In Northwest Spain, Conservation Efforts Pay Off As Bears Thrive 4 October 2019, by Patrick Rahir

In northwest Spain, conservation efforts pay off as bears thrive 4 October 2019, by Patrick Rahir

Silently they wait for a bear to emerge from the forest and clamber up rocky scree slopes to eat buckthorn berries which grow on a shrub that fruits in late August, says Garitagoita.

A stir of excitement runs through the group when a bear is spotted pawing at a bush to get hold of the glossy black berries.

"It's emotional, you feel joy, happiness. You get an adrenaline rush," admits the 53-year-old professor.

"For me, it's a unique moment."

There are between 330 and 350 brown bears in the Cantabrian Mountains, including more than 40 females, one of which is seen here in a picture released by Spain's Fundacion Oso Pardo (Brown Bear Foundation)

Daylight is only just breaking over Spain's Cantabrian Mountains and already a dozen enthusiasts are up and about in the hope of spotting a brown bear.

Shy creatures which feature on the list of Spain's endangered species, Cantabrian brown bears In the 1980s, it was very rare to see a bear in the have been growing in number in this mountainous Cantabrian Mountains along Spain's northern coast northwestern region after almost disappearing.

Fernando Garitagoita has rented a house in La Peral, a hamlet in the Somiedo nature reserve in Regaining ground the Asturias region, to be first in line in the morning to film them with his telephoto lens. In the 1980s, it was very rare to see a bear in the Cantabrian Mountains, a range stretching more On holiday with his family, the house is just metres than 400 kilometres (around 250 miles) along from a hill where dozens of passionate bear Spain's northern coast, from the Pyrenees in the watchers set up camp every day, equipped with east to Portugal's northernmost tip in the west. powerful telescopes and expensive photography equipment. Not only was their habitat under threat from the construction of roads and other infrastructure but

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the bears were still seen as dangerous pests, with Involving the public their numbers reduced by both illegal hunting and people leaving out poisoned bait. The spectacular recovery is the result of efforts to protect the environment as well as to educate Down to just 60 or 70 in number, they became people about the importance of bear populations, critically endangered, says Guillermo Palomero, says Palomero. president of the Fundacion Oso Pardo (Brown Bear Foundation), an NGO founded in 1992 to promote The entire mountain range is today a protected the peaceful co-existence of humans and bears. conservation zone, and a project to connect the area's two main populations has seen the creation But following a dedicated campaign by of "bear corridors" that enable those living in the conservationists, the population has grown steadily west to safely reconnect with those in the east. and the area now counts between 330 and 350 brown bears, among them more than 40 females who produce cubs every year.

Just a few decades ago, bears were seen as dangerous mountain predators that were targeted by hunters

These days, the bears in Somiedo natural park have proved to be a draw for tourists, with enthusiasts emerging before dawn in the hope of spotting them For decades, bears living in the two territories had been separated by new roads.

"Involving the public was key to shifting in a very Unlike in the Pyrenees, where the creatures had to short time between a negative image of bears to be reintroduced after being hunted to extinction, the one which was neutral or even largely positive," brown bears of Cantabria are gradually Palomero says. repopulating their own native territory. Not only did that involve dispelling the myth that Big fruit lovers, they can even be seen venturing bears attack humans, but they also erected more into the orchards around northern towns like than 1,500 electric fences to cordon off hives and Oviedo and Leon. orchards, ran an information campaign in schools and the media, and staged a crackdown on And a young adventurous male was spotted in poaching. northern Portugal in May where bears have not been seen since the 19th century. "Before, a poacher who killed was a local hero, but now if someone boasts in a bar about killing a bear,

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one of his neighbours will likely report him," he compared with 5,000 when the park was adds. established in 1988, says Fernandez.

And any harm or damage caused by the bears, be In fact, wolves pose a much greater threat than it to livestock, beehives or fruit trees, is fully bears, with their attacks on calves and foals 20 compensated, thanks to funding from the European times more frequent than those by a bear, says Union as part of its efforts to protect threatened Simon Lopez Cabezas, who heads Somiedo's species. association of livestock farmers.

"It shouldn't cost anyone a single euro to live side- But he is wary that the bears could one day pose a by-side with a bear," insists Palomero. threat to the cattle.

"The bear is not a natural predator but with time, we will have problems," he warns.

Guillermo Palomero who heads Spain's Fundacion Oso Pardo (Brown Bear Foundation) says involving the public was key to changing the way bears were perceived The bears' presence in Somiedo nature reserve has not prevented livestock farming—there are now 8,000 head of cattle compared to 5,000 in 1988, says the local mayor Bears as tourist magnet

The bears have become a magnet for tourists in the Somiedo nature reserve, says local mayor Belarmino Fernandez.

When he first became mayor 25 years ago, the area didn't attract any tourism, he says.

Today, however, this community of 1,300 people boasts 90 tourist shops and hotels that count around 1,400 beds.

Nor has the bears' presence on the reserve prevented livestock farming.

There are now 8,000 head of cattle in Somiedo,

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The brown bears of Cantabria have become a magnet for tourists in the Somiedo nature reserve, says local mayor Belarmino Fernandez

For livestock farmers, wolves pose the biggest threat, with their attacks on calves and foals 20 times more frequent than those by a bear

Model for the Pyrenees?

In the Pyrenees, where herders raise sheep, reviving the local bear population has been no picnic, with farmers up in arms about the re- introduction of brown bears from Slovenia, whom they see as a menace to their flocks.

And Palomero is keenly aware the situation in the Pyrenees needs to be carefully managed.

"We must protect the flocks, a flock of sheep which isn't protected is one that will be attacked by bears," he admits.

"But it can be done... especially now that the European Commission is willing to show support by covering 100 percent of the costs."

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