On 5-16th October we had the pleasure of welcoming our Spanish partners from the Estacion Biologica de Doniana -EBD CSIC- and Miguel Hernandez University in the Polish Tatras. This meeting is part of the long-term collaboration between our group and different bear and large carnivore experts from Poland and Spain.
On this occasion, we gathered at the Institute of Nature Conservation field station -IOP PAN- in Zakopane, the main town in the Polish foothills of the Tatra Mountains. For five days, we discussed in-depth ongoing studies and projects about the ecology, conservation, and monitoring of large carnivores in Spain, Poland, Europe, and beyond.
Our discussions covered a wide range of topics, including the importance of providing specific recommendations to administrations for compiling data on compensated claims. We also gained new insights into the surprisingly intense social life of solitary brown bears. Further, we discussed strategies for mitigating the impacts of highways on Cantabrian fauna, and what landscape and biological factors determine the movement of orphaned bears when they are released back into the wild after some months in a rehabilitation centre.
Technological advancements were a key theme, particularly with the development of the WildINTEL project, which integrates remote camera sampling and artificial intelligence for scalable wildlife monitoring.
We exchanged opinions about the monitoring system of brown bears in Poland. We discussed emerging projects assessing the increasing village visitations by bears in Bieszczady and the effectiveness of risk mapping and prevention in managing bear damage in the area. We also focused on an examination of the costs and benefits of living alongside the Iberian lynx and brainstormed to shape new projects framing human-wildlife conflicts under a global change perspective.
Finally, one of the highlights was the presentation of a decades-long collection of brown bear biological samples, which led to discussions exploring what can be achieved with old biological samples. We also explored mortality-based monitoring to assess the health of bear populations and discussed the results of histomorphological studies of brown bear adrenal glands.
We were fortunate to have Tomasz Zwijacz-Kozica from Tatra National Park join us, guiding field excursions where we learned about the various management and research actions underway in the Park. This included the study design for camera-trap monitoring as part of the WildINTEL project. Luckily the weather was good and we could enjoy the autumn landscape, observing multiple species of flora and fauna, with some migrating passes included.
In summary, we had the chance to update each other on ongoing studies and organize new collaborations in emerging projects. We gathered many insights from different conservation and ecological angles trying to advance our knowledge about bears and other carnivores living in Europe. Stay tuned for updates on the outcomes of this long-term collaboration and how it will hopefully contribute to conserving natural landscapes and the species that inhabit them.