Project title

Population level management and conservation of brown bears in northern Dinaric Mountains and the Alps

Acronym

LIFE DINALP BEAR

Reference

LIFE13 NAT/SI/000550

Project time frame

01/07/2014 – 30/06/2019

Total project budget

5,987,478 €

EU financial contribution

4,149,202 €

Abstract

In politically fragmented landscape of Europe, one of the most important goals in conservation and management of brown bears is transboundary, population level coordination. Unfortunately, this goal is often very difficult to achieve. We are trying to overcome this obstacle in Croatia, Slovenia, Austria and Italy through a large Life+ project mainly funded by the European Commission (69%) and targeting the brown bear population in Northern Dinaric Mts. and south-eastern Alps. The project Life DinAlp Bear started on the 1st of July 2014 and will last until the 30th of June 2019.

Background

Conflicts between humans and brown bear (Ursus arctos) populations in Europe remain an ongoing threat to the conservation status of bears and steps must be taken to improve coexistence. Measures need to tackle such challenges as a lack of understanding of bears’ socio-economic and environmental value, inflated estimations of the risk of bear attacks leading to a lower tolerance of bears; and high traffic-related mortality, associated with the increasing fragmentation of its habitat as a result of growing traffic infrastructure and urbanisation.