Nikija Kronberga, University of Freiburg, Germany

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.