Between 2008-2011, Bears in Mind supported the project “Let’s Meet and Protect Bears- the Symbol of BiH Forests”, coordinated by Dr Nasir Sinanovic from the University of Sarajevo. The overall goal of this project was to create positive awareness and understanding about wild bears amongst the general public. The main problem and challenge is that there was very little scientific data on wild bears in BiH during those years. That’s why Bears in Mind thought it of importance that a pilot study was carried out and data was gathered in a central and specifically designed database. Bears in captivity were also registered in a special section. Various sources of information were used and people approached who were involved in bears somehow (so-called stakeholders): forestry officials, livestock herders, beekeepers, NGOs/GOs, hunters, mountaineer groups, tourist organizations, but also local people living in close proximity to bears. This way a general guesstimation could be made about the size of the population of bears living in BiH. Detailed information about human-bear conflict has also been gathered of bears raiding beehives, orchards and cornfields. The complete database has served as a solid base for brown bear management in BiH.
This Human-Wildlife Conflict focused project was financially supported between 2005-2007. To gain more accurate insight in the true number of bears attacking livestock, several local guides are trained and use horses to reach the villages and interview the farmers. Local guides are used in this project since they know the area and it’s people well which increases the chance of cooperation greatly. 65 local people in 17 different villages have been interviewed in total. Since the year 2000 only 83 incidents have been recorded involving cows. Half of these incidents concerns Andean bears, a third of the cows have disappeared (probably stolen) and the rest involves accidents where cows have slipped and fallen into a ravine of broken a leg in which they had to be euthanized. Bears are responsible for only half of the cow-related incidents. Fortunately farmers are not economically dependent on their cows and often only keep small herds. The total number of recorded incidents is not high and the majority involves cows that were unguarded by their herder. This makes it difficult to collect solid data on these problems.
In Venezuela the collected data is used to build the national management plan for Andean bears. The Andean bear range countries cooperate on various levels to tackle the human-bear conflict issues. It’s important to share insights and information, since the consequences of these conflicts have led to a drastic drop in population numbers in the past 30 years. In Ecuador and Colombia similar projects are being implemented.
The aim of the project is to develop a science-based program of conservation, population health monitoring and human-bear conflicts mitigation for the Kamchatka brown bear. The team supposes that the recent rise of human-bear conflicts resulted from the increased stress level during the past decades due to the high anthropogenic pressure and resource degradation. The project will discover whether there is a correlation between these external factors and the health of the population (including genetic diversity and stress level).
The objectives are:
To investigate genetic structure and genetic diversity of the population,
To estimate the level of cortisol for understanding bears’ reactions to long-term stress due to environmental changes and anthropogenic pressure,
To assess the role of various food categories in the diet of bears during the fattening period and to evaluate whether a linkage exists between stress level and diet of bears,
To compare the current data from hair samples and the same obtained in 2002 – 2005 to reveal the dynamics in population health,
To analyze the current situation in human-bear conflicts (causes, trends and consequences) and to suggest the initial preventive measures based on the pilot study results.
Genetic research shall be done by collecting hair samples to gather DNA material, through hair-trapping stations. These are ‘favorite’ rubbing trees used by the bears to mark their territory with scent. The trees are wrapped in barb-wire, which captures the bears’ hair. Direct behaviour observations are also done, next to mapping the bears’ habitat (e.i. vegetation, terrain, food items, negative human impacts etc.).
The project team has interviewed important ‘stakeholders’ who come into contact with the Red panda: park rangers and people who work in the buffer zones of national parks and conservation areas, but also farmers, shepherds, foresters, teachers, monks and law enforcement officers. The most important factors determining the distribution of the Red panda are altitude, vegetation and the aspect of a mountain slope. These factors will all be analysed in the research area, especially between 2,800m and 4,000m altitude. Reports indicate that in Nepal, India and Bhutan the Red panda only lives at these altitudes. Research has been carried out into habitat selection and sightings were recorded. A detailed distribution map has been composed, which also includes data gathered during earlier research in Nepal. The distribution map will not only help in determining (large) gaps in the distribution of the Red panda, but will also help identify (possible) corridors between protected areas or pinpoint those areas where corridors could be created. In addition, predictions can be made as to the effects of climate change on the distribution of the Red panda by comparing the current data with data from earlier research in Nepal.
Results Despite the fact that Red pandas occurred in the subtropical and temperate forest between 2,800m – 4,000m associated with bamboo thicket, a similar habitat to the present study areas of ANCA and KNP, the team did not find any Red pandas or any signs in both areas. In contrast, the results of social survey in ANCA indicated that the presence of Red pandas in ANCA. However, it seems that local people have limited knowledge about Red pandas, so results should be taken with caution. Further, the use of non-invasive technology such as camera trapping should be employed to confirm presence or absence of Red pandas in the study areas.
Research in Hormozgan In 2009, a project was initiated in cooperation with the Ministry of DoE in the province of Hormozgan, Iran – to map the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus gedrosianus) population and to find out what the main threats to the population were. This was achieved by using camera traps and through interviews with people living in the area. Analysis of the images made an estimation of the size and distribution of the population possible. From the interviews it appeared that the distribution area is larger than researchers first assumed, as local people had also spotted bears in neighbouring areas. It also became clear that the number of human-bear conflicts in the area was considerable.
The researchers produced distribution maps of the bears, they know where many human-bear conflicts occur and have more information about the bear’s ecology and what threatens the species’ existence. This formed a solid basis for the project which Bears in Mind supported between 2014 and 2017. Bashagard was selected as the pilot study area. In this area there are many bears and many human-bear conflicts and the living standards of the local human population is quite low.
Together with the local people Following analysis of the social, economic and cultural status of the local people, an action plan has been put together in cooperation with various Ministries including the Ministry of Agriculture, the Environment, Education, Culture and Tourism. The objective of the plan is to protect the Asian black bear together with the local people of Bashagard, who will then be able to support their own existence!
Bears in Mind supported several consecutive years of the project, during which further research into the ecology, biology and distribution in the black bear population was conducted. This was done through camera trap surveys, scats, scrapes and looking for winter dens. In order to reduce human-bear conflict, an experiment was done which allowed local people to buy insurance against any damage done by bears to either lifestock or crops. In addition, an indepth educational programme has been established, which focuses mainly on the role of the bear within the ecosystem and on the possibility that people can coexist with bears. People also learned about overgrazing, erosion, setting up small businesses and establishing a nature area in which they themselves play an important role and which also secures their livelihood.
Dark period The project came to an abrupt halt early 2018 when the pricipal researcher of the project, Taher Ghadirian, was detained together with several of his colleagues, by the Regime in Iran. They were doing cameratrap research on one of the most endangered mammals on the planet: the Asiatic cheetah. The group was jailed on unfounded suspicion of espionage. After being innocently jailed for 6 years and 3 months, the last four incl. Taher where pardoned and released on April 8 en 9 of 2024.
2025 onwards!
Taher has resumed his conservation work on Asiatic black bears and Bears in Mind is supporting him in this important and nature positive endeavour!
Partner:
Asiatic Black Bear Project / Earth’s Whisper
The project was focused not only on Amur tiger and Amur leopard conservation, but it has also helped protect other wildlife, such as the Asiatic black bears, brown bears and ungulate species which inhabit the ‘Land of the Leopard’ National Park (LLNP) in Far East Russia. By conducting regular anti-poaching patrols, rangers ensured security and protection of natural habitat that is home to as many as 1,300 plants, including 68 species listed in the Red Data Books of Russia, 329 vertebrates, 32 fish species, 12 reptiles, 65 mammals and 220 bird species. The LLNP serves as an ecological corridor connecting wildlife from Southwest Primorye to neighbouring protected areas in China.
The aim of the project was to conserve biodiversity through intensive anti-poaching activities. The objectives of the project were:
To improve anti-poaching efforts in ‘Land of the Leopard National Park’ with the use of quadcopters;
To protect Amur leopards, tigers and other wildlife from poachers and forest fires.
In the north-eastern region of the country human-bear conflicts occur regularly, especially involving the Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus). Local people have little knowledge about bears and try to kill each animal attempting to come close to the villages. Bears are often attracted by corn fields, which are located at the edge of the villages.
Priority should be given to education and creating awareness about the importance of bear protection in Myanmar. The pressure on wild bear populations and their habitat is further increasing. This research is the first of its kind in Myanmar. It will provide vital information which is needed to protect the bear and its habitat in the long run. As soon as more information is available about the frequency of human-bear conflicts as well as the occurrence and distribution of bears in the region, recommendations can be made to local authorities and policy makers. This will be the first step towards a national bear protection plan.
Partner:
University of Veterinary Science – Yezin
In 2012, Bears in Mind started supporting research into the occurrence and distribution of the brown bear in Ghizer district. The Snow Leopard Foundation (SLF) carries out the research in cooperation with the province of Gilgit Baltistan. The data on the bears are gathered by means of camera trapping (recordings made with hidden cameras), by mapping bear tracks such as paw prints, scratching and rub marks, and by collecting fecal samples for DNA testing. Interviews with the local community will hopefully provide more insight into bear-human conflicts and poaching. The commercial trade with China is very appealing to Pakistan and other countries in the Himalayan region, such as Nepal.
The results of the research will be translated into a draft protection plan for brown bears in Ghizer district. In addition, the Snow Leopard Foundation is expanding their nature conservation activities to include these large carnivores. The local people are actively involved in the activities, which foster mutual respect and make protecting the bears a logical step. The results of the research will be published in scientific journals and a science magazine.
Sometimes Bears in Mind also funds non-bear projects. Like this study on wolverines in Norway, between 2003-2008. The results of this study show that wolverines prefer the high alpine regions, but are also attracted to the area below the treeline. In the crossing regions between high tundra and the lower forests the wolverine can find food in abundance. The flocks of sheep were a favourite target, but other (wild) prey was mainly eaten. In areas where wolves and wolverines live together, the wolverines feed on the elk carrion the wolves leave behind. Wolves came back in this region in the nineties. Several years later the wolverines arrived. Evidently the wolverines switched from eating elk (carrion and hunted) and small prey (hunted), to eating elk carrion exclusively. Wolverines are known as scavengers, but this varies according to the area they live in.
The analysis of the preferred habitat of wolf, lynx, bear and wolverine shows that these four species can live together. Each species uses the habitat in a different way. The wolverine prefers the higher areas while the wolf, lynx and bear are true forest dwellers. The lynx uses the lowest areas of the forest. Bears and wolves prefer to live somewhat higher up. Bears stay closest to the wolverines and were seen feeding on the same carcass on rare occasions.
A study documented 27 close encounters in 2003-2005, where harm to humans was reported in two cases harm to bears reported in six cases. More than 61% of the interviewees reported damage caused by bears to agricultural fields, beehives or livestock between 2003 and 2005. Villagers took precautions with differing levels of sophistication and effectiveness against damage caused by bears. Many locals used basic exclusion methods, like simple fences or metal sheets placed around tree trunks, but these were generally not very effective; 21% of the interviewees did not take any measures. Using current average values for damaged livestock and property, a minimum annual cost of about USD$20,000 is estimated for Yusufeli.
There is growing resentment among local villagers, who usually blame conservation authorities and may use illegal means to get rid of “problem bears”. Pressure from the hunting lobby to list the bear for trophy hunting, complicates the situation. Since the fundamental element for maintaining bears in any area is to control human-induced mortality, there is an urgent need to educate the rural public and introduce effective preventive measures to reduce the conflict. In this study funded by Bears in Mind between 2007-2008, it was done by interviewing farmers and villagers in the study area and developing different types of education materials to be distributed amongst locals in villages and schools. Various preventive measures were tested like electric fences around beehives, apiaries and the use of random-noise generators and placing beehives on elevated platforms.
