ACTION C.10 – Establishement of two intervention groups

Work performed by Brown bear emergency teams (BBET) is an important conservation tool, especially in crisis situations, and is regularly used in some European countries as a best practice in bear management and conservation. The aim of these groups is to resolve emergencies when people are directly threatened by bears, or on some occasions when they feel threatened because of prejudice and lack of experience and proper information when they happen to be close to bears.

So called “potentially problematic and dangerous” animals like bears are a matter of concern for local communities, because of the economic damages they may cause, but also because of public safety concerns.
Failure in timely and effective management of these individuals amplifies negative public attitudes towards all bears in the area (and broader), and can be a real threat leading to illegal killings (poaching). It is important that organized structures and properly trained people are available and able to take immediate action when emergencies occur (e.g. car accidents involving bears, injured animals, etc. …). Importance of that is even greater in areas where people are not accustomed to permanent presence of bears.
The project area established in this proposal includes different countries, and BBETs are established in most parts with the exception of the region/province Veneto, where bears became regularly present over the last years.

Highway Brown bear emergency team (HBBET) in Croatia will act in response to incidents involving bears or other wildlife within the fenced motorway area and in regular inspections of all passing corridors of the highway.

Latest C.10 actions: