In 2026, the central Apennines will become the epicenter of bear conservation internationally, with a focus on the Marsican brown bear and human-wildlife coexistence. From September 20-25, Pescasseroli will host two important events: the International Conference of theIBA – International Association for Bear Research and Management,and the final conference of theLIFEBear-Smart Corridors project.
Why a world conference
With a population of about 60 individuals, the survival of the Marsican bear depends on innovative approaches to share space with local communities. The conference, announced more than a year in advance, represents a historic moment and aims to bring together hundreds of international experts, including scientists, practitioners, authorities, NGOs and local communities, to share knowledge and strengthen solutions to foster complex interactions between the species and human populations.
Some partners of theLIFEBear-Smart Corridors project-RewildingEurope,Rewilding Apennines,National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise,Save the Bear-have proposed the central Apennines, based in Pescasseroli, as the area in which to hold the international conference of the IBA – International Association for Bear Research and Management, and received concurrence from the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security.
This event, held about every two years on a different continent, attracts researchers, professionals, students and bear enthusiasts from around the world. It emphasizes the importance of activities aimed at protecting and conserving one of the world’s most threatened bear populations in close relation to the challenges dictated by the sparse but widespread presence of human communities, their activities and infrastructure. At the same time, it aims to highlight the efforts of many communities in reducing threats to the species and encouraging its expansion in the central Apennines, the wild heart of Italy. The decision to host the IBA conference in this area reflects international recognition of the “Bear-Friendly Communities” approach.
In the Marsican brown bear core area, human-bear coexistence has changed and evolved over decades, in theory and practice. Experimented for ten years-initially in one community and later replicated in 15 others thanks to co-funding from the European Commission through the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors initiative-this approach has shown promising results, including reduced threats to bears, increased public awareness and grassroots engagement with concrete actions to support human-bear coexistence, as well as a sense of pride on the part of local communities, as well as a sense of pride on the part of local communities. It was these successes that convinced the IBA Council to approve the organization of the conference in 2025, with the event scheduled for September 20-25, 2026, coinciding with the conclusion of the LIFE BSC project.
“It is an honor and privilege for the IBA to collaborate with the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors partners in organizing a conference dedicated to the Marsican bear, an extremely endangered species, and to celebrate the success of this initiative. IBA conferences provide a unique opportunity for bear biologists to network globally and share their work in local communities. The Pescasseroli conference will highlight the important conservation and community engagement efforts carried out in the wild heart of Italy, allowing biologists from around the world to take home the knowledge gained and apply it in their own areas. This conference reflects the IBA’s commitment to building partnerships, promoting research, supporting work in local communities and disseminating solutions that benefit both bears and people,” said Jennapher Teunissen van Manen, Director of Operations and Programs for the International Association for Bear Research and Management.
Living with wildlife in practice
Realizing the event in the central Apennines gives us the opportunity to confront each other showing that even in Europe it is possible to share space with large carnivores, benefiting both nature and people. The rich five-day program includes sessions on scientific and sociocultural insights, sharing research and studies guided by a special Scientific Committee, meeting and exchanging on good practices of coexistence together with local communities, exploring the extraordinary landscapes of the Central Apennines, tasting the gastronomic riches that characterize the territories of the Bear-sized Communities, and much more.
Annette Mertens, Landscape Manager of Rewilding Europe and coordinator of Rewilding Apennines, said, “Promoting coexistence between bears and local communities is at the heart of the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors initiative. Holding our final conference during the prestigious IBA event is a great opportunity to share these successes with a global audience and inspire similar approaches elsewhere.”
“We are extremely proud to organize in the central Apennines this international event that is so important and eagerly awaited by a large community of people around the world concerned with the conservation of the eight bear species, shining a spotlight on a subspecies that is truly unique not only biologically, but also behaviorally and culturally,” said Mario Cipollone, the team leader of Rewilding Apennines, an NGO that for many years has been promoting human-bear coexistence actions in communities, especially outside protected areas, in so-called ecological corridors, areas that are poorly protected but crucial for the movement and expansion of the small Marsican brown bear population.
Pescasseroli, recognized as the “capital” of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, with its environmental and cultural peculiarities and accommodation opportunities, will become the beating heart of this international event. The town will host the conference in a number of venues specially set up for the occasion, thanks to the involvement and commitment of the municipality, trade associations, local entrepreneurs and other organizations that will co-participate in the realization of the initiative.
“This event in collaboration with the IBA in Pescasseroli represents an important moment of global discussion on bear conservation, offering a valuable opportunity for everyone to learn about critical issues related to conservation, but also about research and good practices adopted around the world and to raise awareness of the reality of the Marsican bear,” said Giovanni Cannata, president of the Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park.
“The Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise National Park, the core area of the Marsican brown bear population, has been committed to its protection and expansion for more than a century, the only real chance to avoid extinction. To achieve this goal, the Life Bear-Smart Corridors project has given us the opportunity to plan even more careful work with different local communities to increase knowledge and awareness of what it really means to live on the same territory with the bear. Global initiatives like this one, which will bring researchers from around the world to Pescasseroli, influence local conservation strategies, providing a broader framework on the road to conservation. The knowledge and insight on which others around the world, such as researchers, biologists, naturalists, are working to make coexistence possible, at different latitudes, makes us feel less alone and more determined to embrace future challenges.”
Building bridges beyond the Apennines…
After the conference there will be a guided tour of Trentino, organized in collaboration with the Autonomous Province of Trento, for those who wish to continue the experience. The goal is to foster dialogue between institutions, citizens, experts and the media, highlighting the importance of proper information, responsibility and awareness about the challenges and opportunities that brown bears represent for communities and the environment of the Central and Eastern Alps. The conference is funded by the European Commission’s LIFE program and the Ministry of Environment and Energy Security, which has enthusiastically embraced the initiative.
…and beyond time
Stefano Orlandini, president of Salviamo l’Orso, commented: “The IBA, a global organization but always sensitive and attentive to local or regional scale initiatives aimed at protecting bears and their habitat, ten years ago supported one of Salviamo l’Orso’s earliest and most significant projects – that of the Genzana Bear-Smart Community – with a small grant, and it is great to find ourselves after all this time organizing together a conference that will give great resonance to the efforts that organizations like ours together with other institutional and international partners, have been putting in place for many years to bring the small Marsican brown bear population as far as possible out of the risk of extinction.”
In 2026, local communities and partners will be able to show how much work has been done, but more importantly how much more needs to be done, because coexistence cannot be conquered, but must be lived every day, through concrete actions and shared intentions. Only in this way will it be possible to ensure a long-term future for the Apennine bear.
More information about the event will be available in the coming weeks.
> Download theOfficial Press Releaseof the IBA-LBSC International Conference.
Cover photo: Mariscan brown bear, Bruno D’Amicis