6^th meeting of the project steering group was carried out on 17^th-18^th May in south Slovenia, in the brown bear core area, in the Kočevsko region. We have reported on the progress of the project actions and updated the colleagues on the present state of our respective work.

We are absolutely satisfied with the progress of the project, its achievements, and implemented actions. We feel that project objectives are going to be fulfilled in their complete aspects and beyond; approving public participation and positive public feedback on actions implemented indicate that the project objectives are approached adequately, using our professional expertise and personal enthusiasm. Few specific issues where we have met certain technical obstacles are dealt with very carefully.

On the second day, we took a fieldtrip around Kočevsko region and Croatia to visit the measures implemented within the project: electric fences for sheep and beehives, bear-proof compost bins and garbage cans, dynamic traffic signs, highway deterrence measures. All of these contribute to decreasing human-bear conflicts and, consequently, to a long-term public acceptance of brown bear as our natural heritage to preserve.