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.