding of multi-individual and multi-species behavior in wild systems. Proximity sensors for GPS collars are a novel technology that allow for detailed study of focal individuals. Proximity sensors both transmit and detect weak ultra-high frequency (UHF) signals. When a UFH signal is detected, the GPS collar will ‘trigger’ and switch to an alternate fix rate for a pre-defined time interval. In other words, collars normally set to a coarse fix rate (e.g., 1 hour) can switch to a finer-scale fix rate (e.g., 1 minute) for a specified time period when they come in the ‘proximity’ of another UHF transmitter device. Proximity sensors therefore offer the possibility to switch GPS collars to collect fine-scale GPS data during specific events and then switch back to coarser fix rates once the event is over saving battery, extending collar life, and delaying invasive, time-intensive, and costly recapture events. Here, we showcase the use of proximity sensors in several studies on brown bear predation in Scandinavia. The first study deployed proximity sensor equipped GPS collars on brown bears in Norrbotten, Sweden to evaluate bear predation on reindeer, which were equipped with simple UHF transmitters. The second study is currently deploying proximity sensor equipped GPS collars on brown bears and moose, and potentially wolves and red deer in the future, in the Ljusdal Municipality, Sweden with a goal of opportunistically collecting fine-scale movement data during direct interactions between the two species. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first time that GPS proximity collars have been simultaneously deployed on two free-ranging species to detect interspecific interaction events and record fine-scale movement in the wild.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Clara Tattoni, University of Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, SpainMain Venue
Clara Tattoni, Jorge Araña, Marco Ciolli
Brown bears play a critical ecological role in many ecosystems, delivering diverse ecosystem services (ES), including biodiversity support, nutrient cycling and ecotourism benefits. However, these services are often undervalued, complicating management strategies in contexts of human-wildlife conflict, in fact bear also causes damages to human activities. This study employs a discrete choice experiments (DCEs) to estimate the total economic value of brown bears in the Italian Alps, focusing on realistic attributes and levels informed by extensive stakeholder engagement.
A rigorous process of designing the DCE included focus groups, expert interviews, and pilot study to obtain a final survey across four countries (Italy, UK, France and Germany) administered to 2,500 respondents. Participants evaluated choice sets that varied bear-related attributes such as forest diversity, seed dispersal and berry availability, control of bee and wasp populations biodiversity, area conservation, public safety and economic costs, alongside socio-demographic factors. Analysis used a multinomial linear model implemented in the Apollo framework, in R.
Results indicate a strong public valuation of ecosystem services provided by brown bears, with significant positive preferences forest biodiversity and services that enhance outdoor experiences rather than safety improvements. The findings also highlight the importance of public communication about these benefits, especially in regions facing local opposition to bear conservation like it is currently happening in Italy. Sensitivity analysis reveals heterogeneity in valuation across demographic and environmental attitudes, offering insights for targeted policymaking and it is not affected by income, indicating a wide societal support for bear conservation.
The public’s willingness to pay for bear conservation provides insights for fostering coexistence between humans and large carnivores in the Italian Alps.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Abigail Tiemkey, University of Maryland College ParkMain Venue
Abigail Thiemkey, Daylan Sears, Jane Burgess, Jennifer Mullinax
Estimates of wildlife populations are foundational to management decision-making. Sound science enables wildlife managers to develop rules and regulations that inform harvest recommendations and ensure population sustainability. American black bears (Ursus americanus) are game mammals that state wildlife agencies monitor over time to assess population status. Since the 1990s, researchers have used hair snares to estimate bear populations. This method involves wrapping barbed wire around trees and placing baited attractants, with the expectation that bears will leave hair samples on the wire. These samples are then analyzed to identify individual bears, determine sex, and relatedness. Data from these samples are often analyzed using spatially explicit capture–recapture (SECR) models, which help estimate population size and density, detectability, and how bears use their space. Despite the widespread use of hair snares, less attention has been paid to how placement and sampling design influence population estimates. Specifically, systematic random and clustered sampling designs differ in their assumptions, logistical constraints, and potential biases related to movement and detection. This presentation reviews current applications of these two study designs within SECR frameworks and discusses their advantages and limitations when estimating bear abundance. The goal is to provide practical recommendations for wildlife managers to consider when designing hair snare studies, helping ensure reliable population estimates that support sound management decisions.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Madison Thurber, Virginia TechMain Venue
Madison Thurber, Isabella Sciarrino, Brett Jesmer, Dana Morin, Katherine Martin, Carl Tugend, Marcella Kelly
Infectious diseases pose a significant threat to wildlife conservation by driving population declines, fragmentation, and local extinctions. These risks are intensifying as anthropogenic pressures alter ecosystems, yet disease impacts often remain difficult to detect, particularly when they interact with additional stressors or novel pathogens. Understanding how ecological and landscape factors shape disease dynamics is therefore critical for effective wildlife management. Sarcoptic mange (Sarcoptes scabiei) is a highly contagious disease affecting domestic and wild mammals, and in black bears (Ursus americanus) it can cause severe clinical symptoms and mortality. Mange cases have increased across the mid-Atlantic over the past decade, but the demographic impacts of infection, and the landscape factors influencing disease occurrence and spread, remain poorly understood. Variation in host density and habitat connectivity likely plays a key role in shaping outbreak severity and spatial extent. We examine relationships among black bear density, landscape connectivity, and mange occurrence in a mange-affected and a mange-unaffected region of Virginia. Using noninvasive genetic sampling from hair snares, spatial capture–recapture (SCR), and an SCR ecological distance model, we estimate black bear density and functional connectivity across contrasting disease settings and between years. During 2024 and 2025, we deployed a total of 160 hair snares across both regions and collected 3,656 hair samples. Genotyping and SCR analyses are ongoing, and we present preliminary first-year results from 2024. By linking host density and connectivity across space and time, this research will improve understanding of mange dynamics in black bears and inform disease surveillance, harvest management, and conservation strategies across the mid-Atlantic.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Nikola Tkáčová, Faculty of Science, Charles UniversityMain Venue
Nikola Tkáčová, Jana Šrutová, Barbora Černá Bolfíková, Veronika Kornová, Dušan Romportl, Kristýna Vlková, Mária Apfelová, Michal Kalaš, Vladimír Antal, Slavomír Finďo, Marian Hletko, Pavel Hulva
Population status is often communicated as census size, but long-term persistence depends on evolutionary capacity and human-driven mortality. By integrating spatial demography with genetic monitoring, we address the mismatch between perceived bear abundance and actual population viability in the Western Carpathians. We analysed the brown bear population across Slovakia using non-invasive genetic detections collected in two seasons (2019–2021; >2,100 samples; 614 identified individuals). We fitted sex-explicit spatial capture–recapture models with habitat-dependent inhomogeneous density, using a habitat suitability surface to map density and propagate uncertainty across the range. Spatial models yielded census size (Nc) on the order of ~1,000 bears, while revealing strong concentration of density in high-suitability cores and spatial heterogeneity that is invisible to non-spatial summaries. To quantify evolutionary resilience, we estimated effective population size with linkage-disequilibrium and sibship methods; both indicated Ne consistently < 200 (Ne/Nc < 0.2). These findings highlight a mismatch between abundance and genetic diversity, suggesting limited adaptive capacity consistent with geographic isolation and reduced gene flow. Population viability analysis (PVA) over 100 years projects declines in genetic diversity and high sensitivity of population trajectories to modest parameter shifts. Finally, we contrasted these findings with national mortality records (2007–2025), documenting a sharp recent rise in anthropogenic mortality, reaching a peak in the most recent year. Spatial demography, low Ne, and accelerating mortality, together with the increasing likelihood of black swan events in the Great Acceleration era, suggest that a seemingly abundant population may be closer to a viability threshold than census size alone implies, motivating management to jointly monitor spatial distribution, genetic diversity and mortality trends.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Marie Elise Sallat, Universidad Nacional de San Antonio Abad del Cusco / Q’alachaqui AssociationMain Venue
Karina Vargas Serrano, Marie-Elise Sallat, Clotilde Vicente-Ramirez
Environmental education integrates knowledge, values, and actions across formal, non-formal, and informal contexts, while experiential programs in early education strengthen pro-environmental attitudes. Using charismatic species and immersive activities increases emotional engagement, knowledge retention, and lasting conservation behaviours among young learners. Paucartambo province located in Cusco region of Peru, is a key setting for Andean bear conservation, hosting diverse high-Andean and cloud forest ecosystems essential to the species’ ecological role. Although part of the Manu Biosphere Reserve and rich in cultural symbolism, limited public awareness persists, as traditional narratives and festivities do not consistently translate into ecological knowledge or conservation attitudes within local communities today. In response to local conservation needs, the program “Educating to Conserve the Ukuku” was implemented in Paucartambo province to promote Andean bear conservation through school-based education. During its first year at the San Luis Gonzaga Educational Center, ten sequential, playful, and experiential workshops were delivered to two lower school grades. Participation included 191 fifth- and sixth-grade students in each of the ten workshops. Key activities emphasized audiovisual resources, storytelling, games, creative art, and a field visit. Some of workshops stood out for enabling students to create models, masks, narratives, and representations addressing the bear’s ecology and cultural significance. Results showed high engagement, improved information retention, and progressive content appropriation, with the field visit producing the strongest impact by reinforcing emotional connection and learning. Identified challenges included pedagogical inclusion and institutional support.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Stefania Volani, University of TrentoMain Venue
Stefania Volani, Vanya Stoycheva, Clara Tattoni, Simona Capelli, Kyle Jewell, Christian Kiffner, John D.C. Linnell, Nedkov Stoyan, Emu-Felicitas Ostermann-Miyashita, Marco Ciolli
The recovery of large carnivore populations in Europe represents a major conservation success. However, human-wildlife interactions have increased in parallel, often resulting in negative outcomes for humans and wildlife. In particular, large carnivores, such as the brown bear (Ursus arctos), can cause substantial economic losses and broader societal concerns. Although structured damage-reporting systems enable spatial and temporal analyses of human-bear conflicts in some countries, comprehensive and standardized monitoring frameworks are not uniformly implemented across Europe. Within the TransWILD Biodiversa+ project, this study aims to develop a transferable model to identify high-risk areas of bear damage (livestock predation, beehive and crop damage) and to characterize the landscape and ecological features associated with their occurrence. We compare two case studies: i) the Autonomous Province of Trento in Italy, with a reintroduced bear population and a standardized damage-reporting system, and ii) the Central Balkan Biosphere Reserve in Bulgaria, with a natural bear population and a damage-reporting system that used various data collection procedures. Two independent datasets are analyzed by integrating categorized damage records with environmental variables. Presence-only modeling using MaxEnt is applied to explore environmental predictors associated with reported damage sites and to evaluate the model transferability across contexts with different levels of data completeness. Expected outcomes include a comparison of spatial features related to bear damage locations across different contexts and the development of a methodological framework to support data integration between regions. Our results can inform targeted prevention strategies and support efforts toward sustainable human-bear coexistence.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Sonam Wangchuk, Desuung Organization under HIs Majesty’s Secretariat, BhutanMain Venue
Sonam Wangchuk
Bhutan is globally recognized for its environmental stewardship, mandated by Article 5 of its Constitution, which requires at least 60% forest cover in perpetuity. Guided by Gross National Happiness, over half the country is designated as protected areas and biological corridors, sustaining rich biodiversity within the Eastern Himalayas hotspot.
These forests support iconic species such as the Bengal tiger, snow leopard, red panda, Asiatic elephant, and greater one horned rhinoceros among others. The Himalayan black bear with its wide range across Bhutan play vital ecological roles as keystone species, supporting seed dispersal and forest regeneration.
However, Human Bear conflict is rising due to uncontrolled grazing expansion, forest resource use, infrastructure growth, and settlement encroachment. Crop losses, livestock depredation, and increasing bear mauling incidents threaten both livelihoods and conservation gains.
Between 2015 and 2019, 34 bear mauling cases were recorded at the National Referral Hospital in Thimphu, with over 30 cases alone in 2020. Retaliatory killings, combined with bears’ low reproductive rates, threaten long-term viability.
Climate change further alters food availability and habitat use, potentially increasing conflict.
In response, Bhutan promotes coexistence through the Million Fruit Trees Plantation engaging Desuung volunteers to create buffer food zones near forest edges, with other supplementary programs from line agencies such as wildlife friendly farming, non-lethal deterrents, compensation schemes, and community awareness. Adaptive, climate-resilient strategies remain critically essential to safeguard bear populations and forest ecosystems.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Geoffrey York, Polar Bears InternationalMain Venue
Geoffrey York, Kieran McKiver, Jeff Marley, Christian Zoley, Alysa McCall, Dale Kiesman, Tye Noble, Parker Fitzpatrick
Managing human-polar bear conflict in remote Arctic environments requires strategies that are effective under extreme conditions, feasible with limited infrastructure, personnel, and technical expertise, and adaptable to site-specific environmental and logistical constraints. There is a need to identify and refine practical and affordable deterrent tools that can be deployed and maintained with minimal resources while effectively reducing negative human-polar bear interactions. The objective of this work was to evaluate and refine electric fencing in distinct remote Arctic settings and assess its effectiveness at preventing polar bear access to human infrastructure. Live cameras mounted on a remote tower and trail cameras installed along perimeter fencing at a landfill site and a dogyard were used to monitor fence performance and polar bear interactions. Expert consultation, combined with observations of polar bear behavior and responses following fence contact, was used to identify necessary configuration adjustments, allowing electric fencing to be evaluated and refined under real-world field conditions. Remote monitoring showed that polar bears responded to electric fence contact with avoidance behaviors; across multiple recorded interactions, bears either left the area immediately following contact or avoided further interaction with the fence in subsequent observations, indicating a deterrent effect under the observed conditions. Electric fencing, when installed and maintained correctly, has strong potential as an effective deterrent against polar bears in remote Arctic environments. Although harsh weather conditions and challenging terrain require creative problem solving, the flexibility of electric fencing systems and the wide availability of the materials allow installations to be adapted to specific conditions, supporting their suitability for use elsewhere in the Arctic.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Valentina Zenobio, Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell'Abruzzo e del MoliseMain Venue
Valentina Zenobio, Stefania Salucci, Daria Di Sabatino, Maria Chiara Cantelmi, Antonio Cocco, Sabrina Vanessa Defourny, Michela Toro, Elga Ersilia Tieri, Leonardo Gentile, Vincenza Di Pirro, Nicandro Rodi, Roberta Irelli, Shadia Berjaoui, Fabrizio De Massis, Antonio Petrini
The Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is a critically endangered and geographically isolated subspecies confined to the central Apennines. Its long-term conservation relies on demographic stability and effective health surveillance. The latest official estimate (2014) reported 50 individuals (range 45–69) within the core area of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park (PNALM).
Since 2011, a health monitoring protocol has been applied to all bear carcasses submitted for necropsy at the Istituto Zooprofilattico Sperimentale dell’Abruzzo e del Molise. Viral pathogens at the wildlife–domestic dog interface—canine distemper virus (CDV), canine parvovirus type 2 (CPV-2), and canine adenovirus type 1 (CAdV-1)—were systematically investigated using real-time PCR.
Between 2013 and 2025, 20 bears found dead within PNALM were examined. CDV was detected in lung tissue from one animal and CPV-2 in small intestinal samples from four individuals; no CAdV-1 infection was detected. No gross or histopathological lesions attributable to these infections were observed.
The detection of CDV and CPV-2 confirms viral circulation at the wildlife–domestic dog interface. In such a small and genetically constrained population, infectious diseases may act as stochastic drivers of demographic instability, increasing extinction risk. Multi-host pathogens such as CDV and CPV-2 are maintained by abundant sympatric species, particularly domestic dogs serving as reservoirs, while environmental persistence and broad host range enhance spillover potential. Continuous surveillance within a One Health framework is essential for early detection, adaptive management, and prevention at the human–domestic–wildlife interface. Further molecular characterization and phylogenetic comparison with strains circulating in domestic animals are needed to clarify transmission dynamics and assess potential spillback risks.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Mario CipolloneMain Venue
The Marsican brown bear exists as a small relict population in the Central Apennines - one of the most threatened populations in the world. Human-caused mortality, whether intentional or accidental, is the primary threat, often linked to conflicts arising from damage to agricultural and livestock activities. The LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project operates within the ecological corridors connecting the bear's main range areas. By adopting the "Bear-Smart" approach - introduced to Italy from North America following experience exchanges - the project aims to improve habitat quality and social acceptance of the species, reduce human-bear conflicts, and support local socio-economic development.
Presenter email: [email protected]
InfoPoint
Alexandra ZimmermannMain Venue
Presenter email: [email protected]
Human-wildlife conflict is a serious and growing concern for biodiversity conservation worldwide. Negative encounters between people and wildlife may trigger these situations, but the deeper challenge often lies in disagreements among stakeholders over wildlife, its management, and the consequences of living alongside it. The nature and intensity of these disputes vary greatly. Some can be addressed largely through practical measures that reduce damage or risk, while others are shaped by histories of tension, perceptions of injustice, mistrust, clashing values and deeply polarised relationships. Recognising these differences is essential for determining what kinds of responses are likely to be effective. Drawing on international experience across species and regions, this presentation considers wider lessons for human-bear coexistence. It examines the need to look beyond negative encounters themselves to the social, cultural and political contexts in which they occur, and to combine practical mitigation with dialogue, engagement and collaborative decision-making. It also considers the growing place of human-wildlife conflict and coexistence in international biodiversity policy, and the implications for conservation practice.
Antonio di NunzioMain Venue
Antonio di Nunzio, Valerio Reale
Human–bear coexistence in the Central Apennines requires approaches that consider wildlife conservation alongside the social, economic, and institutional aspects of living with a recovering bear population, as well as the cooperation and joint work between protected areas and NGOs. The LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project builds on more than two decades of coexistence work in the region, including preventive measures, the removal of food attractants, compensation schemes, community engagement, and initiatives supporting local economies. The Bear Smart Community (BSC) approach has been developed to increase local participation in coexistence planning and governance across both the core bear area and ecological and coexistence corridors.
The Central Apennines comprise diverse social and ecological contexts, with differences in bear presence, institutional capacity, local attitudes and experiences, and economic conditions. The project therefore uses a participatory action-research methodology to develop coexistence approaches suited to local circumstances. Local committees bring together municipalities, farmers and beekeepers, hunters and truffle hunters, tourism operators, cultural organizations, and citizens, providing a forum for discussion, coordination, and joint decision-making.
The process includes human–bear conflict risk assessment, mapping of food attractants, facilitated visioning and coexistence-planning workshops, action planning, and the development of formal agreements and longer-term funding strategies. It also entails designing, building, and testing a framework of norms, protocols, and documents intended to make the experience sustainable, codifiable, and replicable. Coexistence Plans are intended to set out priorities and actions for moving from the current situation towards a shared vision for 2040.
The experience so far indicates that Bear Smart Communities can provide a practical framework for bringing local stakeholders together, supporting local involvement in decision-making, and developing longer-term approaches to human–bear coexistence in the Central Apennines.
Presenter email: [email protected]
Bérénice Guinel, Rewilding ApenninesMain Venue
This presentation explores how tourism can be intentionally shaped to support human–bear coexistence within the Bear Smart Communities (BSC) framework. We begin by outlining the geographical and economic context: core and corridor areas where perceptions of bears, levels of economic dynamism, and attitudes toward tourism vary significantly.
Within the LIFE Bear Smart Corridor strategy, tourism serves three main objectives: generating tangible benefits for local economies, building a positive narrative around bears and coexistence, and creating new opportunities to raise funds for coexistence measures. The presentation will walk through the actions undertaken over the past five years to kickstart the tourism offer and embed it explicitly in the BSC framework—focusing geographically on Bear Smart Communities and designing experiences that include direct encounters with members of the local business network, such as guides, hospitality providers, artisans, and producers.
We share early results from 2024 and 2025 and outline future perspectives on how these activities are influencing perceptions of bears and strengthening support for coexistence measures.
Presenter email: [email protected]
Martina Jakubchik-Paloheimo, York UniversityMain Venue
Martina Jakubchik-Paloheimo, Gregory Thiemann, Vicki Sahanatien, Geoff York, Lyle Walton, Alysa McCall, Community Members (holding space), Joseph Northrup
Polar bears (Wabusk) in southern Hudson Bay and James Bay exist at the southern limit of their species’ range. When their seasonal sea-ice habitat melts each year, polar bears are forced to migrate to shore, where they have coexisted with Omushkego Cree for millennia. The Omushkego People have lived in the lands and waters beside Washaybeyoh (Hudson Bay) and Weeneebeg (James Bay) since time immemorial. However, they have often been marginalized or excluded from polar bear management and decision-making, ignoring the complex socio-ecological systems and the historical human-polar bear context in the region. Decolonizing conservation through an understanding of Omushkego knowledge will provide critical information for land management decisions, climate change adaptation strategies, and conflict mitigation with polar bears, thereby leading to more positive human-wildlife interactions. Working to support Omushkego Knowledge (Kiskaynadomowin), this study aims to promote a coexistence framework that recognizes the cultural and economic significance of polar bears to the coastal Cree communities of Fort Severn (Wasaho), Peawanuck (Weenusk), Attawapiskat, Moose Cree, Kashechewan, and Fort Albany. Our community-led participatory approach, using semi-structured interviews, walking interviews, and community mapping, documents this collaborative effort with academic, provincial, federal, and civil society partners to support coexistence planning in the region. Local reports suggest that encounters with polar bears are becoming more frequent as bears spend more time on land. Our results document the conflict, interactions and damages experienced by community members. As well as the protocols, deterrents, traditional ecological knowledge and cultural history of Wabusk in the region from an Omushkego perspective. Our findings aim to help fill a gap in environmental and conservation science on polar bear ecology from an Omushkego perspective.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Carlos Bautista, Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of SciencesMain Venue
Carlos Bautista, Teresa Berezowska-Cnota, Agnieszka Olszańska, Agnieszka Sergiel, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Nuria Selva
Damage caused by bears to human properties and the presence of bears in urban areas, together with administrative responses to these situations, can represent a major challenge for coexistence. We summarise research and conservation efforts in the Polish Carpathians over the last decades to outline key lessons, new challenges and emerging opportunities for human-brown bear coexistence. First, we show how past and present landscape characteristics, forest productivity, and genetics interact to determine where damage is more likely to occur. We also show that compensation programs can increase tolerance and conservation willingness through trust in the administration and perceived control over wildlife. Second, we illustrate how conflict-prone situations related to the presence of bears in urban areas have emerged as a new challenge, generating intense public debate and highlighting limitations of current management strategies. We discuss inadequate waste management over the years, increasing tourism and a lack of integrative and adaptive bear management as root causes. Finally, we present opportunities arising from an ongoing series of round table discussions involving multiple stakeholders. These meetings have arisen in response to escalating conflict situations and the recognition that the current governance system has lacked coordination and resources. Although initiated by different actors, they are contributing to improved coordination and the identification of practical measures, such as a bear emergency team and improved waste management. They are also informing current policy debates and legislation on bear management. Our case study outlines the socioecological factors underlying bear use of human-related resources and how conflict situations evolve when management fails to adapt promptly. We emphasise the importance of coordinated, evidence-based governance for long-term coexistence and aim to open a discussion on similar dynamics in other countries.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Coffee Tent
Serena FrauMain Venue
Serena Frau, Fabrizio Cordischi
The Bear Smart Community (BSC) initiative in Italy adapts the Canadian Bear Smart model to the socio cultural and legal context of the Central Apennines, where the critically endangered Marsican brown bear still survives. In Canada, communities have long recognized their ability to reduce bear mortality by securing anthropogenic food sources and enforcing compliance through fines. Transferring this approach to Italy required substantial rethinking: the national legal framework does not allow for sanctions, and many rural communities rely heavily on external assistance, making direct transposition impossible.
Within the LIFE Bear Smart Corridors project, we therefore initiated a community based process aimed at building local responsibility. The establishment of BSC Committees in each village was a pivotal step. These committees collaborated in producing detailed risk maps, highlighting the specific elements that attract bears into settlements. This participatory approach helped residents visualize the vulnerabilities of their own communities and understand how coexistence challenges emerge from everyday practices.
The project has implemented a wide range of practical prevention measures, including electric fences, bear proof waste bins, bear proof doors, bear proof chicken coops, and the organized collection of fruit within villages. In some areas, these interventions were made possible thanks to the continuous presence of volunteers—400 between 2021 and 2026—who support daily activities and live year round in two of the BSCs. In depopulated rural areas, their presence has generated significant social and economic value, strengthening community cohesion and local capacity.
While prevention measures are essential for reducing conflicts and enabling coexistence, long term success will depend on addressing three structural challenges: securing stable financial resources to maintain and expand the program; ensuring the legality, durability, and maintenance of installed structures; and fostering genuine community ownership so that coexistence becomes a locally sustained practice rather than a project dependent effort.
Maria Psaralexi, CALLISTO NGOMain Venue
Maria Papazekou
Range expansion by the Marsican brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) in central Italy and the brown bear (Ursus arctos) in Greece depends on functional ecological corridors. However, corridor functionality can be undermined by negative human–bear interactions and poor coexistence conditions. Under the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project (LIFE20 NAT/NL/001107), six Bear Intervention Units (BIUs) operated to reduce human–bear conflict: four in the Central Apennines and two in Greece (Trikala-Meteora and Amyntaio). BIUs are locally organised, protocol-guided, non-statutory rapid-response teams established through community engagement within Bear Smart Communities. They receive reports of human–bear interactions, assess urgency, and address low- and medium-risk cases through non-lethal prevention, de-escalation, follow-up and community support. They also assist competent authorities and serve as local support mechanisms for institutionalised Bear Emergency Teams, which retain responsibility for the most complex and dangerous cases. This complementary structure aims to prevent escalation, reduce recurrent conflict and retaliatory actions, and improve coexistence and corridor functionality. Between 2022 and 2026, the BIUs conducted 424 georeferenced operational activities. Fifty-seven activities were classified as emergencies and received an immediate response, while most other activities were addressed within 24 hours. The most frequent operational contexts were conflicts involving livestock or domestic animals (n = 147), poisoning incidents or risks (n = 83), and damage to crops, orchards or gardens (n = 70). Mitigation approaches differed markedly among areas. The Central Apennines relied primarily on fencing and structural protection; Trikala-Meteora emphasised assessment, mortality response and settlement management; and Amyntaio combined deterrent measures with anti-poison preparedness. These findings indicate that BIUs can provide a transferable framework for rapid response and conflict mitigation across the brown bear’s range, provided that interventions are adapted to local conflict conditions.
Presenter email: [email protected]
Claudio GroffMain Venue
Trentino and the surrounding central Alps are home to one isolated bear population numbering around 120 individuals.
A huge effort in terms of conservation and management has been made in the last 25 years, after the reintroduction, in terms of monitoring, damages prevention, emergencies management, personnel training, networking and communication.
Such an effort led to a constant positive growth trend of the population, but in the meantime a very high level of conflicts with humans was reached.
The real meaning of coexistence and the compromises that arise living with bears in the most densely populated mountains in Europe are the main issues to be addressed now and in the next decades.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Mihai POP, University of BucharestMain Venue
Mihai POP, Steluța Manolache, Lavinia C. Pîndaru, Teodora Sin, George Kudor, Silviu Chiriac, Viorel D. Popescu
Human-bear interactions in settlements in the Romanian Carpathians, receive high media attention and political pressure, leading to the adoption in 2021 of a legislative framework enabling emergency interventions on brown bears. However, the sex- and age-class composition of bears involved in these events, and which demographic segments are most likely to be lethally removed, remain poorly understood, fueling public debates and altering tolerance towards the species. We quantified which sex/age categories of bears are targeted by authorities’ interventions and the probability that the intervention sequence ends in a lethal outcome. We analyzed the National Register of Bear Emergency Interventions for the period September 2021-October 2025. From a total of 2,758 entries containing a short description of the authorities' intervention, we retained 1,595 (58%) usable entries with sex and age class information (manually validated). We aggregated sequences of interventions into cases based on the combination of municipality, potential sex, potential age, and chronology that can be attributed to the same bear unit. A case was considered closed when a lethal intervention occurred, and any subsequent intervention with the same unit profile generates a new case. Through this procedure, we identified 614 cases out of the 1,595 interventions. The results show a pronounced heterogeneity between the groups. Females with cubs (127 cases) and adult males (52 cases) had the highest intervention intensity (mean interventions/case: 4.1 and 3.8 respectively). Lethal outcomes were most frequent for females without cubs (47.0%) and males (42.2%), and lower for females with cubs (17.7%). These preliminary results suggest that current emergency intervention practices disproportionately affect specific demographic segments, with potential implications for population structure. They also have implications for the design of more targeted, evidence-based conflict management policies.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Colleen St. Clair, University of AlbertaMain Venue
Colleen St. Clair
Wildlife managers in protected areas of North America have used aversive conditioning for decades to teach bears to associate unpleasant stimuli (such as chases, noise, or pain) with human-use contexts to teach bears greater wariness and reduce conflict with people. Despite the duration of use, general information is still lacking for the design, implementation, and success of aversive conditioning programs, which limits their efficacy in North America and adoption in other parts of the world where bear-human conflict is growing. I identify six learning principles for effective punishment, another name for aversive conditioning, that are well-known to psychologists, but not wildlife managers; evolutionary relevance, immediacy, initial intensity, consistency, contingency, and positive reinforcement for alternative behaviours. I illustrate the use, as well as limitations for use, of these principles with field studies involving bears from my own lab and published studies. I also highlight the importance of individual variation, also known as personality, in the responses of animals to aversive conditioning. Greater attention to these principles could increase the efficacy of aversive conditioning to support human-bear coexistence around the world.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
On Your Own
Main Venue
Dimitris BormpoudakisMain Venue
Participatory processes, like Bear-Smart Communities (BSCs), have been supported by LIFE projects to offer the opportunity for sustained stakeholder engagement and interaction. However, monitoring stakeholder interaction in such processes has been rather scarcely documented and in an unsystematic manner. In the frame of LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors, we developed and pilot implemented a coding scheme based on the collaborative framework of Emerson et al. (2012). We analyzed the minutes of 11 BSCs in Italy and Greece (37 meetings, overall). We coded 1532 utterances voiced by participants (362 participants; 11 stakeholder groups). The most vocal stakeholder groups were environmental non-governmental organizations, followed by protected area authorities and prefectures. Stockbreeders, foresters, entrepreneurs/employees in tourism and local association featured with intermediate numbers of utterances. Despite differences in the absolute number of utterances, the frequency of utterances across the overarching categories of the coding scheme seemed to follow a similar pattern in all stakeholder groups. We will present the results of a correlational analysis showcasing how the system context surrounding BSCs and drivers of the process may influence collaborative dynamics between stakeholders, as well as how such collaborative dynamics, when put in motion, may trigger collaborative outcomes.
Danny Kosiba for Yue Yu, University of Michigan School for Environment and SustainabilityMain Venue
Yue Yu, Neil Carter
Human risk perception of living alongside large carnivores strongly influences attitudes toward these animals, yet most studies fail to link these perceptions to conservation decision-making. What is sorely missing is the integration of social and community contexts into risk perception assessments, which could enhance predictions of local support for various conservation actions. For Tibetan herders in the Sanjiangyuan region of the Tibetan Plateau, where cultural ties to the land and its wildlife are deeply rooted and community life supports survival, developing a nuanced understanding of human dimensions and community contexts can be the key to addressing the novel challenges of intensified human-bear conflicts posed by recovering and rewilding of Tibetan brown bears (Ursus arctos pruinosus).
To investigate how social and community attributes shape herders’ risk perception and collective responses to conflicts, we applied the ICONS model of risk perception and socio-ecological vulnerability theory. Using a quasi-experimental design, we conducted 400 questionnaire surveys across two Sanjiangyuan counties with similar social-ecological contexts but distinct conflict histories. We employed mixed regression models and spatial analysis to examine how norms, shared information effects, and spatial connectedness influence herders’ risk perceptions and vulnerability to bear-related risks, and consequently shape preferences for four types of mitigation strategies.
By applying well-established theories to a novel conservation challenge, this study will advance the mechanistic understanding of various human dimensions in a critical socio-ecological system. Findings will provide evidence and context-based insights for decision-makers in Sanjiangyuan and beyond to help develop co-beneficial solutions for both people and wildlife, ultimately creating enabling conditions for sustainable coexistence.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Alessandro Brugnoli, Provincia Autonoma di TrentoMain Venue
Claudio Groff, Giulia Bombieri, Alessandro Brugnoli
The Italian Central Alps host a genetically isolated population of brown bears. After the species was considered functionally extinct in the 1990s a reintroduction project was implemented in 1997-2004, which involved the translocation of 10 bears from Slovenia to Trentino. A clear and concerted Action plan has been produced shortly after. The bear population was estimated in 2023 to be 105 individuals (95% CI 91-122). Concurrently with a positive growth trend the level of conflict with humans also increased. A wide range of mitigation and outreach measures has been implemented since 2002, including prevention measures, education programs, bear-proof waste management, community round-table meetings, warning signage, emergency teams and the use of bear dogs to haze bears approaching settlements. Despite these efforts public surveys commissioned by the local government in 1997, 2003, 2011 and 2024 revealed a sharp and progressive decline in public support for bears over time. The latest survey showed that only 23% of residents support the presence of bears, highlighting increased fear for personal safety. This decline in acceptance coincided mostly with a period (2014–2024) during which nine bear attacks on humans were recorded including one fatality (0.82 attacks per year, with an average population of 67 bears). Negative attitudes have been further exacerbated by management challenges; indeed lethal removals of problem bears under the Action Plan rules have been systematically hindered by suspensions or cancellations ordered by the Courts, after legal actions by animal rights associations. After this, the fatality occurred in 2023 prompted further deterioration of public sentiment and possibly increased poaching risk, eventually undermining conservation goals. Addressing these challenges require the use of a diverse set of tools, also including lethal removal of bears when due, to maintain the necessary public support for the long-term conservation of the population.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Deandra Jones, University of ArizonaMain Venue
Deandra Jones, Michael Bogan, Javan Bauder
The Navajo Nation Department of Fish and Wildlife identified the American black bear (Ursus americanus) as a priority species due to increasing human-bear conflict and limited population information across the Navajo Nation. The Chuska Mountains, a remote mountain range located along the Arizona-New Mexico border in the southwestern United States, provide important habitat for black bears. However, the last formal study in this region occurred in the 1980s. The objectives of this study are to estimate black bear abundance in the Chuska Mountains, document the cultural significance of black bears to Navajo communities, and gain a better understanding of patterns of human-bear interactions on the Navajo Nation. During the summer of 2024, we deployed 36 noninvasive hair snare stations in the northern Chuska Mountains and obtained microsatellite genotypes from 711 samples, identifying 62 individual bears. An additional 72 hair snare sites were deployed in the central and southern Chuska Mountains during the summer of 2025. These data will be used to estimate black bear abundance using spatial capture-recapture models to inform future management and conflict mitigation efforts. To explore cultural and community perspectives, we conducted 15 semi-structured interviews with Navajo community members that highlighted the bear’s role in stories, teachings, and spiritual life. In addition, we administered a community survey on human bear interactions and received 117 responses. Preliminary results suggest regional variation in bear encounters and recurring concerns related to livestock loss. By weaving Traditional Ecological Knowledge with ecological methods, this research supports long-term wildlife management, informs conflict mitigation strategies, and offers a culturally grounded approach to human-bear coexistence on the Navajo Nation.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Danny Kosiba, University of WashingtonMain Venue
Danny Kosiba, Alex McInturff
Bear reintroduction has become a critical conservation strategy for many recovering species, but it has met with mixed success. While ecological models of habitat suitability have rapidly improved in sophistication, the role of social acceptance is still poorly understood, even though it determines the success or failure of bear conservation programs. It is well-recognized that human behaviors, attitudes, and values toward wildlife and management are as spatially diverse as ecological factors, but few methods and datasets exist to address this complexity. In this study, we developed a novel method to analyze and spatialize publicly available data that can be a resource for future bear conservation and coexistence efforts worldwide. The proposed reintroduction of grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) to the North Cascades Ecosystem (NCE) in Washington, USA has been mired in controversy for decades, so we analyzed public comments (n=5558) on this plan for argument themes and levels of support for reintroducing grizzlies. We created a spatially explicit model of support for reintroduction by selecting social predictors that aligned with discovered themes (n=91) such as safety concern and recreation inconvenience. The support model was overlaid with an integrated step selection model of predicted grizzly habitat usage to create a social-ecological suitability model (SESM) for grizzlies in the NCE. The model highlights areas of suitable space for grizzlies to inhabit, as well as areas for proactive management and conflict mitigation. The identification of projected areas of high habitat usage and low support assist managers’ and communities’ application of coexistence interventions like bear smart education, infrastructure improvements, or deterrents. This study advances SESMs as a multifaceted tool in wildlife management and species reintroductions, and demonstrates the promise of using place-based covariate selection in modeling dynamic human social preferences across space.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Coffee Tent
Santiago Molina, CONDESANMain Venue
Santiago Molina, Merly Lopez, Emi Caceres, Kathy Espin, Felipe Quiñonez, Victor Capulí
The "Climbing Mountains for the Andean Bear" (SMOA) project is a participatory environmental education initiative focused on the conservation of the Andean bear. In Ecuador, is an endangered species, emblematic and threatened by habitat loss, conflicts with human activities, and a lack of awareness about its ecological importance. The project integrates mountain experiences, community education, and citizen participation as complementary strategies to strengthen environmental awareness and promote long-term conservation efforts. The area of influence of the project is located in the northern Andean region of Ecuador. The activities took place both in mountains and hiking trails associated with the habitat of the species and in communities near these ecosystems. The project's main objectives were: (1) to take on a personal challenge of mountain climbing as an inspirational tool; (2) to strengthen environmental education about the Andean bear and its ecosystem; and (3) to promote citizen participation in conservation processes, integrating mountaineers and local communities through accessible and intergenerational educational activities. Methodology combined hiking and mountain climbing with the parallel implementation of the "Getting to Know the Andean Bear" School Park in central public parks of different communities. During the mountain activities, scientific and experiential information about the ecology of the Andean bear was shared with participants, while the School Parks functioned as educational circuits with themed stations, participatory activities, and games aimed at audiences of all ages. As a result, during 2025, the project developed eight mountain activities and nine School Parks in Andean communities. Ninety-one people participated in the climbs and hikes and 371 in the community spaces. The evaluations carried out showed a significant increase in the knowledge about Andean bears consolidating SMOA as an effective model of participatory education.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Lana Ciarniello, Aklak Wildlife ConsultingMain Venue
Lana Ciarniello, Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative
Southwest British Columbia (BC), Canada, contains several Threatened grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) population units where recovery is constrained by habitat fragmentation and human–bear conflict (HBC). The BC Bear Smart Program provides a science-based framework to reduce conflict, improve human safety, and support bear conservation by addressing attractants, land use practices, and community tolerance. The Coast to Cascades Grizzly Bear Initiative (C2C) applies this framework to advance coexistence at a landscape scale where people and bears increasingly overlap due to expanding human settlement and recovering grizzly bear populations. Pemberton Meadows, an intensively farmed valley identified as a partial ecological fracture between recovering and a Critically Endangered grizzly bear population, is presented as a case study demonstrating how applied science can move a landscape from conflict to coexistence. Multiple scientific approaches, including bear occurrence and mortality data, community surveys, a formal bear hazard assessment, camera and DNA monitoring, and regional connectivity modelling, were integrated to identify conflict drivers, inform corridor design, and guide targeted Bear Smart interventions. These data were translated into on-the-ground actions, including attractant management, installation of over 40 acres of electric fencing, and designation of grizzly bear No-Go Zones around select human-use areas. Collectively, this work represents BC’s first NGO-led, science-driven Conflict to Coexistence program, including the permitted use of aversive conditioning to reinforce bear avoidance of No-Go areas. As bears re-establish use of Pemberton Meadows, these proactive Bear Smart measures are essential to maintaining social carrying capacity and preventing lethal outcomes. This work illustrates a scalable, collaborative framework for addressing increasing HBC and supports the transition from conflict to coexistence in shared human–bear landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Anna Baize, University of MontanaMain Venue
Anna Baize, Brianna Lipp, Sarah Sells, Alexander Metcalf
As human development continues to expand into bear habitat, encounters and conflicts between people and bears are increasing. Unsecured human-related attractants, such as household garbage, fruit trees, and livestock carcasses, are a major contributor to these conflicts. However, determining which attractants to prioritize for mitigation efforts is complex due to the diversity of attractant types, community-specific contexts, and variation in residents’ motivations and constraints. We developed an attractant prioritization framework that integrates principles from Community-Based Social Marketing with Structured Decision Making to identify mitigation actions with the greatest potential to reduce conflict. We piloted this approach in the Bitterroot Valley of western Montana using surveys of local bear conflict mitigation professionals. The framework evaluates attractants based on three main factors: (1) their relative contribution to human-bear conflicts, (2) existing rates of securement, and (3) the feasibility of behavior change among community members. By jointly assessing these factors, the framework offers a systematic and evidence-based approach to setting attractant management priorities. We demonstrate how this tool can support conservationists and communities in allocating limited resources more strategically, reducing human–bear conflicts, and improving long-term bear management efforts.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Naima Dalpiaz, Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of SciencesMain Venue
Naima Dalpiaz, Eloy Revilla, Nuria Selva, Carlos Bautista, Miguel de Gabriel Hernando, Alberto Garcia
As anthropogenic pressures increasingly encroach on natural habitats, humans and bears are forced to share space and resources. Bear species occupy diverse biomes and generally have a broad dietary breadth, facilitating their use of human-modified landscapes and increasing the likelihood of negative interactions with humans. However, type and intensity of these interactions may vary across species, space and time.
We conducted a systematic review of literature focusing on the major forms of negative interactions between humans and bear species worldwide, including agricultural damage, infrastructure damage, vehicle collisions, depredation of domestic animals, and attacks on humans. Our aim was to evaluate patterns in the type, intensity and spatial trends of these interactions across countries and species.
An initial scoping search of English literature (2000–2022) yielded 104 papers revealing a strong reporting bias, with around 40% of the studies conducted in the USA and Japan, and more than 80% focusing on only three of the eight bear species: Brown bear, American black bear and Asian black bear. The most addressed interactions were livestock losses (35% of papers), agricultural losses (32%) and attacks on humans (17%). When looking at the actual number of interactions, however, this ranking varies. For example, data from European studies show that, yearly, brown bears damage around 7 000 livestock heads, but are rarely involved in attacks on humans. After refining our search and accounting for reporting bias, we will explore how documented patterns relate to anthropogenic and environmental drivers, such as human population density, human footprint index, indicators of ecosystem productivity and of temperature.
By providing a comprehensive cross-species global synthesis, our study will help identify key gaps in the current knowledge, future research priorities and provide insights relevant to promote human-bear coexistence at a global scale.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Fay d'Eon-Eggertson, Government of the Northwest Territories, University of VictoriaMain Venue
Faye d'Eon-Eggertson
Unsecured municipal landfills can be a major attractant for bears. This is a public safety concern, as landfills are often located near municipal centres and food-conditioned bears present a risk of human-bear conflict. In the remote Arctic town of Inuvik, Canada, the municipal landfill is frequented by grizzly bears, resulting in regular community concerns and occasional bear mortalities.
A chain-link fence was installed around the Inuvik landfill in fall of 2025 and will be electrified prior to the bears emerging from hibernation in spring 2026. Grizzly bear monitoring was conducted at the landfill throughout the summers before and after fence construction using trail cameras and hair snags to evaluate the impacts of the fence on bear activity, landfill use, and behaviour.
The camera data provides us with insights into the demographics, condition, and seasonal and daily activity patterns of grizzly bears at the landfill. Additionally, photos and videos from the cameras can provide information about the effectiveness of the fence, as well as behavioural observations of bear interactions with the electrified fence and with other bears. In 2025, our trail cameras captured 3,936 detections of bears, with up to 13 bears visible in frame at one time.
The genetic data from hair snags will allow us to identify a minimum number of bears visiting the landfill, to examine which bears remain at the landfill throughout the summer and which are transient landfill users, and to track fates of these bears after the landfill has been removed as a food source. In 2025, 548 samples were collected from hair snags and have been sent for DNA analysis.
Keeping communities and bears safe is a collaborative effort that requires strong partnerships and communication. This work highlights the challenges and lessons learned from the Inuvik landfill fencing process, as well as the effectiveness of using hair snags and trail cameras for monitoring grizzly bears in a contained area.
Presenter Email: faye_d'[email protected]
Jenny Glikman, Instituto de Estudios Sociales Avanzados (IESA-CSIC)Main Venue
Jenny Glikman, Maria G. Granados, Manolo Trujillo Carmona, Daniela Alba-Patiño, Alessandra Cuya, Regina LaFuente, Fernando Garrido, Maria Martinez-Jauregui, Miguel Delibes-Mateos
As large carnivores recover across Europe, understanding how human communities coexist with them has become a conservation challenge. This study examines rural residents’ perceptions of sharing landscapes with brown bears across a coexistence gradient in Spain: historic areas (continuous presence), intermediate areas (recolonized 15–20 years ago), and recent areas (occasional presence without established populations). The main aim was to understand how experience with large carnivores shapes social acceptance by exploring attitudes toward bears, perceived risks, costs and benefits, and management preferences using data collected through a telephone survey (n = 719).
Overall attitudes toward bears were positive across all contexts, but varied significantly between groups. Support was highest in intermediate areas (75%), followed by historic areas (69%), while recent areas displayed lower yet still majority-positive attitudes (62%). Risk perception revealed clearer contrasts: although attacks on people were considered unlikely, concerns about economic impacts were widespread. Historic areas reported stronger concern about livestock damage, reflecting long-term coexistence with conflict. In contrast, recent areas showed higher concern about attacks on pets and were more likely to perceive impacts negatively. Perceived risks to apiculture were high across all contexts. The most pronounced difference involved costs- benefits perceptions (χ² = 17.70, p = 0.001): respondents in recent areas were more likely to state that bears bring more harms than benefits, whereas historic and intermediate areas presented more balanced or positive assessments.
Despite these differences, acceptance of local bear presence and support for compensation and preventive actions remained consistently high. Coexistence history primarily shaped cost–benefit perceptions, underscoring the importance of targeted mitigation and communication strategies in regions experiencing recent bear expansion.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Paula Mayer, ETH ZurichMain Venue
Paula Mayer, Bérénice Guinel, Serena Frau, Valerio Reale
In Europe’s human-dominated landscapes, approaches to human-large carnivore coexistence are gaining traction. Coexistence is a dynamic process in which people and wildlife flourish within shared environments, shaped by multispecies interactions. While conservation policies have supported wildlife recovery, coexistence remains challenging in many regions. This talk explores how local governance innovation and knowledge co-creation can drive transformative change for human-bear coexistence.
Using Participatory Action Research, we examine how integrating local human and bear perspectives into planning fosters a shift from reliance on conservation authorities and non-governmental organizations toward community co-leadership of coexistence strategies. We present a case study from the Italian Apennines, where people coexist with the critically endangered Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus). Through the Bear-Smart Corridors project, Rewilding Apennines and partners have established “Bear-Smart Communities” in areas of bear population expansion.
Focusing on three emerging Bear-Smart Communities, we collaborated with municipal committees of farmers, hunters, beekeepers, administrators, tourism operators, and bear representatives to co-design actions through workshops, participatory mapping, and implementation of coexistence measures. Methods combined social-ecological systems network mapping, explicitly including bears as actors, with the Three Horizons visioning approach. Outcomes included municipal coexistence plans, spatial datasets of bear attractants, and defined responsibilities over three years.
Our findings show that integrating human and bear perspectives enables context-specific coexistence strategies, fostering local support, co-leadership, and long-term commitment by formally representing bears within governance and transforming human-bear relationships toward kinship within shared landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Roxana Rojas-Vera Pinto, University of ReadingMain Venue
Roxana Rojas-Vera Pinto, Rubén Bernardo-Madrid, Manuela González-Suárez
The expansion and intensification of human activities have increased interactions between humans and wildlife, in some cases leading to conflict. Effective coexistence and management require understanding these interactions, yet knowledge remains limited in some regions. We synthesized current knowledge on human-Andean bear interactions (HABI) in South America using expert input and a systematic literature review.
Expert knowledge was primarily captured during a three-day workshop in 2025 in Colombia attended by 10 Andean bear specialists. Expert refined interaction typology into 13 main categories of HABI events, 6 considered conflicts related. A SWOT analysis of management responses revealed environmental education initiatives as key strengths, while limited resources and weak institutional coordination as major weaknesses. Major threats include escalating human pressure, sociopolitical instability, and climate change. Opportunities included access to international funding and strengthened inter-organisational collaboration.
We then compiled detail information on reported interactions creating a comprehensive dataset of HABI events reported since 2015 that included specific temporal information, geographic coordinates and interaction type. The database combined published records found by searching English and Spanish scientific and grey literature and unpublished data shared by experts across the region. A total of 668 HABI events were registered, representing only 10 of the identified categories. Predation on domestic animals was the most prevalent interaction (72%), followed by crop-related interactions (17.2%) and hunting (3.1%). Tourism-related (0.5%) and management-related events (0.3%) were rare.
This compilation strategy allowed us improve HABI contextual across the species’ distribution range. Strength collaborative work and improve data collection will enable stronger management strategies and promote coexistence between people and bears.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Kyle Garrett, Brigham Young UniversityMain Venue
Kyle Garrett, Tom Smith, Geoff York, Jaron Hansen, Steve Peterson, Gordon Stenhouse
Climate change is driving polar bears (Ursus maritimus) closer to Arctic communities, increasing human-bear conflicts and creating urgent conservation challenges. Traditional deterrents, such as bear spray and electric fencing, face limitations in legality, practicality, and deployment in remote regions. Our project focuses on developing innovative, non-lethal strategies to protect people while safeguarding humans and bears, with a primary emphasis on drone technology and community collaboration.
Drone Hazing: Recent advances in drone technology—including active tracking and extended flight capabilities—offer a safe, cost-effective alternative to traditional hazing methods. Drones can maintain distance, reduce risk to humans, and deliver consistent aversive conditioning to deter bears from settlements and attractants. We are testing polar bear responses to drones in key aggregation areas, measuring behavioral variables such as distance to first response, and intensity. These trials aim to determine operational best practices for wildlife managers and potentially develop guidelines for drone use in bear country.
Community Collaboration: A cornerstone of this work is partnering with Inuit guides in small Canadian communities such as Fort Severn and Arviat. Their local knowledge of bear behavior, seasonal movements, and cultural priorities ensures that our research aligns with local needs.
By combining cutting-edge technology with traditional knowledge, this project seeks to expand the toolkit for non-lethal conflict mitigation. The results will inform best practices for Arctic communities and wildlife managers, contributing to coexistence strategies essential for polar bear conservation in a rapidly changing climate.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Stefano Dell'Osa, Salviamo l'OrsoMain Venue
Stefano Dell'Osa, Alessandro Palla, Mattia Iannella, Andrea Marotta, Serena Frau
The challenge of human-bear coexistence in the Central Apennines is intensified by the fragmentation caused by human infrastructures. Indeed, road ecology is fundamental to disentangle the issue of wildlife road mortality and human needs, especially within the unique morphology of the Central Apennines territories. The rugged, steep terrains occurring there often channel wildlife into natural bottlenecks sometimes occupied by tunnels and viaducts. These structures may thus inadvertently function as wildlife unique-choice corridors, making the expansion of monitoring efforts beyond roads critical, highlighting the need to include specific railway safety measures.
Concurrently, the management of "problematic" or confident bears venturing into inhabited centers presents a distinct conflict. These incursions, driven by habituation to anthropogenic food sources, require immediate, non-invasive intervention to ensure the safety of both the community and the animals.
To address these crucial conservation challenges, we present the Wild Animals Detection and Alert System (WADAS). WADAS utilizes Edge AI to offer a solution characterized by high reliability, low cost, and territorial capillarity. Unlike passive monitoring, this system is designed for ease of deployment across vast, rugged landscapes. It provides real-time feedback via instant notifications and triggers specialized actuators, which are context-aware and programmable for specific environments.
We demonstrate the system’s versatility through two primary use cases: an acoustic-visual deterrent (currently in field testing) designed to mitigate habituation in confident bears by associating settlements with negative stimuli, and a road deterrent system (work in progress) aimed at actively preventing collisions. By integrating these tools, WADAS offers a scalable, technological bridge to support sustainable coexistence.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Izabela Fedyń, University of Agriculture in KrakowMain Venue
Izabela Fedyń, Marek Pasiniewicz, Katarzyna Zabiega, Hubert Fedyń, Michał Ciach
Monitoring areas where humans and carnivores overlap enables the identification of interaction interfaces, which is essential for developing effective coexistence strategies tailored to local contexts. Here, we analyze community-reported observations of brown bear visits to human settlements in the Polish Carpathians, where the species has been strictly protected for decades. Based on 277 reported bear visits, we examined the occurrence of anthropogenic attractants, economic damage and spatial and temporal patterns of repeated site use.
Bears successfully obtained food in 57.8% of recorded visits, and anthropogenic attractants were present at 60.6% of visited locations. However, only 32.8% of visits resulted in direct economic losses. Additionally, 22.0% of observations involved bears moving through areas where no attractants were identified, highlighting the diversity of visit contexts.
Spatial analyzes revealed significant clustering of bear visits across neighboring grid cells. Temporal analyzes showed that the probability of a subsequent visit increased markedly after only a few prior visits, particularly following earlier successful access to anthropogenic food, indicating rapid learning and reinforcement of site use.
Our findings demonstrate that community reports capture critical early stages of human–bear interactions that precede economic damage. Integrating community-based observations into conflict management frameworks can support earlier, preventive interventions before repeated visits and learned behaviors become established.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Main Venue
Drop-ins are not permitted for this event. If you registered before the deadline of 9 September, you will have received an email with information about the event.
Italian with English subtitles. Note: maximum capacity of 120 persons - first come first servedCinema Ettore Scola
Meeting Place: Piazza Sant'Antonio
Meeting Place: Piazza Sant'Antonio
Meeting Place: Piazza Sant'Antonio
Meeting Place: In front of Valle Cupa
Meeting Place: Park Visitor Centre
Public Library – Viale Principe di Napoli 13 67032, Pescasseroli AQ
Co-conveners: Paula Mayer, Bérénice Guinel, Nicolas Salliou, Ana Stritih, Jenny Anne Glikman
Human-bear coexistence is a pressing challenge for global conservation and requires social-ecological systems to transform. In this workshop, we want to explore how participatory research approaches are engaging with local communities to better understand and foster coexistence. Participants will learn about and share methods and experiences from their own contexts. We will particularly focus on the transformative potential of these approaches, including their spatial and temporal impacts, scalability, and long-term effectiveness. In this interactive workshop, we will explore the ecological, social, and institutional factors that enable or hinder coexistence and discuss strategies applicable across diverse contexts. Participants are invited to share case studies from their own research or practice on participatory coexistence approaches. A final objective of the workshop is to initiate a peer-reviewed synthesis paper on participatory approaches to human-bear coexistence, with opportunities for contributions from interested participants. The workshop will also showcase work by the convening team on participatory tools, including spatial coexistence models, Bear-Smart Community approaches, and game-based methods. We will introduce the Biodiversa+ project CoexHuB, which creates “hubs” for human-bear coexistence through inter- and transdisciplinary networks in the Central Apennines, Cantabrian Mountains, and Slovenia, using social, ecological and institutional research approaches.
Public Library – Viale Principe di Napoli 13 67032, Pescasseroli AQ
This workshop, organized by Salviamo l’Orso, explores one of the most complex aspects of wildlife conservation: the emotional dimension of human coexistence with large carnivores. Practical measures to reduce conflicts are essential, but they are not enough to build long-term coexistence. A deeper cultural and emotional shift is needed, where living alongside wildlife becomes not only possible but accepted and understood. Designed for conservation practitioners, field operators, communicators, and anyone working with communities in wildlife-rich areas, the workshop focuses on how emotions shape attitudes toward bears and other species. Fear, frustration, anger, wonder, and empathy strongly influence reactions to wildlife encounters. Recognizing and addressing these emotions is a key skill for anyone involved in conservation. Led by a Salviamo l’Orso field officer, environmental journalist and Communication Manager Valeria Barbi, and psychologist Ilaria Benedetti, the workshop blends theory, field experience, and practical exercises. Participants will learn how psychology supports conservation, how to identify emotional responses in conflict situations, and how to adapt communication strategies accordingly. Through interactive activities and role-playing, the workshop strengthens participants’ ability to foster dialogue and acceptance within communities, promoting an approach that goes beyond wildlife management and focuses on understanding and guiding human behavior in areas with strong wildlife presence.
Public Library – Viale Principe di Napoli 13 67032, Pescasseroli AQ
Organizers: CALLISTO-Wildlife and Nature Conservation Society (Dr. Tasos Hovardas, Dr. Dimitris Bormpoudakis, Alexandros Poulakis).
This workshop aims to valorise experience gained through participatory processes in the frame of LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors and ongoing work within the Horizon Europe project titled Co-creating Coexistence, which analyses the best ways emergent technologies can promote human-bear coexistence. The workshop will run in two cycles. In the first, we will present results of scientific and grey literature review on emergent technologies, as well as results of a European-wide survey of more than 1000 pastoralists concentrated on knowledge of and use of technology as well as perceived importance of determinants of technology use. In the second cycle, we will use participatory methods to gather and elaborate on workshop participants’ assessment of emerging coexistence technologies (based on e.g., functionality; scale; technology readiness level) and related utility factors (e.g., perceived and actual effectiveness; affordability; interoperability; socio-cultural acceptance). Participants will receive a report with presentations and assessments. The overall ambition of the workshop is to showcase how technology can be utilized by communities and pastoralists for fostering coexistence.
Main Square Pescasseroli
Main Venue
Patrizia Giangregorio, Italian Institute for Environmental Protection and Research, ISPRAMain Venue
Patrizia Giangregorio, Anna Padula, Federica Mattucci, Romolo Caniglia, Elena Fabbri, Francesca Davoli, Vincenzo Gervasi, Vincenzo Buono, Nicole Macrì, Roberta Latini, Daniela Gentile, Fausto Quattrociocchi, Laura Scillitani, Antonio Antonucci, Giovanna Di Domenico, Emanuela Peria, Ivana Pizzol, Domenico Serafini, Marta Mastrantonio, Gianpiero Di Clemente, Antonio Lecce, Ilaria Guj, Simone Ricci, Antonio Di Croce, Sara Marini, Davide Pagliaroli, Paolo Ciucci, Elisabetta Tosoni, Giorgio Valle, Giovanni Barbon, Elisa Laparra, Nadia Mucci
Small and isolated populations face heightened demographic and genetic risks, often exacerbated by anthropogenic pressures. The Apennine brown bear exemplifies such vulnerability, persisting as a long-term isolated population within a human-dominated landscape. Comprehensive understanding of genetic diversity and spatial dynamics over extended timeframes is essential to assess population resilience and inform conservation strategies.
This study integrates genetic data collected over 25 years of non-invasive monitoring (2000–2025), ending with the most recent population estimate within the DigitAP (PNRR) project, encompassing about 5,500 samples analyzed at 17 microsatellite loci. Individual multilocus genotypes were reconstructed to estimate minimum annual population size, identify generations when field data allowed, and document mortality events. All samples were georeferenced to assess individual occurrences and characterize dispersal patterns. Temporal analyses were conducted to evaluate trends in genetic diversity, relatedness, inbreeding, effective population size, and bottleneck signatures.
Results confirm persistent low genetic diversity and small effective population sizes, alongside relatedness, inbreeding, and historic bottleneck events consistent with prolonged isolation. No marked genetic deterioration was detected, suggesting short-term genetic stability. Georeferenced data indicated a progressive expansion of the species’ range beyond the historical core area, predominantly driven by male dispersal, whereas females showed a more modest yet detectable expansion.
Although short-term genetic stability and range expansion are encouraging, low genetic diversity continues to represent a major vulnerability that keeps this population vulnerable to genetic erosion and inbreeding. These findings highlight the importance of sustained long-term genetic monitoring integrated with field-based data to guide adaptive and functional management.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
InfoPoint
Giorgio Bertorelle, Department of Life Sciences and Biotechnology, University of FerraraMain Venue
Giorgio Bertorelle, Andrea Benazzo, Roberto Biello, Paolo Ciucci, Elisa Desiato, Giulia Fabbri, Silvia Fuselli, Carolyn Mahan, Emiliano Trucchi
The Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is not only an iconic and important population to protect and preserve, but also a valuable case study for understanding the genomic consequences of long-term isolation, extreme demographic decline, and coexistence with local human communities. Over the past decade, we have used whole-genome data and cellular experiments to reconstruct the evolutionary history of this large carnivore subspecies and to explore potential management implications. Here, we present our main findings on the erosion of genomic variation, the accumulation of deleterious mutations, the functional impact of a mitochondrial DNA mutation, the genetic basis of reduced aggressiveness, and the predicted genetic effects of restocking interventions.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Elise Loggers, Montana State UniversityMain Venue
Elise Loggers, Andrea R. Litt, Justine A. Becker, Matthew J. Gould, Kerry A. Gunther, Mark A. Haroldson, Frank T. van Manen
Population trajectories emerge from the ability of individuals to acquire and allocate resources to meet energetic demands for survival and reproduction. Under density-dependent population regulation, increasing interference and exploitative competition can constrain access to high-energy foods and restructure dietary niche breadth. Individual differences in diet composition should translate into distinct movement strategies and may buffer demographic performance if behavioral plasticity compensates for variation in diet quality. We studied grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem of the western US to evaluate the behavioral-ecological mechanisms of density-dependent population regulation. We tested these mechanisms by integrating estimates of assimilated diet from stable isotopes (δ¹³C, δ¹⁵N) of bear hair (1997–2022; n = 1270 individuals, 1906 samples) with spatially explicit indices of grizzly bear density and ungulate availability, and movement and demographic metrics. Dietary shifts were consistent with dominance-mediated interference competition: males consumed the greatest proportion of ungulates (regardless of bear density), and across cohorts, bear consumption of ungulates declined as bear density increased (low-density: male=0.60 [95% CI=0.50–0.69], female=0.47 [0.36–0.61]; high-density: male=0.32 [0.23–0.41], female=0.22 [0.15–0.32]). Dietary niches of each cohort expanded with bear density, indicating that competition increases dietary generalization. Our analyses incorporate ungulate availability to disentangle density effects from prey dynamics, quantify how diet composition aligns with movement strategies, and evaluate whether demographic performance varies with diet. This work advances a mechanistic framework linking individual foraging strategies with competition and resource availability, improving our understanding of how long-lived, behaviorally plastic and individualistic species respond to changes in their environment.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Ashlee Mikkelsen, Lund UniversityMain Venue
Ashlee Mikkelsen, Anne Hertel, Agnieszka Sergiel, Aimee Tallian, Nuria Selva, Andreas Zedrosser
Differences in resource allocation form the basis of life-history theory, however, realized phenotypes depend on local adaptations. Maternal reproductive expenditures, whether the absolute reproductive cost or the reproductive cost relative to maternal resources available affects population dynamics. To understand the nuance of maternal expenditures, we used a population of individually marked mother-offspring pairs of brown bears (Ursus arctos) with a unique phenotype in Scandinavia 1995–2019 to explain variation in both absolute and relative maternal expenditures. We used mass of yearling offspring as an indicator of absolute maternal expenditure and the difference in mass between mothers and their offspring as an indicator of relative maternal expenditure. If females prioritize reproduction, offspring mass will increase faster than maternal mass. Additionally, the mother-offspring mass difference will remain stable or decrease with increasing resource demands in mixed effects linear regression models and covariate to account for maternal body condition and diet as well as bear density and litter size. Maternal resources were not shared equally between mothers and offspring. Larger mothers invested relatively less in their offspring than smaller females, and when competition for resources increased, mothers passed the burden onto their offspring, rather than sacrificing their own condition to compensate.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Ian Bonapace, University of Insubria, ItalyMain Venue
Ian Bonapace, Laura Gramolini, Paolo Ciucci, Paolo Colangelo, Livia Chavko, Paolo Franchini, Leonardo Gentile, Alexandros Karamanlidis, Jonas Kindberg, Oddmund Kleven, Alexander Kopatz, Josè Vicente López-Bao, Lana Pađen, Slaven Reljic, Emanuela Solano, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Diana Lobo
The Apennine brown bear, a critically endangered population confined to the central Apennines in Italy, represents an extreme case of long-term demographic isolation and genetic erosion. Such conditions are expected to reduce adaptive potential through strong genetic drift, although epigenetic mechanisms may partly buffer this loss by enabling rapid phenotypic responses. Notably, recent studies revealed that Apennine bears display distinctive traits allegedly advantageous in human-dominated landscapes, including smaller body size, wider skulls, and reduced aggressiveness. To investigate how genomic erosion has shaped both genetic and epigenetic potential, we analysed 44 whole genomes and 35 RRBS-derived DNA methylation profiles representing most of the European brown bear populations. We found that Apennine bears exhibit the lowest heterozygosity and extensive allele fixation, including 21,748 population-specific SNPs overlapping 3,420 genes. Uniquely fixed SNPs are enriched for missense mutations (1.86× relative to the genomic background), affecting 123 genes involved in neurodevelopmental, cognitive, and growth-related processes, potentially linked to the population’s distinctive traits. To evaluate consequences for epigenetic regulation, we quantified SNPs that create or disrupt CpG dinucleotides. Apennine bears carry the lowest proportion of CpG-disruptive (17.5%) but the highest of CpG-creative (16.4%) SNPs, although fixed SNPs are disproportionately CpG-disruptive (23.9%). These epigenetic SNPs are enriched in highly methylated regions (>60% average methylation), consistent with high mutation rates potentially driven by deamination of methylated cytosines. Concordantly, Apennine bears display the highest CpG density and the lowest genome-wide methylation levels across European populations. Overall, although continued genomic erosion may constrain adaptive genetic potential, elevated CpG content may help sustain phenotypic plasticity under prolonged isolation.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Marcella Willett, Columbia UniversityMain Venue
Marcella Willett, Mihai Pop, Ruben Iosif, Viorel Popescu
Noninvasive genetic monitoring is a powerful tool for conservation and wildlife management and has been growing in popularity as a relatively cost-effective and accurate method of estimating population sizes. Particularly, noninvasive genetic monitoring using scat and hair samples has become one of the primary methods of studying bear populations. This study conducts a meta-analysis of noninvasive genetic monitoring studies in brown bear (Ursus arctos) and black bear (Ursus americanus) populations over the past 10 years from across their ranges in North America, Europe, and Asia. Data were extracted from 108 studies on sampling methods, study area, number of samples analyzed and successfully genotyped to an individual bear, number of individuals identified, sex ratios, and population estimates. Preliminary results indicate that genotyping success rates tended to be higher for hair than for scat (medians = 62.50% and 52.83% genotyped, respectively), with scat sampling increasing in genotyping success over time, but hair sampling remaining relatively constant. Studies were inconsistent in how or if recapture rates were reported, but comparison of numbers of genotyped samples and individuals identified showed that studies using scat samples tended to identify more unique individuals relative to the number of genotyped samples. Of the studies estimating population size or density, 30 used spatially explicit capture-recapture models, while 27 used non-spatial models. Population density estimates varied widely between 23-840 bears per 1000 km^2 for black bears and 0.7-186.6 bears per 1000 km^2 for brown bears. This analysis can serve as a baseline to compare with future studies to evaluate the plausibility of density estimates and improvements in the efficacy of genetic monitoring methods for brown and black bears.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Marta De Barba, University of LjubljanaMain Venue
Marta De Barba, Barbara Boljte, Marjeta Konec, Elena Pazhenkova, Teresa Berezowska-Cnota, Tashi Dhendup, Trishna Dutta, Patrizia Giangregorio, Djuro Huber, Velichka Kardjeva, Ruben Iosif, Nadia Mucci, Barbara Promberger, Pierre-Yves Quenette, Bipan Chand Rathore, Shyamala Ratnayeke, Slaven Reljić, Nuria Selva, Sandeep Sharma, Radoslav Stanchev, Jon Swenson, Terence Kok Ju Wei, Siew Te Wong, Tomaž Skrbinšek, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica
Standardized monitoring methods are essential for obtaining accurate and reliable information on wildlife population status, trends, and viability, which underpin effective management and conservation. Genetic approaches based on individual genotyping are widely used for population monitoring, including for bears. However, genetic monitoring of ursids has long suffered from a lack of methodological standardization, resulting in fragmented datasets generated with different genetic markers that are not directly comparable or interoperable, even within the same population. This limits the value of genetic data for transboundary and long-term studies, as well as for direct comparisons of genetic diversity across populations.
In 2014, a new standardized approach for bear genotyping based on high-throughput sequencing of microsatellites (short tandem repeats, STRs) was presented at the International Bear Association conference in Thessaloniki, Greece. With this approach, multilocus genotypes are determined bioinformatically by analyzing directly the allele sequences, allowing genotypes generated in different laboratories and with different platforms to be shared without the need for allele size calibration. Since then, we have successfully applied this method using two co-amplifying STR panels (43 loci in total) for individual identification from invasive and non-invasive samples in seven European brown bear populations (Alpine, Apennine, Carpathian, Dinaric–Pindos, Eastern Balkan, Pyrenean, Scandinavian), one Himalayan brown bear population from India, Asiatic black bears from Bhutan, sloth bears from India and from European zoos, and sun bears from Borneo and European zoos. Here, we present results on the cross-population and cross-species performance of this method and discuss its implications for standardized genetic monitoring of bear populations and for the development of shared, interoperable bear genetic databases.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Coffee Tent
Robert Marquez, Andean Bear Conservation AllianceMain Venue
Robert Marquez, Isaac Goldstein, Kym Gopp
Accurate information on population status and threats is essential for the timely management of the Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus). Since populations span extensive landscapes—including national parks and private lands—reaching adequate sample sizes is logistically challenging. Since 2010, the Andean Bear Conservation Alliance (ABCA) has refined a low-cost methodology using sign-based single-season occupancy models with spatial replicates across two scales (1-km² and 16-km² cells). This approach addresses logistics by dividing sampling units among landscape stakeholders according to their specific budget and human resources. A cornerstone of this process is a comprehensive capacity-building strategy that fosters local appropriation, ensuring the long-term sustainability of monitoring. To date, this has enabled the modeling of bear occupancy across 11 landscapes (each >380,000 ha), including 39 national protected areas in Colombia, Peru, Ecuador, and Bolivia. Specifically, in Colombia and Peru, 7 landscapes covering 29 protected areas have incorporated Andean bear monitoring every five years as a mandatory management action. Government organizations (GOs) and NGOs now use this data to evaluate protected area effectiveness, prioritize restoration areas, guide sustainable development, and strengthen community engagement. Furthermore, these insights inform high-level policy, such as mining permit decisions and national conservation strategies. By integrating standardized monitoring with adaptive management, this framework provides a scalable model for carnivore conservation in complex socio-ecological systems. Its success relies on GOs and NGOs recognizing monitoring as a decisional tool; in Peru and Colombia, this has already led to the formalization of monitoring protocols through official government documents—a milestone we aim to replicate across the species' entire range.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Michelle McLellan, University of British ColumbiaMain Venue
Michelle McLellan, Steve Rochetta, Clayton Apps, Adam Ford
As demand for renewable energy increases, run-of-river (RoR) hydroelectric projects are expanding throughout mountainous regions as lower-emission alternatives to large dams. Although the permanent footprint of these developments is relatively small, construction requires access roads, transmission corridors, and prolonged human activity that may influence wildlife behaviour. Understanding these effects is particularly important for grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations that are recovering and re-establishing connectivity across historically fragmented landscapes.
We used an integrated Before–After Control–Impact (BACI) Hidden Markov Model (HMM) to evaluate how RoR construction affected grizzly bear movement behaviour in southwestern British Columbia. Behaviour-specific resource selection functions were then used to estimate Relative Selection Strength and map habitat suitability under pre- and post-development conditions. Despite a small permanent disturbance footprint (~500 ha), bears reduced use of the development area during construction. Individuals that continued to enter the Impact zone shifted from slower, localized movements associated with foraging to faster, more directed travel, indicating reduced localized habitat use. Habitat suitability changed only modestly, with little loss of high-quality foraging habitat, suggesting that behavioural responses were driven primarily by human disturbance rather than habitat alteration.
These results show that multi-year construction can displace bears from otherwise suitable habitat by altering movement behaviour. For recovering populations occupying historical fracture zones, such displacement may reduce access to foraging areas, slow recolonization, and weaken functional connectivity even where habitat quality remains intact. The findings highlight the importance of incorporating behavioural responses to disturbance when evaluating cumulative effects and planning development in multi-use mountain landscape
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Shiori NAKAMURA, Hokkaido UniversityMain Venue
Shiori NAKAMURA, Satoshi OHARA, Jumpei YAMAZAKI, Kyogo HAGINO, Yuu YOSHIMI, Naoya MATSUMOTO, Masami YAMANAKA, Masanao NAKANISHI, Sei WATANABE, Hideyuki ITO, Miho MURAYAMA, Toshio TSUBOTA, Michito SHIMOZURU
Age information is essential for understanding ecology and developing effective management strategies for bears. While traditional tooth-based age estimation methods have long been used, alternative approaches based on DNA methylation levels have recently been developed in bear species using blood samples. Although blood sampling is less invasive than tooth extraction, it still requires procedures such as capture and anesthesia. In this study, we aimed to establish a non-invasive age estimation method based on DNA methylation using fecal DNA. Fecal samples were collected from 57 brown bears of known age living in both captivity and the wild. Bisulfite pyrosequencing was performed to measure the DNA methylation levels in two genomic regions, revealing positive correlations between age and methylation levels. The best age estimation model was constructed using four DNA methylation sites (cytosine-phosphate-guanine [CpG] sites): one adjacent to DLX5 gene and three adjacent to SLC12A5 gene. This model demonstrated high accuracy, with a mean absolute error of 2.08 years and a median absolute error of 0.99 years after leave-one-out cross-validation. Furthermore, our approach incorporated host (i.e., bear-derived) DNA copy number quantification, demonstrating that analyses tend to fail or produce large estimation errors when the amount of host DNA is insufficient. This represents a significant advancement over previous techniques based on fecal DNA methylation. Applying this novel age estimation method in field studies is expected to enhance ecological research and facilitate the development of effective monitoring and management strategies for brown bears. In addition, the method has the potential to be extended to other animal species in future studies.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Lousie Archer, University of Toronto / Polar Bears InternationalMain Venue
Louise Archer, Péter Molnár
The Arctic is warming four times faster than the global average, with many Arctic species faced with unprecedented changes in their environments. Predicting effects of future change is difficult because measurements under current conditions may not reflect responses to never-before-seen scenarios. Determining the mechanisms that underly species’ responses to change can help overcome these limitations and improve forecasting and mitigation efforts. For polar bears, energetic constraints due to loss of sea ice hunting habitat have been identified as a fundamental process by which climate warming affects individuals and populations. Energetic models have been developed and applied to explain observed changes in population health and to project changes in reproduction and survival under different climate scenarios. Despite these advances, incorporation of such approaches into monitoring and management has been limited to date. Here, we explore potential applications of energetic modelling in polar bears. We highlight the iterative and interacting processes of data collection and model development, underscoring how each can inform the other to drive new insight and understanding. We also present case studies that provide step-by-step examples of how energetic models can inform proactive management and conservation planning. Scenarios considered include (i) potential impacts of supplementary feeding regimes, (ii) predicting effects of multiple interacting stressors on population dynamics, and (iii) determining effects of change across multiple time scales – from acute effects on demographic rates to chronic effects on individual health and fitness. Lastly, we consider how uncertainty can be quantified in energetic models to better address management objectives and to ensure outputs are robust and transparent. Although we focus on polar bears, we underscore how energy is a fundamental currency and our approach has applications to many other mammals, including other ursids.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Laura Gramolini, National Reasearch Council CNRMain Venue
Laura Gramolini, Paolo Ciucci, Ian Marc Bonapace, Paolo Franchini, Leonardo Gentile, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Oddmund Kleven, Jonas Kindberg, Alexander Kopatz, Diana Lobo, Livia Chavko, José Vicente López-Bao, Slaven Reljic, Lana Pađen, Emanuela Solano, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Paolo Colangelo
The brown bear (Ursus arctos) is a widespread Palearctic species represented in Europe by populations occupying diverse environments. Rapid environmental change is reshaping habitats and resource availability, exposing populations to new selective pressures. The species’ remarkable phenotypic plasticity may partly result from environmentally mediated regulation of gene expression through epigenetic mechanisms such as DNA methylation. We generated genomic data using Double Digest Restriction-site Associated DNA sequencing and genome-wide methylation profiles via Reduced Representation Bisulfite Sequencing from 35 individuals across six European populations: Scandinavian, Cantabrian, Dinaric-Pindos, Rhodope, Carpathian, and Apennine. We integrated these data to disentangle the role of genetic background and environment in shaping the methylation profiles of the populations. Our results revealed clear genomic and epigenomic population structure, identifying 7,932 SNPs and 1,259 methylation sites associated with population differentiation. Integrating methylation profiles with bioclimatic predictors uncovered epigenetic signatures linked to ecological gradients, independent of genetic relatedness. Latitude, temperature, and precipitation emerged as the main environmental drivers. Variance partitioning showed that climate explained 7% of methylation variation, genetic structure 5%, and their interaction an additional 5%. The methylation sites significantly associated to the environment were mainly located on promoter regions (78%), suggesting a role in regulating gene expression. While genetic variation underpins long-term evolutionary change, DNA methylation may enable faster functional responses, promoting phenotypic plasticity and rapid adjustment. Incorporating epigenetic approaches into conservation genomics can improve the assessment of short-term adaptive potential and support more effective conservation planning under rapid environmental change.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Ana Morales-González, Institute of Nature Conservation of the Polish Academy of Sciences (IOP PAN)Main Venue
Ana Morales-González, Carlos Bautista, Natalia Bragalanti, Paolo Ciucci, Manuel Díaz-Fernández, Néstor Fernández, Claudio Groff, Djuro Huber, Klemen Jerina, Alexandros A. Karamanlidis, Tobias Kummerle, Javier Naves, Julian Oeser, Santiago Palazón, Mihai Pop, Eloy Revilla, Matija Stergar, Nuria Selva
Brown bear damage represents a major conservation and wildlife management challenge across Europe, yet anticipating when such events are more likely to occur remains difficult. Brown bears rely on seasonal forage availability, which in turn might be affected by transient climate shifts (e.g. warmer climate) and changing meteorological extremes (e.g. more extreme drought years). Both may expose bears to nutritional stress during critical periods, forcing them to seek alternative, anthropogenic food sources, thus increasing damage risk. Here, we present a continental-scale analysis examining how year-to-year climate variability influences annual brown bear damage across Europe. We compiled a harmonized dataset of >35,000 compensated damage claims collected over ~21 years across 12 bear management units in temperate Europe. The dataset includes high precision damage locations (~65% GPS-based) and information on damage type (e.g. damage to apiculture, crops and livestock). For each damage event, we extracted two proxies capturing climate variability: meteorological variables describing temperature and precipitation conditions derived from the CHELSA v2.1 dataset, and vegetation phenology metrics derived from MODIS satellite data. We used a Bayesian multi-level regression framework to test specific hypotheses about how climate variability may influence damage occurrence, including whether (i) cold and low-productivity springs and (ii) warm and dry summers, which are associated with reduced or delayed resource availability, and (iii) warm autumn conditions, which are associated with prolonged foraging activity, are linked to increased damage occurrence. We also investigated whether cumulative seasonal effects further amplify damage. Our modelling framework accounts for spatial structure, temporal autocorrelation, and potential lagged effects, with the aim of providing a basis for anticipating damage risk and supporting management decisions under future climate scenarios.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Courtyard (Main Venue)
On Your Own
John Boulanger, Integrated Ecological ResearchMain Venue
John Boulanger, Gordon Stenhouse, Dario Fernandez-Bellon
Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) are classed as a species of special concern in Canada and as threatened in Alberta, where the species occurs along the Canadian Rockies and foothills. DNA-based inventories of the Yellowhead Bear Management Area (BMA 3) in 2004 revealed low densities (<5 bears/1000 km2) of grizzly bears. This prompted conservation actions, including a moratorium on hunting, as well as research into demographic status and potential factors limiting these populations. Repeat DNA inventories in BMA 3 in 2004 and 2014 revealed that the population had doubled in the interim ten-year period, scaling to an increase of 7% per year. We hypothesized that these increases were due to improvements in habitat, reduced mortality, and recipients (immigrants) from translocation of bears involved in conflict situations. We used open spatially explicit capture recapture (SECR) models, demographic modelling, as well as modelling of change in habitat to test which mechanisms best explain local patterns of increase. Supported mechanisms included higher survival rates, and transplants of bears into one of the survey areas as well as an increase in higher quality habitat, however, much of the higher quality habitat potentially harbored higher anthropogenic mortality risk. We identified hotspot areas of increase relative to areas of higher habitat value and potential mortality risk. Open SECR models provide a way to obtain survival rate estimates using DNA sampling that were relatively robust to changes in sampling regime during the time period of our study. Our results provide an assessment of the most likely factors influencing increases, as well as potential methodologies that can be used for continued monitoring of these populations.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Tomaž Skrbinšek, University of LjubljanaMain Venue
Tomaž Skrbinšek, Matej Bartol, Barbara Boljte, Nuša Hrga, Tilen Hvala, Aleksandra Majić Skrbinšek, Elena Pazhenkova, Miha Predalič, Gregor Simčič, Marjeta Konec, Klemen Jerina
Genetic monitoring is for many bear populations the only approach that can provide robust, precise tracking of population abundance. But despite its many advantages, high costs, substantial field effort, and long time to results often make practical application challenging.
In Slovenia, we started with brown bear genetics in 2004, which evolved into national-scale monitoring in 2007. In 2015 we switched to genotyping-by-sequencing to improve cost effectiveness, increase reliability, and considerably shorten field-to-results time. We also set the periodicity of genetic sampling to every eight years. Sampling is conducted through citizen science, with results carefully communicated to all stakeholders and participants.
As management and conservation decisions require annual data, we developed a demographic model calibrated with genetic estimates and parameterized with the other demographic data. The model is re-run annually using new mortality data and rebuilt with each new genetic sampling.
During the third monitoring session in autumn 2023, we collected 2,864 noninvasive genetic samples. Most samples were collected by hunters and foresters. High-throughput sequencing enabled rapid and cost-effective analysis, with laboratory work completed within eight months. The entire study, including capture–mark–recapture modelling, was finalized within ten months. We obtained a population estimate with a narrow confidence interval (Autumn 2023: 737, 695–797; Spring 2023: 1001, 959–1061). The demographic model closely matched the genetic estimate, confirming its usefulness.
Over the last 20 years, genetic monitoring has evolved into robust, cost-effective cornerstone of brown bear management. In 2015 Slovenia partnered with Croatia to establish coordinated transboundary monitoring, and in 2026 we launched LIFE DinPin Bear to extend this across the Dinaric–Pindos population. We believe the knowledge gained and methods developed are applicable to other populations as well.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Sydney Stephens, University of TrentoMain Venue
Sydney Stephens, Mark Haroldson, Matthew Gould, Andrea Corradini, Cecily Costello, Justin Dellinger, Francesca Cagnacci, Frank T. van Manen
Demographic studies of large carnivores often deal with mixed data of individuals with different risk profiles. Management actions can change both an animal’s true mortality hazard and its probability of being observed. Obtaining unbiased estimates of survival for the entire population from such data can be challenging. In the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (GYE), all grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) may be randomly sampled for research, but those involved in human-bear conflicts are targeted for capture and thus represent a biased subpopulation. However, being a ‘managed’ bear is not a static state; for bears that are released rather than removed, their risk profile may transition to that of an ‘unmanaged’ bear after a period without subsequent conflict. Yet, during this transition bears are often not collared and thus timing is unobserved (latent). To estimate spatially-explicit survival in the GYE, we adapted a multi-state modeling framework often used in biomedical research to wildlife: using latent states to link observation patterns to state-specific risks. Using a large dataset (n=600 bears, F:222, M:378) spanning 15-years (2009–2024), we developed and validated a Bayesian model to jointly estimate (1) bidirectional transitions between managed and unmanaged states and (2) spatially explicit survival in each state, yielding appropriately weighted population-level estimates. Simulations showed that modeling bidirectional state dynamics reduced bias in survival estimates compared with stratified, single-state or one-direction recovery models. Field data indicated a mean recovery rate from a
managed state of 26.9 months. The instantaneous hazard of mortality in a managed state (λ=0.0236) was 472x greater than that of an unmanaged state (λ=0.00005). This is the combined hazard of management removal (λ=0.0167) and other mortalities (λ=0.0069). Our findings highlight the need to integrate state-varying risks on population-level estimates of survival and other events.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Darcy Doran-Myers, University of FloridaMain Venue
Darcy Doran-Myers, Conor McGowan
In 2025, 62 American black bear (Ursus americanus) experts from Canada, the United States, and Mexico participated in a rigorous elicitation process designed to capture their collective knowledge of the species. We compared their responses against empirical data sourced from 54,000 black bear detections, compiled from datasets donated by researchers across the species' range.
Expert-elicited data is increasingly used to fill gaps in empirical knowledge for wildlife research and conservation decision-making, but its reliability remains poorly understood. Using the black bear as an ideal study species, we evaluated the agreement between "best-case" expert-elicited data and "best-available" empirical data.
Our results show that expert elicitation can identify broad or qualitative trends—such as relative species densities across space—but remains unreliable as a standalone source of quantitative data. Experts were more accurate on well-studied aspects of bear ecology (e.g., the effects of protected areas, particularly at local spatial scales) than on under-studied aspects (e.g., the effects of fire, particularly at range-wide scales). This distinction is critical because expert elicitation is typically employed precisely when empirical knowledge is weak: for under-studied species, broad spatial extents, and unknown ecological relationships.
Our conclusions held even after attempts to control for bias, vary expert group size and composition, or adjust our data aggregation and analysis approaches. However, we demonstrate that expert knowledge retains value when integrated with sparse empirical data; for example, as informative Bayesian priors.
With the support of the bear research community, we reveal the limited utility of expert elicitation as a standalone tool for wildlife research and conservation decision-making, and provide recommendations for when and how to use it to augment, rather than replace, empirical data.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Tamako MAKINO, Tokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyMain Venue
Tamako MAKINO, Seungyun BAEK, Akino INAGAKI, Tomoko NAGANUMA, Koji YAMAZAKI, Shinsuke KOIKE
Asian black bears in Japan (Ursus thibetanus; hereafter, bears) survive winter food shortages by hibernating to suppress energy expenditure. Then, they consume large quantities of hard mast during autumn hyperphagia to accumulate energy stores before hibernation. Thus, bears presumably need to accumulate sufficient energy during this period and start hibernation at an appropriate time before food resources become depleted. Furthermore, annual fluctuations in mast production may influence the relationship between energy accumulation and the onset of hibernation.
Here, we investigated the energy balance of female bears during the hyperphagia in relation to mast productivity using movement data and video clips recorded via GPS collars (some equipped with video cameras). We estimated daily energy intake of bears by inferring behavioral states from movement and quantifying foraging amounts within each behavioral state using video clips. Daily energy expenditure was estimated by summing the basal metabolic rate and the energy costs of activities calculated for each behavioral state. We defined the daily energy balance as the difference between daily energy intake and expenditure. Total energy accumulation during the hyperphagia was estimated by summing the daily energy balance from September 1st to the onset of hibernation.
Energy accumulation during the period was significantly lower in poor mast years compared to good mast years, with a tendency for smaller inter-individual variation, suggesting that individuals initiated hibernation upon reaching a specific level of energy storage. Additionally, the daily energy balance tended to deteriorate as the onset of hibernation approached, with this deterioration occurring earlier in poor mast years than in good mast years. This implies that the trigger for the onset of hibernation may be the point at which the energy balance deteriorates and falls below a specific threshold after achieving the necessary energy accumulation.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Cam McClelland, fRI ResearchMain Venue
Cam McClelland, Terrence Larsen, Karen Graham, Gordon Stenhouse, Dario Fernández-Bellon
Understanding carnivore use of habitat resources and interactions with prey is key for the effective management and conservation of their populations. However, accurately quantifying such interactions for wide ranging or cryptic species requires resource-intensive field efforts. Here we combine GPS data, field investigations, and statistical modeling to identify predation and scavenging events by grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in Alberta, Canada. We used GPS location data from 70 bears (37 females and 33 males) collared between 2001 and 2017 (n = 101 bear years when accounting for bears with multiple data years). We visited a selection of location clusters (n = 3,038) to determine bear activity and classified them as carcass (predation and scavenging of ungulate species; n = 352) or non-carcass clusters (bedding and other foraging; n = 2,686). At carcass clusters, we determined prey size based on ungulate species and age class. We then built random forest models to identify carcass clusters based on GPS point characteristics (including time of year, cluster diameter and duration, bear movement rate, distance travelled on departure from cluster, and distance to the next cluster). Models were built using 85% of the data and tested on the remaining 15% and validated over 50 iterations. The final models identified carcass clusters and prey size with 81.1% and 81.4% balanced accuracy, respectively. Our findings show how GPS data can be used to predict ungulate handling indicative of meat consumption events. We also applied these models across our entire GPS location dataset (n = 162 bears and 294 bear years during the same period) to identify 3,486 ungulate carcass clusters. We then explore the relationships between meat consumption event frequency, bear biology (sex, age, biometrics), and habitat characteristics (area protection, terrain, ungulate density), and discuss how this approach can be used to inform species management and conservation.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Coffee Tent
Main Venue
Robert Beattie, University of ManitobaMain Venue
Robert Beattie, Nicolas Leclerc, Evan Richardson, Colin Garroway, Sabine Mai, Mohammed Mostajo-Radji
Polar bears are widely recognized as indicators of rapid environmental change in the Arctic. Canada is home to approximately 65% of the global population, yet accelerating sea ice loss and increasing exposure to environmental stressors place the species at risk of significant population decline over the coming decades. As Arctic regions warm at nearly four times the global average, there is growing interest in complementary approaches that can help preserve genetic diversity and support evidence-informed conservation strategies.
Recent advances in cellular biology provide new opportunities to extend traditional wildlife research through renewable in vitro model systems. In this study, we describe the development of a primary fibroblast biobank derived from skin biopsies collected from wild polar bears in Churchill, Manitoba. The goal of this initiative is to create a cellular resource that reflects genetic diversity across Canadian and circumpolar populations and that may support future studies in conservation biology, environmental toxicology, and One Health research.
In collaboration with federal conservation programs, we established more than 90 independent polar bear fibroblast lines. Culture protocols were optimized for Arctic field conditions and adapted to enable long-term expansion. Cell lines were characterized using karyotyping, immunocytochemistry, functional assays, and genetic profiling. Comparisons with existing bear datasets confirmed species identity and chromosomal stability in the majority of lines.
This resource represents an initial step toward integrating cellular approaches into polar bear conservation research. By providing a renewable system for studying cellular responses to environmental stressors, it offers a foundation for future mechanistic investigations and may serve as a model for similar efforts in other species experiencing rapid environmental change.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Sakhi Dabhi, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Foundation (WCB Research Foundation)Main Venue
Sakhi Dabhi, Barbara A Williams, Julia Bevins, Nishith Dharaiya
The gut microbiota plays an important role in host nutrition, immunity and overall health hence it is an important factor in wildlife conservation. Sloth bears are myrmecophagous; different ecological conditions may affect their gut microbial diversity. During dry months, bears often move closer to villages in search of food and water where they consume human induced food or food waste. Their gut communities risk shifting towards unhealthy patterns similar to those seen in captivity, which can lead to long-term health problems. In this Study we conducted comparative analysis of gut microbial diversity between wild and captive individuals using non-invasive scat samples. We have collected 20 scats from wild and 20 from captive and analysed for 16S rRNA gene (V3-V4) amplicon sequencing to characterize bacterial communities. As a result, higher phylogenetically diversity suggests a more functionally resilient gut microbiota which may enhance host health and adaptability. However, the Shannon diversity is higher in the samples collected from captive sloth bears showing even distribution of gut bacteria in captive sloth bears. Interestingly, we have found higher number of Shigella species of bacteria from wild bears indicating a health issue as Shigella is a pathogenic bacterium. The findings also suggests that the gut microbiota of wild sloth bears is not yet in an optimal state, showing vulnerabilities that reflect habitat degradation and dietary limitations. Rather than only focusing on captive welfare, conservation efforts must also strengthen wild populations by protecting natural food sources such as termites, ants, and native fruits. Habitat restoration, reduction of anthropogenic disturbances, and long-term monitoring of microbial health are urgently needed. This study highlights that improving the microbiota in the wild is just as critical as correcting diets in captivity, making microbiome-focused conservation a priority for the survival of sloth bears.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Paolo Facella, Trisaia Research Center, Italian National Agency for New Technologies Energy and Sustainable Economic Development, (ENEA), 75026 Rotondella, MT, ItalyMain Venue
Paolo Facella, Loretta Daddiego, Elio Fantini, Loredana Lopez, Bruna Piccione, Linda Bianco, Fiammetta Alagna, Giovanna Cangiulli, Carlo Fasano, Roberta Latini, Francesco Panara, Paolo Ciucci
The gut microbiome is recognized as a key component of wildlife health and resilience, with direct implications for conservation and understanding drivers of human–wildlife coexistence in shared landscapes. The Apennine brown bear (Ursus arctos marsicanus) is a geographically isolated, critically endangered endemic population restricted to the Central Apennines, Italy, estimated at about 60 individuals. This extremely small size makes any non-invasive tool for enhancing health surveillance and risk detection valuable for conservation planning and management. Here we present a gut microbiome survey on free-ranging Apennine brown bears, to establish a robust baseline enhancing the conservation toolkit for this population. Based on 51 fresh (≤ 24 hrs) fecal samples collected in the Abruzzo Lazio and Molise National Park from 08/2024 to10/2025, we performed a metabarcoding analysis targeting the full-length 16S rRNA bacterial gene, by Oxford Nanopore Technologies’ sequencing. By processing each fecal sample 3 times, we produced more than 28 billion bases. These data enable high-resolution taxonomic profiling and support comparative analyses across individuals and sampling contexts. Overall, population taxonomic profiles indicate a gut community frequently dominated by Enterobacteriaceae-associated taxa, with comparatively fewer samples showing a more “eubiotic” configuration with typical commensal anaerobes. We observe substantial between-sample variability, consistent with marked individual and/or ecological (e.g., diet and seasonality) effects. Building on this dataset, we are conducting two expansions: fungal ITS sequencing across all samples to profile the gut mycobiome and long-read shotgun metagenomics on selected samples for functional and strain-level insights. Integrating bacterial and fungal data with conservation efforts will support non-invasive health monitoring and dysbiosis risk detection to enhance the conservation status of Europe's rarest bear lineage.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Nari Kim, Chungbuk national universityMain Venue
Nari Kim, Vanhkham Xayoudoum, Chanhlalee Khonemany, Sengphet Chanthaluck, Fatong Yang, Sorphea Phorn, Vi Le Tuong, Zachary A. David, Judy Blythe, Da-in Lee, Yu Lee Shin, Ji Yoon Kang, Yu-jin Lee, Jeong-Jin Yang, Matt Hunt, Dong-Hyuk Jeong
Welfare assessment integrates animal-based and environmental indicators. Although a bear welfare tool was validated in zoo-housed American black and brown bears (2016), its applicability to sanctuaries and to Asiatic black (ABB) and sun bears (SB) remains unevaluated. This study validated the tool in sanctuary-housed ABBs and SBs and collected user feedback for refinement.
Six keepers and four researchers assessed 23 bears (16 ABBs, 7 SBs) at sanctuaries in Laos and South Korea. Teams conducted behavioral observations (1 h/day, 7 days), followed by welfare assessments (Physical, Behavior, Environment). Semi-structured interviews evaluated usability. Reliability was assessed using intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs).
Overall inter- and intra-observer ICCs were 0.86, indicating good reliability. Domain-level ICCs were 0.83/0.91 for Physical (good/excellent), 0.58/0.89 for Behavior (moderate/good), and 0.84/1.00 for Environment (good/excellent). The lowest inter-observer agreement was for stereotypic behavior (ICC = 0.45), reflecting context-dependent expression and observer interpretation.
The tool was applicable to sanctuary-housed ABBs and SBs, supported by strong agreement between staff. However, moderate agreement in the Behavior domain indicates a need for clearer definitions and standardized criteria. Variation in stereotypy scoring likely reflects differences in interpretation, particularly for ambiguous behaviors like paw suckling. Assessors recommended recording behavioral frequency rather than binary presence/absence to improve sensitivity.
This study supports extending zoo-validated bear welfare tools to sanctuary settings, enabling routine monitoring by keepers and researchers. Refinement of the Behavior domain will improve reliability and applicability in sanctuary environments in which individual history and environmental complexity influence welfare expression.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Marlen Laanep, University of TartuMain Venue
Marlen Laanep, Ants Tull, Egle Tammeleht, Harri Valdmann, Maris Hindrikson, Urmas Saarma
The brown bear is a flagship species in the ecosystems of Eastern and Northern Europe, but little is known about its parasitofauna in the Scandinavian-Baltic region. As an omnivore, the brown bear can acquire parasites from animal intermediate hosts, soil and plant material, which can lead to a more diverse parasite community. However, the hibernation-induced physiological changes can challenge parasite overwintering survival. As some parasites can be detrimental to the bear’s condition and present a threat of zoonotic spillover infections for humans, parasite monitoring is essential under the One Health framework.
This study provides the first analysis of brown bear scats in Estonia, revealing one of the highest prevalences of parasites in bear scats in Europe (FO=78%), and the seasonal and interannual infection dynamics. For this, bear scats were collected for three years, and based on genetic host identification, 378 scat samples were selected for further analyses. Parasite eggs and oocysts were identified based on morphology. The prevalence of parasites increased from 2022 to 2024, and nematodes were the most prevalent (62%), followed by cestodes (20%), protozoa (15%), trematodes (7%) and acanthocephalans (2%). The bear-specific nematode Baylisascaris transfuga had the highest prevalence (54%). Most parasite taxa were zoonotic and thus potentially hazardous to humans. Varying seasonal dynamics hinted at transmission routes, and opposing dynamics were revealed for protozoa and nematodes, with nematodes being most prevalent in fall and protozoa in spring. Coinfection analyses via JSDM pointed to cestodes being central to parasite community structure. The study will introduce the results of this research and compare the findings with those from studies done in Central and Southern European countries.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Jacopo Morelli, University of Inland NorwayMain Venue
Jacopa Morelli, Alexandra Thiel, Boris Fuchs, Andrea Miller, David Ahlqvist, Andrea Friebe, Aimee G Tallian, Stamatios Tahas, Jonas Kindberg, Alina L Evans
Hypertension, hypoxemia, hyperthermia and tissue hypoperfusion are reported in brown bears (Ursus arctos) anesthetized with medetomidine-tiletamine-zolazepam (MTZ), with welfare concerns during and after capture. Vatinoxan is a selective peripheral α2-adrenoceptor antagonist known to alleviate the cardiovascular, acid-base and thermoregulatory adverse effects of medetomidine with minimal effect on sedation and analgesia. Following the identification of the optimal doses of vatinoxan in 21 captive brown bears involved in a promising pilot study, a series of double-blinded randomized controlled studies is underway in free-ranging individuals captured and anesthetized in Scandinavia. Such research aims to assess the beneficial and adverse effects of low and high doses of vatinoxan on wild bear physiology during and after capture and anesthesia. Once the bears are captured and anesthetized, a comprehensive physiological dataset, including anesthetic depth, direct blood pressure, heart rate, respiratory rate, tissue oxygen saturation, rectal temperature, arterial and venous blood gases, acid-base status, electrolytes and blood glucose, is recorded at regular intervals in both treatment and control groups. Cardiovascular variables improved dose-dependently within 5 minutes of vatinoxan administration, alleviating hypertension and bradycardia, cephalic and muscle perfusion and blood pH compared to controls. Hyperthermic bears treated with vatinoxan responded to active cooling faster than controls. No effect on the anesthetic depth was detected. Reported occasional adverse effects included hypokalemia, hypoglycemia, transient hypotension and spontaneous defecation, particularly at high doses. While its use requires caution, the preliminary findings of our studies indicate that vatinoxan could play a central role in the treatment of bradycardia, hypertension, hypoperfusion, hyperthermia, and hyperglycemia in wild brown bears anesthetized with MTZ.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Private event. Drop-ins are not permitted.Residence Primula
Note: maximum capacity of 120 persons - first come first servedCinema Ettore Scola
Note: maximum capacity of 120 persons - first come first servedCinema Ettore Scola
Main Venue
Jonas Kindberg, Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchMain Venue
The Scandinavian Brown Bear Research Project (SBBRP), initiated in 1984, is one of the world’s longest-running research programs on brown bears (Ursus arctos). Over four decades, more than 940 individuals have been marked and monitored, generating a unique longitudinal dataset spanning individual life histories, population recovery, and significant changes to their management. Together with our collaborators, the SBBRP has published over 350 scientific peer-reviewed articles, contributed more than 150 management-related reports, and produced a wide array of content geared towards the general public. The project has educated multiple new generations of science professionals by mentoring numerous post-doctoral researchers, doctoral students, master's students, bachelor’s students, and volunteers from around the world.
In the start, research was primarily directed towards resolving fundamental uncertainties in brown bear biology and population ecology, including abundance and distribution, demography, reproduction, mortality, movement, habitat use, diet, and denning ecology. Individual-based monitoring provided an empirical foundation for understanding the recovery and subsequent management of the Scandinavian population.
The methodological advances have substantially increased the temporal, spatial, and biological resolution of this research. The transition from VHF telemetry to GPS tracking, accelerometry, physiological research, and DNA-based methods has enabled increasingly integrative investigations of behavioral ecology, population dynamics, genetic connectivity, anthropogenic disturbance, harvest effects, and hibernation physiology.
We aim to maintain these longitudinal datasets which provides an increasingly powerful framework for quantifying ecological responses to environmental and anthropogenic changes. Future research will integrate individual-, population-, and community-level processes through multispecies studies, investigate individual variation and adaptive capacity, and further develop genetic and demographic monitoring. The project will also continue exploring the physiological adaptations associated with hibernation as a translational model for human medicine and to advance our understanding of how wildlife research methodologies affect animal welfare and our results.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
InfoPoint
Andrei Dinu, University of Montana, MissoulaMain Venue
Andrei Dinu, Mahdieh Tourani, Mark Hebblewhite, Mihai Pop, Teodora Sin, Andrea Gazzola, Viorel Popescu
As human activity expands worldwide, understanding wildlife responses to anthropogenic pressures is essential for supporting human-wildlife coexistence. Importantly, anthropogenic impacts are highly heterogeneous among species and can reshape entire mammal assemblages. This motivates the use of community-level approaches that capture both shared and species-specific responses. We evaluated the spatiotemporal responses of a stable mammal community, including brown bears, to human activity in the Romanian Carpathians, one of Europe’s largest strongholds for large carnivores.
Using camera-trap data, we fit Bayesian community occupancy models separately for summer and winter to estimate wildlife responses while accounting for imperfect detection. We additionally quantified seasonal activity overlap between humans and wildlife. Brown bears were widespread across sampling locations in both seasons and were among the most detectable species, particularly in summer, indicating consistent site use despite human presence. Wildlife responses to human activity varied among species and between seasons. Temporal overlap with humans also differed across the community, with brown bears exhibiting intermediate overlap across seasons, suggesting partial temporal adjustment rather than complete avoidance.
By borrowing strength across species, the hierarchical community framework produced reliable estimates of mammal responses to human disturbance. Data from frequently detected species, such as the brown bear, improved precision for rare taxa such as the Eurasian lynx. These findings highlight the value of community-level approaches for simultaneously quantifying community-wide patterns and species-specific responses while improving the precision of estimates for low-detection species. This framework could be a useful tool for conservation planning in human-dominated landscapes, with relevance for rare populations, such as the Marsican brown bear.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Dario Fernandez-Bellon, fRI ResearchMain Venue
Dario Fernandez-Bellon, Julie Duval, Cameron McClelland, Karen Graham, Gordon Stenhouse
Decision-making is a crucial, but challenging element of effective conservation. Evidence-based decision-support tools can be used to translate research findings into practice, but published assessments of their use are limited. Grizzly Bear Tools (GBTools) is a toolkit for wildlife managers, industry resource managers, and government policymakers to aid decision-making on grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) populations and their habitats in the foothills of the Canadian Rockies. Here we review the GBTools suite, present case studies, and discuss learnings from 20 years of their development and implementation. All elements within the GBTools package are derived from published research conducted in the areas where the tools are implemented. The toolkit includes GIS-based tools to (i) map attributes relevant to bear ecology and survival (e.g., RSF, trophic resources, mortality risk, denning habitats), (ii) simulate development scenarios to compare and quantify their effects on these attributes and identify lower impact scenarios and mitigation actions, and (iii) assess landscape characteristics to support decisions on grizzly bear population and habitat recovery. GBTools also includes non-GIS tools such as genetic data repositories used to inform monitoring and wildlife management decisions. Since their development, GBTools have been used to regulate anthropogenic threats to grizzly bears, to aid in the design of forest management plans, to inform mining operation calendars, and for wildlife management actions, among other applications. We also discuss the challenges faced since the toolkit’s first release. These challenges serve to underscore how bridging the research-implementation gap requires collaborative approaches to develop tools that address real-world problems, buy-in and long-term commitment from different stakeholder groups, continued support for tool maintenance and user training, and efficient communication between tool developers, users, and regulators.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Kelly Forrester, University of AlbertaMain Venue
Kelly Forrester, Jonathan Van Elslander, Garth Mowat, Andrew Derocher
Somatic growth is affected by individual factors and resources that have long-term consequences for survival and reproductive success. We evaluated how diet, habitat-related environmental conditions, and density influence somatic growth using a 48-year dataset of 18,928 human-killed grizzly bear (Ursus arctos) skull measurements across British Columbia, Canada. Growth was modeled as a function of sex, age, precipitation, season length, diet, and cohort density using non-linear Bayesian von Bertalanffy growth models. We assigned dietary compositions to bears using stable isotope analysis (n = 1,592) and predictive diet maps for the remaining individuals (n = 17,336). We found dietary meat had the strongest positive effect on growth, followed by season length and cohort, consistent with variation in habitat productivity. Males growing under maximal habitat conditions (~95% meat-based diets, long growing seasons, recent cohorts), compared to limiting conditions (0% meat-based diets, short growing seasons, earlier cohorts), reached 95% of their asymptotic (t95) skull length at similar ages but were 6.9 cm (20.4%) longer and 3.6 cm (15.7%) wider. Females reached t95 of skull length at similar ages and were 7.0 cm (23.3%) longer and 3.9 cm (21.5%) wider. Terrestrial meat increased skull growth, length, and width more than fish sources. Our results demonstrate that spatial variation in habitat-driven diet composition and growing-season length can drive substantial differences in somatic development in a long-lived omnivore, with implications for managing nutritionally important habitat resources to promote fitness potential under ongoing climate and land-use change.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
David Lee, University of South Wales, UKMain Venue
Meisye Wulandari, Dede Aulia Rahman, Yudi Setiawan, Yoan Dinata, Muhammad Iqbal, Dian Andi Syahputra, David Lee
Sumatra, Indonesia, has experienced significant tropical forest degradation and loss over the last 30 years. The province of Riau, which includes the peat swamp forest of Kampar Peninsula, has experienced the highest rate of forest loss in Sumatra during this time. Alongside monoculture plantations, Kampar Peninsula has one of the largest remaining tropical forest peat forests in Sumatra, while including several wildlife reserves and the ecosystem restoration concessions of Restorasi Ekosistem Riau (RER), representing an important landscape for sun bears. Here, we collated sun bear presence records from camera trapping (2015-24) and bear sign surveys (2024) in RER to model habitat suitability across the wider peninsula. We modelled bear presence against a series of biophysical and anthropogenic predictors using four algorithms within a weighted ensemble framework. While all single models showed good predictive performance, the ensemble model produced the most stable and reliable predictions, highlighting the benefit of combining multiple algorithms to reduce model uncertainty. Precipitation, land cover, canopy height, and distances to settlements, roads and water bodies emerged as the most influential predictors, indicating that climatic conditions, forest structure, and human disturbance all contribute to sun bear habitat suitability in this peatland ecosystem. Habitat suitability was highest in secondary peat swamp forest, and mostly within RER, highlighting their value and that of ecosystem restoration concessions as core bear habitat. These findings provide the first landscape-scale prediction of habitat suitability for sun bear in this important landscape and offer a spatial basis for prioritising peat swamp forest protection and restoration, as well as adaptive management of plantation-dominated matrices to support the long-term conservation of this globally threatened species.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Davide Tamagnini, University of Rome La SapienzaMain Venue
Davide Tamagnini, Daniele De Angelis, Narimane Chatar, Margot Michaud, Carlo Meloro, Denise Crampton, Leopoldo Soibelzon, Maria E. Arnaudo, Luciano Varela, Sebastián P. Tambusso, Luigi Maiorano
Bears (Ursidae, Carnivora) are considered keystone species in several ecosystems, besides their potential impact on early human migrations and habitat use. Fitness variations linked to phenotypic and/or ecological adaptations might be rendered using evolutionary landscapes meant to show differences in selective advantage of specific traits, even indicating the most morphologically- and ecologically-distinctive species for eco-evolutionary and conservation aims. Here we investigate morphological and ecological evolutionary landscapes within living and extinct ursids. To do so, three dimensional geometric morphometrics was applied to a total of 69 bear crania belonging to 23 living and extinct species to collect shape data. Furthermore, ecological variable scores were obtained relying on species occurrences from online databases (PaleobioDB, GBIF) and pre-existing literature, combined with paleoclimatic data (PALEO-PGEM). Our results suggest that strongest morphological and ecological adaptive peaks are mainly occupied by extinct derived morphotypes (i.e., short-faced bears). Both morphological and ecological landscapes show that many living species (e.g., genus Ursus) occupy a weakest selective optimum, whereas extant specialists (e.g., polar bears, pandas) are far from the strongest peaks. These evidences suggest that most of living bears are characterized by non-extreme morphologies and ecological niches that probably give them higher ecomorphological flexibility than their fossil counterparts, which occupied stronger selective peaks at the expenses of an increased extinction risk (e.g., potential occurrence of ratchet-like mechanisms in short-faced bear evolution).
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Russell Van Horn, San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceMain Venue
Russell Van Horn, Denisse Mateo Chero, Fernando Hancco Pacha, Megan Owen, Mathias Tobler
Decisions for the conservation of Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus) must currently be based on limited empirical knowledge of the species' biology, and extrapolation from what is known about other bear species, none of which are closely related to Andean bears. We sought to improve our understanding of this bear's distribution and habitat use in the Manu Biosphere Reserve of SE Peru, a biodiversity hotspot that is considered to be a core conservation area for the species. Direct human impact in this landscape is primarily restricted to well-defined portions of the landscape. We installed 283 unbaited camera trap stations along an elevational gradient from 275 masl (below expected bear occurrence) to 3580 masl (tree-line). Although Andean bears use food resources in nearby alpine grasslands seasonally, the seasonality of bear habitat use inside these highly diverse tropical forests is unknown. We therefore operated cameras continually from 2016-2021. We then used a multi-species dynamic Royle-Nichols occupancy model to look at the distribution of Andean bear and 21 other terrestrial mammal species across elevations. We obtained 546 independent detections of Andean bears from 811 to 3692 masl. Bear occupancy increases with elevation from 0.09 at 1000 m to 0.82 at 3500 m. In this landscape, many abiotic and biotic variables are associated with elevation, so teasing out the drivers of bear occupancy will require further analyses. Understanding occupancy of Andean bears in this important landscape will, in turn, help guide conservation planning in similar landscapes nearby, including in proposed conservation corridors.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Coffee Tent
Main Venue
Alexandros Karamanlidis, ARCTUROSMain Venue
Alexandros Karamanlidis, Miguel de gabriel Hernando, Alexander Kopatz, Lambros Krambokoukis, Tomaž Skrbinšek
At the southernmost edge of the brown bear’s (Ursus arctos) European distribution, Greece hosts a population once considered fragmented and vulnerable. The “Hellenic Bear Register” (2000–2025) is one of the longest-running genetic monitoring initiatives for bears in southeastern Europe, established to inform conservation and adaptive management amid rapid demographic change.
Using primarily non-invasive samples (hair and scat), complemented by blood and tissue, we analysed 1,300 samples across 18 microsatellite loci to assess genetic diversity, population structure, gene flow, effective population size, kinship, and dispersal. We identified 500 unique genotypes, including 450 from Greece and 50 from neighbouring countries, for transboundary comparison.
Our results indicate a dynamic, recovering system. The western Greek subpopulation exhibits the lowest genetic diversity recorded in southeastern Europe, yet remains more robust than other genetically depauperate bear populations. Historically distinct eastern and western populations show pronounced substructuring, particularly in the west. However, this structure is now dissolving. As numbers increase, we document a “recovery cascade” driven by asymmetric south-to-north gene flow among neighbouring subpopulations, mediated primarily by males.
Effective population size exceeds previous assumptions, corroborating field evidence of rapid recovery. We document strong male-biased dispersal, movements exceeding 75 km, and individual monitoring histories spanning more than 15 years—demonstrating how small, persisting nuclei can function as stepping stones for large-scale expansion.
The “Hellenic Bear Register” provides a rare long-term genetic lens on recovery at a range periphery. By revealing an active recovery cascade rather than persistent fragmentation, our findings demonstrate how sustained genetic monitoring can detect resilience in real time and support science-based management in landscapes where coexistence an
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Naoki OHNISHI, Forestry and Forest Products Research InstituteMain Venue
Naoki OHNISHI, Takaki YAMADA, Kyohei ANDO
The Shikoku population of the Asian black bear (Ursus thibetanus) is one of the smallest and most endangered bear populations in Japan. Once widely distributed across Shikoku Island, it is now restricted to a limited area in eastern Shikoku, with an estimated census size of around 20 individuals. Long-term conservation of this population requires reliable genetic monitoring of population size, reproduction, and genetic diversity.
In this study, we estimated recent population size and reproductive structure using parentage analysis based on nuclear microsatellite DNA, mitochondrial DNA sequences, and newly developed Y-chromosome microsatellite markers. Genetic analyses were conducted using DNA from nine bears captured since 2018, archived samples collected before 2017, and 33 non-invasively collected hair and fecal samples obtained between 2011 and 2024. Individual identification and parentage assignments were performed using 15 nuclear microsatellite loci, with strict replication to minimize genotyping errors.
Population size was estimated for four consecutive 7-year periods since 1997 using a parentage-based estimator. The most recent estimate for 2018–2024 was 19.3 individuals, indicating relative demographic stability with a slight increasing trend, likely reflecting improved monitoring rather than true population growth. Parentage analysis revealed repeated reproduction by a limited number of breeding individuals and the presence of exceptionally old reproductive adults.
Genetic analyses detected three mitochondrial haplotypes but only a single Y-chromosome haplotype, indicating severe loss of paternal genetic diversity. These results suggest long-term genetic erosion caused by a small effective population size and skewed male reproductive success. Our findings highlight the continued vulnerability of the Shikoku population and emphasize the importance of sustained genetic monitoring using advanced molecular tools for evidence-based conservation management.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Lana Pađen, University of Zagreb, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineMain Venue
Lana Pađen, Agnieszka Sergiel, Emeritus Đuro Huber, Slaven Reljić, Antonio Bradić, Jasna Aladrović
The brainstem is essential for transmitting and regulating signals between different brain regions and regulating vital, life-sustaining functions. Fatty acids (FA) are structural components of brainstem neuronal cells; they influence membrane fluidity and contribute to brain energy metabolism. A key regulator of FA metabolism in the brain, stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), controls the conversion of saturated FAs (SFA) into monounsaturated FAs (MUFA) with the same number of carbon atoms, thereby modulating membrane properties and cellular function. SCD activity index had not previously been determined in the brain of brown bears. We aimed to determine FA composition and SCD indices using samples collected from 69 free-ranging brown bears (23 females, F; 46 males, M) in the Croatian part of the Dinaric-Pindos population range during spring and autumn from 2022 to 2025, while attending to human-induced mortalities. Samples from the medulla or pons regions were homogenized, total lipids extracted, and FA composition was determined by gas chromatography. In spring 2022, SFA predominated in the brainstem of both sexes, whereas polyunsaturated FA (PUFA) predominated in autumn. In 2023, across both seasons and sexes, SFA predominated, while in 2024 and 2025 PUFA predominated. In spring 2024, F and M had significantly higher SCDi18 index compared to same sex in autumn (79.34±0.40 vs 72.85±0.55; 82.28±1.73 vs 75.40±3.02). In spring 2024, F had significantly lower SCDi18, while M had significantly higher SCDi16 index compared to same sex in autumn (79.34±0.40 vs 82.28±1.73; 4.83±0.69 vs 3.53±0.34). In spring 2023, F and M had significantly higher ratio of unsaturated FA (UFA) to SFA compared to same sex in autumn (1.35±0.13 vs 1.05±0.13; 1.60±0.10 vs 1.20±0.14). Results indicate interannual and seasonal shifts between SFA and PUFA predominance, accompanied by sex- and season-specific modulation of SCD activity probably in response to physiological and environmental demands.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Robin Rigg, Slovak Wildlife SocietyMain Venue
Robin Rigg
Named after the protagonist of a classic fairy tale, the Goldilocks Principle alludes to the existence of a middle ground or third way between opposite extremes that is “just right”. The epithet has been applied to wildlife management that seeks to reconcile contrasting beliefs regarding population size, levels of protection and lethal interventions. Conversely, the Anna Karenina Principle, derived from Tolstoy’s novel, asserts that all key factors must be present and work correctly in order to achieve success in a complex endeavour, i.e. there are more ways to fail than to succeed. This presentation explores various aspects of bear management from these two contrasting perspectives, using Slovakia as an example.
Slovakia’s Western Carpathian population of brown bears (Ursus arctos) reached a low point of <100 animals in the 1930s. A 30-year moratorium on hunting enabled ongoing recovery. Regulated harvest, introduced in the 1960s, did not prevent further population growth and ended in 2019 following challenges to its legality. The population continued to increase in range and may have exceeded 2,000 individuals.
There is now a widespread belief that bears have been allowed to become over-abundant. Since 2021, bear attacks have increased in frequency as well as prominence in the media and political discourse. Successive governments have pursued highly divergent policies, from minimising management removals while prioritising non-lethal alternatives to apparently indiscriminate culling for population control. Both approaches have prominent supporters and detractors, with bears and their management in Slovakia continuing to give rise to considerable controversy. Positions are highly polarised and entrenched. Nevertheless, some efforts seek reconciliation. One such initiative is the EU Horizon Europe project Co-creating Coexistence (CoCo), which aims to minimise wildlife-related conflicts, ease tensions and achieve a balance that benefits both people and wildlife.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Shannon Finnegan, Ocean Plastics RecoveryMain Venue
Shannon Finnegan, Andy Schroeder, Scott Farling, Kenzie Hahne, Kayla West, Tyler Brasington, Melanie Clapham
Plastic accounts for approximately 80% of all human-produced waste materials found in marine environments, with approximately 14 million tonnes of plastic entering the ocean each year. Macroplastic pollution (plastics >10 mm) poses significant threats to marine ecosystems through entanglement, habitat degradation and ingestion. As these materials fragment into microplastics (<5 mm), they become increasingly widespread and bioavailable, facilitating ingestion and trophic transfer across marine food webs. Accumulation of microplastics within organisms has been linked to oxidative stress, intestinal damage, energetic depletion, and reduced reproductive output, with potentially irreversible consequences for animal physiology.
Brown bears (Ursus arctos) are a highly generalist species that exploit a wide range of complementary food resources, including ungulates, fruits, herbaceous vegetation, and numerous marine-derived foods such as salmon, shellfish and marine mammals. As a result, coastal brown bears represent an important yet understudied model for assessing microplastic exposure at the interface of marine and terrestrial ecosystems and may act as vectors for the transfer of microplastics from marine to terrestrial environments.
We tested and compared brown bear scat samples from coastal populations in Alaska and Canada with samples collected from an interior North American population in Wyoming to assess: (a) whether microplastics are present in brown bear diets, and (b) whether microplastics are more prevalent in coastal populations that consume marine-derived foods. Of the 30 scat samples analysed from coastal populations, 93% contained microplastic particles, and an additional 93% contained anthropogenic fibres. While the physiological consequences of these contaminants for brown bears remain unknown, our findings highlight a potentially widespread and previously unrecognized exposure pathway that warrants urgent further investigation.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Nuria Selva, Estacion Biológica de Doñana CSIC, Sevilla, Spain & Institute of Nature Conservation, Krakow, PolandMain Venue
Jörg Albrecht, Hervé Bocherens, Keith A. Hobson, Dorothée G. Drucker, Agnieszka Sergiel, Jon E. Swenson, Andreas Zedrosser, Adrian Marciszak, Elisabeth Iregren, Leena Drenzel, René Kyselý, Grzegorz Lipecki, Daniel Makowiecki, Jan Wagner, Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica, Susanne A. Fritz, Eloy Revilla, Nuria Selva
Bears are the largest terrestrial omnivores. Although omnivory is increasingly recognised as a dynamic stabilizing force under environmental change, we still know surprisingly little about how bear species respond to changes in terrestrial ecosystems. Across seven extant terrestrial species, we show that trophic position is not fixed but dynamically tracks environmental conditions. By integrating macroecological patterns with stable isotope data from modern populations and fossil records, we reveal a consistent pattern. Bears occupy higher trophic positions in low-productivity environments with short growing seasons and lower trophic positions in productive systems with longer growing seasons. Long-term isotopic records from European populations of brown bears (Ursus arctos) document a pronounced dietary shift towards herbivory from the Late Pleistocene into the Holocene, corresponding with increasing plant productivity and extended growing seasons. These results demonstrate that bears flexibly adjust their functional role within food webs in response to climate-driven changes in primary production and vegetation seasonality. Our findings position bears as climate-responsive omnivores whose trophic plasticity rewires food webs across spatial and temporal scales. Under ongoing global change, such trophic rewiring may modify bears’ functional role in ecosystems while simultaneously stabilizing food web dynamics.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Ivan Vela Vargas, Instituto Alexander Von Humboldt, Bogotá, ColombiaMain Venue
Ivan Vela Vargas, Diego Lizcano, Jose F. González-Maya, John Koprowski
The Chingaza Massif of Colombia is one of the most important core areas for Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus) conservation. This high-altitude complex includes the Chingaza National Natural Park (Ch-NNP), which is not only crucial for Andean bear conservation, but the massif is also the principal source of drinking water for Bogotá, the largest city and economic center of Colombia. During Covid-19 pandemic, Ch-NNP was closed for tourism and reduced stress on sensitive biological groups such as bears. We conducted a camera-trapping study to assess the occupancy patterns of the Andean bear at the Chingaza Massif, which was performed during the COVID-19 lockdown established by the Colombian government, presenting a unique opportunity to assess occupancy in the absence of human activities at the Ch-NNP and its surroundings. In order to estimate occupancy patterns of the Andean bear, we applied a Bayesian single-species framework to estimate occupancy patterns as a function of landscape and random effects models for the evaluation of Covid-19 lockdowns. We found that COVID-19 post-lockdowns at the Chingaza massif were positively related to higher occupancy rates of Andean bears inside the protected area and its surroundings, promoting movements in landscapes that bears did not normally use. NDVI presented negative effects on occupancy, and increased distance to towns had a moderate positive effect on occupancy. Detectability of the species was explained by the decrease in distance to human infrastructures. Low occupancy areas are close to ranching and agriculture areas, reinforcing the idea that Andean bears avoid human populated areas prefering remote areas such as paramos where humans are absent. Detectability of the species is related to human infrastructures presenting potential negative Human-Andean bear interactions. With the decrease of human traffic or anthropause, we present the first report of how Andean bear occupancy patterns were affected by Covid-19.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Chloe Warret Rodrigues, University of ManitobaMain Venue
Chloe Warret Rodrigues, Andrew Derocher, James Roth, Geoff Koehler, Kevin Kardynal, David McGeachy, Nicholas Pilfold, Keith Hobson
Intraspecific competition, including conspecific killing, can structure populations by driving niche partitioning through differentiated diet or space use. Using extensive stable isotope and satellite-tracking datasets, we quantified trophic niche variation in polar bears across the Canadian Arctic and, focusing on western Hudson Bay, examined how diet constrained by low prey diversity shapes space use on sea ice. We hypothesized that large-scale spatial variation in environmental conditions and prey assemblages drives multiscale trophic niche variation in polar bears. At the subpopulation level, greater prey diversity should expand dietary niche width, and larger niche width should be attained through partitioning between dominant and subordinate demographic groups, while at the individual level, dietary variability within demographic groups should increase with overall subpopulation niche width. We further hypothesized that in regions of low prey diversity, intensified intraspecific competition for prey hotspots promotes spatial structuring between demographic groups to reduce interactions with competitively dominant conspecifics. We found that environmental heterogeneity promotes trophic differentiation, whereas low prey diversity favors spatial niche partitioning, evidenced by segregation of females with young cubs (the demographic group most vulnerable to conspecific predation), and to a lesser extent, other adult females. This work explicitly links diet and space use, providing new insights into context-dependent niche partitioning in an apex predator on sea ice, improving predictions of the impacts of climate-driven sea-ice loss on Arctic food webs.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Germar Gonzalez, San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceMain Venue
Germar Gonzalez, Xiaoxing Bian, Ron Swaisgood, Megan Owen
Climate change modeling is common tool used to anticipate climate change impacts on wildlife and inform adaptive conservation planning. Giant pandas (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) are particularly vulnerable due to their reliance on climate-sensitive bamboo forests and limited ecological flexibility. Numerous studies have projected climate-driven changes in panda, predicting shifts in suitable habitat, heightened heat stress and changes in bamboo quality. We are conducting a systematic synthesis of published projections to better understand patterns of agreement and uncertainty across studies. Model outputs reporting quantitative changes in suitable habitat are being compiled along with information on climate scenarios, spatial extent, environmental predictors, and key ecological assumptions. The synthesis examines where projections converge or diverge across mountain ranges, explores how differences in model structure and variable selection may influence outcomes, and reviews conservation and management actions proposed in the literature. This work will provide a consolidated assessment of projected climate impacts, clarify sources of variability among models, and help identify priorities to support long-term climate adaptation and place-based conservation planning for giant pandas.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Patricia Schenke, Old Dominion UniversityMain Venue
Patricia Schenke, Anthony M. Pagano, Karen Caceres, John P. Whiteman
Animals must remain in water balance to support their physiological function. The polar bear (Ursus maritimus) range is characterized by limited availability of freshwater, with snow or ice often being the only sources. Polar bears also experience periodic, prolonged fasts and when feeding, consume a lipid-rich diet, resulting in low dietary water intake. Given these constrained inputs, polar bears are hypothesized to heavily rely on the endogenous production of oxidase water, a byproduct of mitochondrial ATP production, in which inhaled O₂ binds with hydrogen to form water. We measured Δ¹⁷O in body water distilled from polar bear blood samples (Δ¹⁷Oʙᴡ) collected from the Alaskan Southern Beaufort Sea subpopulation. This novel variable combines information on the naturally occurring isotopes of ¹⁶O,¹⁷O, and ¹⁸O. Because atmospheric O₂ dramatically differs in Δ¹⁷O from O of most environmental sources (e.g., snow), we use Δ¹⁷Oʙᴡ to infer the relative contributions of oxidase water versus environmental water inputs. Analyses thus far (n = 24 bears) suggest little correlation between Δ¹⁷Oʙᴡ and body condition, age, sex, capture month, or blood biomarkers of nutritional state and feeding. This pattern implies surprisingly consistent fractional contributions from different water sources to the body water pool of polar bears, independent of their physiological state or environmental conditions—potentially including a prominent role for the endogenous production of oxidase water, even when food and liquid water are available. Understanding polar bear water physiology is increasingly important as climate change prolongs seasonal fasts and alters habitat availability for some subpopulations. Ongoing analyses will increase sample size, evaluate the impact of lactation, and quantitatively model water inputs and losses.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Milan Vinks, Montana Fish, Wildlife and ParksMain Venue
Milan Vinks, Cecily M. Costello, Lori L. Roberts, Sarah N. Sells
Forest disturbance can reinstate early successional vegetation, often providing abundant grizzly bear foods. However, uncertainty remains in factors influencing how grizzly bears respond to forest disturbance. We used GPS collar data from 91 individual grizzly bears between 2000 and 2022 to evaluate how disturbance from timber harvest and fire influenced habitat selection by grizzly bears in the Northern Continental Divide Ecosystem of northwest Montana, USA. We hypothesized that grizzly bears select disturbance because it can provide important foods. We further hypothesized that selection would be influenced by season, and the type, severity, and availability of disturbance patches because of their impact on forage availability and vegetation regeneration. We fit step selection functions using conditional Poisson mixed models to test our hypotheses, accounting for additional factors known to influence grizzly bear habitat selection in this ecosystem. Grizzly bears generally selected fire disturbance, especially in spring. Only grizzly bears without access to recent fire disturbance selected regenerative timber harvest in summer. Regardless of population level results, grizzly bears showed highly variable individual responses in selection for both timber harvest and burns across our study. Our results support the hypothesis that grizzly bears show stronger selection for natural disturbance sources and that selection of harvested forests is influenced by availability of recent natural disturbance. Moreover, this study represents the most comprehensive broad-scale evaluation of forest disturbance effects on grizzly bear habitat on the southern extent of their range in North America, with important management implications.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
On Your Own
Main Venue
Robert Marquez for Kym Gopp, Andean Bear Conservation Alliance / Cleveland MetroparksMain Venue
Kym Gopp, Robert Marquez, Rob Wallace, Isaac Goldstein
The Andean Bear Range-Wide Priority Setting (RWPS 2.0) project is a collaborative, data-driven effort designed to update the species’ distribution and establish a cohesive framework for its long-term conservation. Building on more than a decade of scientific advances, the project utilizes a participatory co-design process and will openly share all results. RWPS 2.0 focuses on identifying and characterizing Andean Bear Conservation Units (ABCUs) based on direct local knowledge of Andean bear presence/absence within the possible Andean bear range. RWPS 2.0 is co-led by range country government agencies and AZA SAFE (Saving Animals From Extinction) Andean Bear and employs a four-step methodology: 1) A grid-based exercise whereby stakeholders categorize areas according to set presence/absence criteria; 2) Expansion of presence polygons based on habitat continuity; 3) Modeling presence in areas lacking direct information; and 4) Collaborative review to resolve discrepancies.
To date, the initiative has used the information gathered from a broad network of contributors - including managers, park rangers, researchers, and government personnel - to determine the status of bear presence in 67.4% of the 1.274.340 km2 (100%) of remaining wilderness identified as potential Andean bear range (above 180m). Within this area, confirmed bear presence accounts for 28.5%, probable bear presence for 2.9%, and reported bear absence for 35.9%. Notably, the remaining 32.6% of the potential range lacks direct information regarding presence status.
This project demonstrates that multi-national mapping is possible when governmental organizations and other stakeholders align. By placing all results and tools in the hands of national agencies, RWPS 2.0 aims to strengthen coordination, support analyses that inform national and global strategies, and foster an equipped and connected network of Andean bear conservation practitioners in priority landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Jeff Higdon, Higdon Wildlife ConsultingMain Venue
Jeff Higdon
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus) hunting in Canada has a long history, spanning thousands of years. Harvest intensity increased significantly during the historic period, and populations were greatly reduced by the start of active conservation and management efforts in the mid-20th century. The scale of this exploitation has not been extensively documented, and this is a major gap in our understanding of historic population dynamics. Here, I provide a summary and overview of Canadian polar bear exploitation history by era and time period, hunt types, and data sources and access. Exploitation history can be divided into three broad eras: 1) Pre-historic, 2) Historic (start of written documentation), and 3) Modern (introduction of regulations and active management). Records can be divided into four broad harvest types: 1) Subsistence, 2) Trade, 3) Sport/trophy hunting, and 4) Defence of life and property. These types overlap to some degree, for example Inuit harvests for both subsistence and trade, and whaler harvests for trade and sport. Data on harvests are available for all of these eras and hunt types, to varying extents. Information types include zooarchaeological assemblage data, historic ethnographic and exploration accounts, whaling voyage logbooks, newspaper archives, fur trade accounts, trophy hunting records, and government statistics. These eras, hunt types, and data sources are summarized and prioritized for additional research based on factors such as data availability, scale of removals, and cost effectiveness.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Jon Swenson, Norwegian University of Life SciencesMain Venue
Jon Swenson, Hüseyin Ambarli, Carlos Bautista, Rich Beausoleil, Lana Ciarniello, Nishith Dharaiya, Đuro Huber, Matt Hunt, Agnieszka Sergiel, Sandeep Sharma, Ron Swaisgood, Russ Van Horn, Xime Velez-Liendo
Most English common names for bear species are not standardized nor globally accepted. The IUCN, with input from the Bear Specialist Group (BSG), uses giant panda, sun bear, sloth bear, Andean bear, American black bear, Asiatic black bear, brown bear, and polar bear. The Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) uses the same names, but capitalized, except for Asian rather than Asiatic. The scientific literature, based on a Goole Scholar search, consistently uses IUCN names in the titles of papers for the giant panda, sloth bear, and polar bear, but less for brown bear (88%, 12% used grizzly bear), Asiatic black bear (83%, 11% used Asian), Andean bear (58%, 42% used spectacled), sun bear (57%, 40% used Malayan sun bear), and American black bear (35%, 62% used just black bear). IBA’s journal, Ursus, uses the IUCN names for all species (around 90% of papers), except for the brown bear (67%, 33% used grizzly). In the North American-focused Journal of Wildlife Management, 13% of the papers on American black bear used that name, the others were just black bear; 80% used Asiatic black bear and 20% Asian black bear. Thus, there is considerable variation in the use of many species’ common names. We seek a discussion on the English common names of bear species, based on terminology that is inclusive, accurate, and culturally sensitive. We propose starting with a survey of our global community of bear biologists to identify species where revised or alternative names may be appropriate. Finally, we emphasize promoting the consistent and standardized adoption of agreed common names to improve clarity and reduce ambiguity in the scientific and conservation literature. This is possible. IUCN replaced spectacled bear with Andean bear in 2008, based on the recommendation of the Andean Bear Expert Team (BSG). Scientists adapted quickly, as significantly more papers in Google Scholar used Andean bear between 2009-2025 (73%) than in 1997-2007 (22%, P<0.001).
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Chloé Nater, Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchMain Venue
Chloé Nater, Inger Maren Rivrud, Aimee Tallian, Jonas Kindberg
The Swedish brown bear population is a success story of effective conservation: thanks to targeted measures, the population recovered from ~100 individuals a century ago to over 3000 in 2008. However, the paradigm surrounding large carnivores is shifting from that of recovery to sustainable management. While hunting has been used as a management tool in Sweden for decades, harvest quotas have doubled over the last 4 years with offtake now as high as 25% of the population. This is bound to have dramatic consequences for population demography and has sparked discussions among managers about effective hunting strategies that reduce bear numbers without compromising the population’s viability. A user-friendly harvest model was developed to assist managers with setting hunting quotas, but the parameter estimates in this model are based on data that is over a decade old and unlikely to properly represent the population’s status today. Furthermore, the original studies and modelling frameworks used for estimating the parameters were developed with a focus on one-time scientific publication instead of adaptive management and are consequently lacking the reproducibility that is crucial for updating estimates in a cost-effective manner. Here, we present a new and substantially upgraded modelling workflow that integrates data from multiple monitoring schemes (telemetry, reproductive surveys, DNA detections, dead recoveries). This framework estimates key parameters required for understanding the impacts of hunting on population demography and setting sustainable hunting quotas. We showcase how adopting a “workflow perspective” and investing in transparent reproducible coding can pave the way for a new generation of harvest models. The models can be updated with new data annually and enable managers to make decisions on harvest quotas based on the latest knowledge at minimal costs and allow us to take a deep dive into the effects intensive hunting has on Swedish brown bears.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Michael Proctor, Birchdale EcologicalMain Venue
Michael Proctor, John Boulanger, Grant MacHutchon, David Paetkau, Wayne Kasworm
Small isolated wildlife populations are often at great conservation risk. Quantitative monitoring of their conservation status over time and evidence of recovery is relatively rare. We carried out population surveys of grizzly bears pre- (2005) and post- (2020-21) conservation management, to assess the efficacy of strategic measures applied to the at-risk Canadian South Selkirk grizzly bear population in southeast British Columbia. We evaluated our management outcomes by comparing our recent survey results to recovery targets outlined in a 2016 Recovery Management Plan which included abundance, trend, number and distribution of females, distribution of reproductive females, mortality rate, and inter-population connectivity. Surveys consisted of remote genetic sampling where DNA from hair roots generated genotypes identifying individuals, sex, and family units. In 2020-2021, we identified 73 individuals (41 females, 32 males) that were used in a spatially-explicit capture-recapture (SECR) density estimate, and 8 individuals sampled opportunistically that were used in our connectivity analysis. We estimated the average number of bears using the area to be 69 (95% CI 56-86), which exceeded our closure-corrected recovery target of 60 bears. Densities were highest in the northern and central portions of the area, but average density was estimated at 17 grizzly bears / 1000 km2 (95% CI 14-22). Female distribution and reproduction varied spatially but occurred in all six subunits which exceeded our target of occurring in five. Human-caused female mortality over the past six years was 0.5 bears/year, below our target of 1/year. We identified nine immigrants (1F, 8M) who bred 27 offspring (12F, 15M) with other South Selkirk mates. This level of connectivity and gene flow represented a substantial increase for this previously fragmented population. Our results suggest that 15 years of conservation management have significantly improved the status of this population.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Coffee Tent
Main Venue
Xiaoxing Bian for Lorraine Scotson, Saola Foundation for Annamite Mountains ConservationMain Venue
Lorraine Scotson
The Annamite Bioregion of Indochina has seen dramatic extirpation of large carnivores. However, Sun Bear (Ursus malayanus) and Asiatic Black Bear (U. thibetanus) have proven to be remarkably resilient. Yet, their future there remains uncertain with ongoing rampant poaching, poor governance of natural resources and severely under resourced conservation interventions. With Annamite endemics like the Critically Endangered Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis) on the edge of extinction, where do the bear species, both with considerably larger global ranges and more secure populations in other regions, fit in biodiversity conservation strategy for the Annamite Bioregion? For organisations like the Saola Foundation with a mission to prevent unrecoverable biodiversity loss, the bears as two species amongst thousands are not clear priorities. We will discuss objectively ways to prioritise biodiversity conservation interventions and how bears can dovetail with conservation of Critically Endangered species. The bears contribute other values to the region’s conservation, serving as globally iconic species and providing philanthropic leverage that many Critically Endangered species cannot command. This leverage together with their ecological plasticity lends itself to fitting bear conservation within and supporting the needs of ecologically restricted biodiversity, such as the endemic Critically Endangered Large-antlered Muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis) or the endemic Silver-backed Chevrotain (Tragulus versicolor). As Keystone Species, bears help to maintain species diversity and richness through their ecosystem engineering, increasing their value to overall biodiversity conservation goals. In the long-term, future rewilding offers the best hope for minimising unrecoverable biodiversity loss. Nevertheless, long-term conservation success depends on managing and limiting future conflicts. Bears can help lead the way to future rewilding including a natural community of large carnivores.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Anna Miller, Utah State UniversityMain Venue
Anna Miller, Julie Young, Taylor Peltier, Sara Fischer, Megan Stone, Emily Pomeranz, Coy Norton, Tyler Petroelje
Human interactions with black bears (Ursus americanus) are increasing in the USA. This trend is evident in Michigan’s northern Lower Peninsula, the study site for our project. Increasing bear numbers paired with shifting social dynamics in this region are reflected in increased nuisance complaints, underscoring the need for management strategies informed by both ecological evidence and community perspectives. While prior work has examined specific aspects of conflict and coexistence, a comprehensive understanding of the social-ecological system where interactions occur, how people perceive them, and which management actions are most effective remains limited. Our research integrates ecological and human‑dimensions data to evaluate patterns of human-bear interactions across the northern Lower Peninsula. Using geospatial analysis and statistical modeling, we estimate bear density and behaviors, human attitudes and acceptability of bears, and public perceptions of bear management. Spatially mapping areas of overlapping human and bear use, combined with landscape features such as apiaries, orchards, residential areas, and recreation sites, allows us to identify hotspots of potential conflict and coexistence. Pairing ecological assessments of bear populations with survey results measuring public support for management actions, we aim to generate recommendations that are both socially acceptable and ecologically effective. Our findings can guide targeted outreach, improve bear‑safety messaging, and strengthen trust between agencies and communities. This integrated social-ecological systems approach supports wildlife management agencies’ missions and demonstrates how combining science, management practice, and community engagement can advance long‑term human-bear coexistence in changing landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Isaac Goldstein, Andean Bear Conservation AllianceMain Venue
Isaac Goldstein, Robert Marquez, Kym Gopp
Given the current state of fragmentation and human impact in carnivore landscapes, the success of conservation initiatives for many carnivore species depends on securing landscapes of sufficient size, structure, and connectivity to support viable populations, and reduce human induce mortality. Achieving this requires the management of coexistence, enabling carnivores to persist in landscapes where human activities are present. To help manage coexistence we developed the Presence-Tolerance Model (PTM) that conceptualizes coexistence socio-ecological system through 2 components: presence and tolerance, and 4 key attributes: habitat, security, value, and accord. Presence represents the ecological dimension, where the habitat attribute refers to the species' ecological niche, including land use and prey abundance, and the security attribute pertains to interactions with other species that affect distribution and population levels. Tolerance represents the socio-psychological dimension, where the value attribute reflects the psychological relationship between humans and the species, and accord involves the social dynamics among human actors regarding the species' presence. Through an adaptive management approach, the PTM model has been applied in landscapes in Colombia and Perú using occupancy models to determine presence in relation to land cover and human interactions, and modified planned behavior models to evaluated tolerance by incorporating attitudes, perceived value, and social norms. Throughout all sampled landscapes the results showed high bear occupancy (0.74–0.93), influenced by habitat conditions, free-ranging cattle, and proximity to settlements. Tolerance and hunting likelihood were affected by trust in organizations, economic dependence on cattle, and perceived livestock losses. These factors allowed for management interventions tailored to the specific habitat and socio-political conditions of each landscape.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Carolyn Mahan, The Pennsylvania State UniversityMain Venue
William White, Carolyn Mahan, Valerio Reale
The study of discourse is a cross-disciplinary enterprise comprising theory and analysis of language that was developed from an interest in how what people say or write is used within cultural frameworks to accomplish social, political, and cultural goals. We present a discourse analysis of textual comments offered by participants at a formal meeting regarding “Coexistence Between Humans and Large Carnivores,” held 2024, at the Center for American Studies in Rome, Italy. It was sponsored by the American Embassy, the Italian Forestry Carabinieri, and Re-Wilding Apennines, a non-governmental organization (NGO) with an interest in promoting coexistence between humans and bears. At the meeting, resource professionals from Italian national parks, universities, international forestry and wildlife agencies, and the U.S. Department of State focused on the persistence of brown bears as well as gray wolves in central Italy. Preliminary discourse analysis revealed societal, cultural, and political variability among participants. In particular, professionals from both Italy and the United States present the idea that science is the primary method for engaging public support and embedding conservation in the minds of local (central Italy) citizenry. However, the actions of conservation were viewed as the responsibility of the 'agents'---the non-governmental organizations. This dichotomy represents an area of focus for improved conservation approaches where citizen actions and views (e.g., local culture) may better inform science and vice versa. Finally, our discourse analysis indicated that, wildlife (e.g., bears) are viewed as the 'sender' of conflicts, scientists are 'problem-solvers,' and others (e.g., NGO, public) are 'helpers.' An deeper analyses of these views and considerations of other interactions (e.g., scientists as 'helpers') may better inform conservation in local contexts.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
David Garshelis, IUCN SSC Bear Specialist GroupMain Venue
David Garshelis, Alfred Duvaucel
Appealing species names can help foster public engagement in conservation. The sun bear and moon bear are an alluring pair of names for 2 species that co-occur in Southeast Asia, where both are threatened and in need of greater conservation attention. It is often said that these poetic names derive from the bears’ distinctive chest markings, which may resemble a sun and a crescent moon, respectively. This is a catchy but misleading narrative. Both common names were derived –– many years later –– from their Latin generic names. Helarctos, meaning “sun bear,” was so-named in 1825 after the species was discovered in the “hot sun” near the equator of Borneo. The specific epithet malayanus led to the common name Malayan bear, gradually shifting to Malayan sun bear in the early 1900s and simply sun bear by the 1980s, largely without awareness of the name’s origin. The second species was discovered in Tibet in 1823 and named Ursus thibetanus, the Tibet bear. As its distribution became better known in the late 1800s, the common name changed to Himalayan black bear, and the scientific name to U. torquatus, referring to the chest “necklace.” In the early 1900s (until reverting to Ursus in the mid-1980s), a new genus Selenarctos was adopted, meaning “moon bear” — again referencing to the chest marking — while the common name became Asiatic black bear, recognizing its continental distribution. Use of moon bear as a common name has been relatively recent, and still not widely embraced. While evocative names can attract interest and potentially strengthen conservation connections, historical integrity is vital. There is a far more compelling and authentic historical story to tell about these 2 species: both were discovered by the same young French naturalist, who was killed by a rhino soon after, and never adequately credited. I present his remarkable story and discuss its value in conservation outreach.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Michal Haring, Comenius University BratislavaMain Venue
Michal Haring
Across Europe, brown bear conservation is increasingly shaped not only by ecological dynamics but also by governance quality, institutional trust, and political context. While scientific knowledge on human–bear conflict mitigation has expanded substantially, its translation into practice remains uneven, particularly in regions where wildlife governance is weakened by political interference, polarization, or declining public trust.
This contribution examines the growing role of non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and academic institutions as key actors in sustaining human–bear coexistence under conditions of fragile or contested state-led wildlife management. Using Slovakia as a case study, the presentation illustrates how civil society and research institutions increasingly compensate for gaps in public governance by delivering conflict prevention measures, producing independent data, facilitating public engagement, and maintaining alignment with international conservation standards.
Human–bear coexistence depends not only on technical solutions but also on the resilience of governance systems and the presence of credible non-state actors capable of sustaining long-term, science-based approaches. Strengthening cooperation between NGOs, academia, and international conservation networks may therefore be critical for maintaining coexistence outcomes where formal institutions are under strain.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Ellen Houston, University of MemphisMain Venue
Ellen Houston, Emily Puckett, Alexander Kopatz
American black bears (Ursus americanus) have faced numerous threats since colonization into North America (ca. 1500), including habitat loss, predator persecution, urbanization, and climate change. These threats have caused habitat fragmentation and population declines. Consequently, many populations are vulnerable to inbreeding and genetic erosion, potentially limiting their adaptive potential to ongoing environmental changes. In 2022, the United Nations’ Convention on Biological Diversity adopted the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), emphasizing maintenance of genetic diversity across species to preserve their adaptive potential. To standardize monitoring across taxonomic groups, the GBF established three indicators for genetic biodiversity. Here, we report these indicators for American black and polar (U. maritimus) bears: 1) the proportion of populations maintained since 1500, 2) the proportion of extant populations that have an effective population size (Ne) greater than 500, and 3) the proportion of those populations under genetic monitoring. Populations were delimited through a combination of occurrence data, dispersal distance, and genetic analysis from microsatellite datasets. Ne with latitude within U. americanus, where populations at lower latitudes (≥ 36° N) exhibit lower Ne values (range: 3–75). Populations at higher latitudes—which often have more contiguous forests—exhibit higher Ne. For U. maritimus, Ne was highest (range: 347–496) in the Hudson Bay and Canadian Archipelago. Of populations examined, approximately 17% and 0% had Ne > 500 for U. americanus and maritimus, respectively, indicative of genetic erosion. Preliminary trends of small census sizes, severe isolation, and low Ne (< 500) are seen in other Ursid species. By investigating GBF indicators for bears, this study identifies populations at greatest risk of extinction through genetic erosion and highlights areas for long-term genetic monitoring and conservation action.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Hiroto MASAKI, Tokyo University of Agriculture and TechnologyMain Venue
Hiroto MASAKI, Seungyun BAEK, Tomoko NAGANUMA, Koji YAMAZAKI, Shinsuke KOIKE
Male reproductive success is generally influenced by how effectively males secure and maintain exclusive access to receptive females. Male body size influences outcomes of male–male competition, whereas mating season home-range size reflects roaming and mate-searching effort. Because direct observations are limited, consortship between males and females (association/guarding) is rarely described in bears. Here, we examined how body size and space use influence consortship frequency and duration in male Asian black bears (Ursus thibetanus), using animal-borne video, activity sensor and GPS.
We defined days with female appearances on video from male bears equipped with GPS collars integrating video cameras and activity sensors as consortship days, and fitted a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM) relating activity proportion obtained from activity sensor to consortship probability. Using this model, we inferred consortship days from activity data of GPS-collared males equipped only with activity sensors, and aggregated consecutive inferred consortship days into events. We then modeled the number and the duration of consortship events with GLMMs including male’s body size and home-range size during the mating season, with event number as a covariate when analyzing duration.
We found that male bears exhibited lower daytime activity proportions during consortship with females. Home-range size was not associated with the number of consortship events, whereas body size increased the number of consortship events and consistently increased their duration. The duration of consortship events declined as their number increased and home-range size increased. Our results suggest that larger males may gain an advantage by accessing females more often or maintaining longer associations, while extensive space use and frequent encounters were associated with reduced maintenance time per event, consistent with a time-allocation trade-off during the mating season.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Denisse Mateo Chero, San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance - PeruMain Venue
Denissse Mateo Chero, Russell C. Van Horn, Garth Mowat, Rebecca Zug
Size and body condition of wild bears are known to reflect their ecology, especially habitat quality, and have been found to be associated with variation in female reproductive success. These data could inform decisions impacting bear conservation. However, data on reproductive success and habitat quality are difficult to obtain from wild Andean bears (Tremarctos ornatus). To obtain such data, we integrated noninvasive visual morphometry with camera trapping to estimate variables reflecting bear body size and body condition in free-ranging Andean bears. We analyzed images collected at 60 camera stations deployed from Jun 2022 - Nov 2023 in the Manu Biosphere Reserve (MANU) of southeastern Peru. In each detection of an individually identifiable bear of known sex, we attempted to estimate 5 body dimensions reflecting body size (e.g., Representative Body Length, RBL) and 2 dimensions reflecting body condition (e.g., Dorsal-Ventral Height, DVH). Among Manu bears, male RBL (n=12) was 131.6±17.6cm, 23% larger than the female RBL (n=2) of 106.7±9.4cm. Male DVH was 40.5±8.0cm, 23% greater than the female DVH of 33.0±0.8cm. These differences are consistent with sexual dimorphism that has not been previously quantitatively reported in the wild population, but rather in zoo bears. Our data suggest that the seasonally labile measures of body size (DVH) index changes in body condition when standardized by body length. We will present body size and body condition from the subsequent 3 years of imagery from MANU, and from 2023-2025 imagery from 45 camera stations in northeast Peru, which are the first quantitative comparisons of body size and body condition within and between Andean bear populations. These data will be the first step to incorporating habitat quality across Peruvian landscapes that can be used as a source to guide conflict prevention and improve bear well-being through management actions.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Javier Torres-Jiménez, UCLouvainMain Venue
Javier Torres-Jiménez, Renate Wesselingh, Santiago Espinosa, Fabricio Narváez, Sebastian Kohn, Rebecca Zug, Andrés Laguna, Sebastián Travez
The Ecuadorian Andes are a highly biodiverse yet increasingly human-impacted region where human-wildlife conflicts are frequent. In the northern Andes, a complex mosaic of agricultural lands, rural settlements, and fragmented forests continues to be traversed by Andean bears. Despite being classified as Endangered in Ecuador, the Andean bear remains insufficiently studied across much of its northern distribution, limiting effective landscape-scale conservation planning. We estimated the home ranges of 12 Andean bears in central and north of Ecuador using more than 28,000 GPS telemetry fixes. The monitored individuals included one rescued and rehabilitated bear, two non-conflict bears, and nine bears involved in human–wildlife conflict, three of which were translocated. We calculated home-ranges using three estimators: MCP, LoCoH, and aKDE, to evaluate methodological differences and their implications for conservation interpretation. As expected, MCP produced the largest area estimates, LoCoH generated more spatially constrained ranges reflecting landscape boundaries, and aKDE provided intermediate estimates that accounted for temporal autocorrelation in movement data. Substantial inter-individual variation was detected, with range size influenced by sex, age, and conflict status. We then quantified spatial overlap between home ranges and public national protected areas, as well as private and community-managed conservation territories. Although protected areas encompassed significant portions of bear space use, a considerable fraction of movements occurred outside formally protected boundaries, highlighting the complementary role of public and private conservation initiatives. Our findings underscore that methodological choices influence conservation interpretations and demonstrate that sustaining Andean bear populations requires integrated management across protected and multi-use landscapes.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Xiaoxing Bian, San Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceMain Venue
Desheng Li, Hao Xie, Xiao Zhou, Shengshan He, Mingchun Zhang, Jian Yang, Yan Huang, Hemin Zhang, Xiaoxing Bian
Habitat fragmentation continues to threaten the long-term viability of the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) despite decades of sustained conservation efforts. Beyond large-scale habitat restoration, conservation translocation, specifically the release of captive-born individuals, has emerged as a key strategy for genetic rescue and the reinforcement of wild populations. China’s efforts to reintroduce giant pandas began in the 1980s and have progressed through iterative experimentation and adaptive learning.
Following the successful release of the first trained juvenile panda, Taotao, in 2012, a multi-institutional conservation network has refined breeding, behavioral training, and release protocols. To date, approximately 40 individuals have completed wild-adaptation training at the China Conservation and Research Center for the Giant Panda, with 10 pandas released into suitable habitats, of which 9 have survived for at least two years post-release. A major innovation has been captive-born mothers rearing cubs with minimal human contact, promoting the development of natural foraging skills, predator avoidance, and other essential survival behaviors.
Over time, substantial experience has been accumulated in pre-release conditioning, site selection, and post-release monitoring. This presentation summarizes lessons from China’s panda translocation program and highlights both achievements and remaining challenges. We seek to engage the international bear conservation community in dialogue on best practices for conservation translocation and to advance the standardization of release-site assessment, behavioral training, and long-term monitoring frameworks. By sharing these experiences, we hope to contribute to improved translocation outcomes for giant pandas and other large carnivores facing habitat fragmentation worldwide.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Stefano Civitarese Matteucci, University of Chieti-PescaraMain Venue
Stefano Civitarese Matteucci, Paolo Ciucci
From a primarily public law perspective, and using biological lenses as well, we assess two decades of implementation of the National Action Plan for the Conservation of the Apennine brown bear (PATOM). This was originally intended as an innovative model of coordinated governance for the effective conservation of the Apennine brown bear within a fragmented institutional environment, grounded in agreements among public authorities. Our interdisciplinary endeavour engages in dialogue with scholarship on policy coordination, Environmental Policy Integration, and coherence between biodiversity protection and sectoral policies to develop the new concept of Coordinated Conservation Governance (CCG).
Ecologically, the PATOM rests on a relatively good understanding of demographic vulnerability, genetic isolation, and habitat requirements. Awareness of which management measures could secure durable population recovery permeates it. Yet the translation of this knowledge into effective conservation actions has remained tentative and overall, very limited. Ecological information is scattered and loose in decision-making, and management responses have struggled to secure significant outcomes.
The PATOM, therefore, appears less like a consolidated model of coordinated conservation than a fragile attempt to maintain alignment among actors, knowledge, and decision-making arenas over time. Its underachievement indicates that successful biodiversity governance hinges on the functional integration between ecologically informed decision-making within transforming institutional contexts, matched with clear and effective mechanisms of evaluation and accountability.
Interpreting the PATOM through CCG clarifies both the possibilities and limits of current European approaches to biodiversity protection, indicating that coherence between biodiversity and socio-economic prosperity hinges on institutional conditions that allow ecological knowledge to guide collective action over time.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Melanie Clapham, Nanwakolas CouncilMain Venue
Melanie Clapham, Ed Miller, Mary Nguyen, Jorden Benner
Confronted with the growing complexity of conserving wildlife in a rapidly changing environment, researchers and managers are adopting innovative technologies to improve understanding of species dynamics and long-term trends. The application of computer-based technologies, including AI models, my provide both opportunities and challenges, shaping both the knowledge produced and its application to bear conservation. We are bridging advances in conservation technology, specifically camera traps and machine learning, with Indigenous knowledge and land stewardship to expand the suite of information available to decision makers. Our program works with Nanwakolas Council member First Nations to assess the spatiotemporal distribution and movements of individual grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) among First Nation territories, in the southern Great Bear Rainforest (BC, Canada).
Our project to develop a robust, automated method for individual re-identification of grizzly bears from images has highlighted key trade-offs and lessons that can guide both the practical use of this technology and its adaptation to other bear species. Using camera trap videos collected from 2018-2024 to train and test re-ID models, we identified how results can vary based on sample size, data partitioning, individual bears, season and image characteristics. These insights are important for evaluating the reliability of models used in conservation decision making and for extending their application to new populations and environments. Similarly, providing tangible ways to access models for practical use is essential to move these technologies beyond academic development. Despite these challenges, re-ID and other machine learning models offer significant opportunities to speed-up data processing, expand ecological insights, and support management decisions, such as in human-bear conflicts.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Holly Gamblin, University of ManitobaMain Venue
Holly Gamblin, Andrew Derocher, Nicholas Pilfold, James Roth, Evan Richardson, David McGeachy
Scavenging is a foraging strategy widely used across the animal kingdom and apex predators provide a large amount of energy in a food web. In the harsh environmental conditions of the Arctic, apex predators such as polar bears (Ursus maritimus) can provide scavenging opportunities for many species. We present an overview of scavenging in the Arctic marine environment and examine the contribution of prey provided by polar bears to the Arctic scavenging assemblage. We estimated that each adult polar bear kills an average of 1,001 kg of marine mammal biomass annually, and given preferential feeding of blubber and abandonment of carcasses, we estimate that 30% of the biomass is left as usable carrion. Consequently, polar bears provision approximately 7.0 x 10^6 kg/year of usable carrion biomass for scavengers across their range, equivalent to 1.55 x 10^8 MJ of energy. While foraging associations with polar bear kills for some species are better understood, others are scarce or undocumented. To provide an understanding of the scavengers that benefit from polar bear kills, we monitored experimentally placed seal carcasses with remote cameras on the sea ice near Pond Inlet, Nunavut and Churchill, Manitoba. To date, we have detected 11 species across 49 experimentally placed carcass sites, and we intend to monitor an additional 10 sites in Pond Inlet in 2026. This is the first study to document the network of scavenging species on the sea ice, as no previous experimental research has explored this topic. We take a novel approach to assess the impacts of climate change in the Arctic and consequences for the ecosystem if polar bears are lost.
Presenter Email: [email protected]
Main Venue
Remember to bring your Banquet Dinner ticket with you.Residence Primula
