This week more than 250 bear researchers and bear managers gathered in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on the “26^th International Conference on Bear Research and Management”. The conference is organised by University of Ljubljana and Slovenia Forest Service in the frame of LIFE DINALP BEAR project and International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA).

The main theme of the “Life with bears – 26^th International Conference on Bear Research and Management” is human-bear coexistence in human dominated and politically fragmented landscapes. Specific conference topics are designed in a way to welcome recent research results, technical advances, and case studies on a wide spectrum of issues relevant to ensuring a long-term coexistence of bears and humans.

Beside scientific and expert lectures for registered participants the conference includes also events, open to wider public. Today, on 18^th September, there will be a Bear-Friendly market at the Grand Hotel Union, starting at 5 p.m. Bear friendly label was designed within LIFE DINALP BEAR project to award practices that use appropriate conflict mitigation measures and promote coexistence between bears and humans. Bear friendly practices include effective protection of livestock, beehives and orchards or active promotion of bear conservation with different bear souvenirs. Bear friendly market provides conference participants with an opportunity to meet bear friendly ambassadors and support their contribution to bear conservation by purchasing local bear friendly products. On the same venue, at 8 p.m., there will be a public presentation »Polar bears and the changing Arctic« by Andrew E. Derocher, one of the leading researchers on polar bears.

The International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) is a non-profit organization open to professional biologists, wildlife managers and others dedicated to the conservation of all bear species in the world. The organization has over 550 members from over 50 countries.

Detailed conference programme can be found here.