Efforts towards population-level monitoring has been one of the crucial objectives of our project. A two-day workshop entitled “Transboundary Harmonization of Brown Bear Population Monitoring” was organized as one of the concluding activities of the project and was held at University of Ljubljana, Biotechnical Faculty.

Within the course of the project, we tested and implemented a number of different monitoring ideas and approaches to augment or extend the existing national monitoring schemes. We gained experience and knowledge and performed a cost-benefit analysis that provided answers on what works and what doesn’t. However, monitoring is still carried out on the national level and remains to a large degree fragmented. To efficiently track the development of this dynamic, expanding population and aid in its conservation, we need to harmonize the monitoring across all involved countries. 

At the beginning of the workshop, an overview of the current state of brown bear monitoring in all participating countries was presented by the project partners. We looked in details at the differences and what they have in common and discussed what works well and what doesn’t. A facilitated discussion followed, where we were searching for practical solutions for establishing multinational, population level monitoring of brown bears in NW Dinaric Mountains and SE Alps.