On 24 July Teresa Berezowska-Cnota and dr. Agnieszka Sergiel conducted an online training for the staff of the Regional Directorate for Environmental Protection in Rzeszów. The meeting was entirely devoted to the brown bear. Broadly understood biology and ecology of the species, as well as human-bear conflicts were discussed. The importance of damage prevention, mainly through attractant management, was emphasized. We also discussed the current state-of-the-art on aversive conditioning methods and the effectiveness of those used so far. In addition, we summarized the results of studies on how bears select the habitat for denning, how anthropogenic activities can affect it and issues related to the protection of denning sites.
The situation in the Bieszczady Mountains is becoming more and more tense due to increasing bear sightings near on in settlements. In this context, we would like to draw attention to the urgent need for a change in the local governments’ approach to bear management. As a food opportunist, bear makes use of easily accessible resources. Unsecured garbage and composting bins, illegal dumps, or other waste accumulation sites, especially if successfully and regularly used by bears, pose a threat to the coexistence of this species with humans. In the document on human-bear conflicts by IUCN Bear Specialist Group (Approaches to Human-Bear Conflict Management), attractant management tops the list of measures to be taken to reduce them.
by Teresa Berezowska-Cnota and Agnieszka Sergiel