Andres Rios, Nuevo Leon Parks & Wildlife, Mexico

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