[et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” min_height=”3500px” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”]<\/p>\n
From September 20 to 25, Pescasseroli hosted the 29th Conference of the International Association for Bear Research and Management. This international gathering brought researchers, technical experts, land managers, organisations and representatives of local communities to the heart of the central Apennines, placing at the centre of the discussion one of the most important challenges for the future of bears: building a form of coexistence that goes beyond potential emergency situations and becomes, finally, part of the social, economic, political and ecological fabric of local communities. <\/span><\/p>\n Above all, the conference represented an unprecedented opportunity for exchange for the local area. For a week, research, methodologies and experiences developed in very different contexts came together in Pescasseroli, creating a dialogue between conservation cultures, management systems and scientific approaches developed across the world. From bear populations in Europe and Asia to those in North America, and from experiences closer to home in the Mediterranean and the Apennines, the diversity of contributions highlighted just how complex the international landscape of bear research is. <\/span><\/p>\n Genetics, ecology, behaviour, health, climate change, habitat connectivity, population management and the social dimension of conservation were among the many areas brought together during the scientific sessions. The exchange focused not only on the findings of individual studies, but also on the different ways of interpreting problems and turning scientific knowledge into practical conservation tools. <\/span><\/p>\n But an international conference dedicated to coexistence between people and bears could not remain confined to conference halls. For this reason, alongside the scientific programme, a number of events open to the public were organised, designed to directly involve the Pescasseroli community and give residents, local operators and visitors the opportunity to engage with the conference themes and the experiences of the many participants who came from all over the world. <\/span><\/p>\n A blending of the international dimension of research with the everyday life of local communities that was reflected in the theme chosen for the conference: Bridging Science, Practice, and Community Engagement for Human-Bear Coexistence<\/i>, bringing science, practice and community engagement together to build a viable and lasting coexistence.<\/p>\n Particular attention was devoted to genetics and the conservation of isolated populations, a topic of great relevance also for the Marsican brown bear. Among other findings, the conference presented the results of the most recent genetic monitoring activities carried out on the Apennine population in 2025. These studies provide a better understanding of the population\u2019s structure, genetic variability and dynamics, and are essential tools for informing conservation strategies. <\/span><\/p>\n But the research presented in Pescasseroli went far beyond genetics. The programme also explored the relationship between climate change and food resource availability, bear health, movements and space use, mortality, ecological connectivity, monitoring, and the use of new technologies in conservation. An extremely broad picture that provides an overview of bear research at the international level while also highlighting the complexity of the challenges facing those working to conserve these animals.<\/span><\/p>\n Running as a common thread throughout the conference is the question guiding current research: no longer simply how to protect the bear, but how to build territories where the bear\u2019s presence can be managed alongside the people who live there.<\/span><\/p>\n The growth or recovery of large carnivore populations inevitably brings wildlife into closer proximity to areas increasingly used by people. For this reason, conservation cannot be limited to protecting animals and their habitats; it must also address the social, economic, and cultural conditions of the territories in which they live. <\/span><\/p>\n Experiences from a wide range of contexts were therefore presented in Pescasseroli, with particular attention to Indigenous communities, the contribution of experiential knowledge, and the importance of decolonizing conservation. These approaches share a common goal: to develop concrete tools for preventing conflicts and making the presence of bears in inhabited areas safer. <\/span><\/p>\n A particularly significant element was the attention given to participatory approaches. Local communities, public authorities, farmers, livestock breeders, tourism operators, and other stakeholders are no longer considered merely the recipients of conservation policies, but rather as actors who can contribute directly to their design. <\/span><\/p>\n And it is precisely in this context that the experience gained in the Central Apennines has been able to engage in dialogue with that of other regions around the world.<\/span><\/p>\n During the conference, the experiences of Bear-Smart Communities were presented, developed as part of the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project. These communities have been involved in participatory processes that brought together local authorities, residents, farmers, beekeepers, tourism operators, associations, and other local stakeholders. <\/span><\/p>\n The aim was to identify the main risk factors and, based on the specific characteristics of each area, develop practical strategies to reduce the likelihood of conflict.<\/span><\/p>\n The tools tested include risk assessment, mapping of food attractants, local coexistence planning, and the creation of Bear Intervention Units-local teams organized to manage reports and respond to cases of human-bear interaction through non-lethal prevention and mitigation procedures. <\/span><\/p>\n The possibilities offered by new technologies were also explored: tools that can support monitoring, the management of agricultural and pastoral activities, and the prevention of problematic interactions. Here too, technology was considered not as a stand-alone solution, but as a tool to be developed together with the people who will be using it. <\/span><\/p>\n IBA\u2019s presence in Pescasseroli was particularly significant, as the international conference opened with the final conference of the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project.<\/span><\/p>\n On Sunday, September 20, right here in Pescasseroli, the results were presented of a journey that, over the past few years, has been testing a new conservation model in the central Apennines: the Bear-Smart Community approach. <\/span><\/p>\n The project started from a fundamental consideration: enabling bears to expand their range and maintain a viable population requires more than suitable habitats. The connections between different areas must also be functional, and these territories need to be sufficiently safe for both wildlife and people. <\/span><\/p>\n This is where the concept of the Bear-Smart Corridor comes in: ecological corridors where bear conservation is accompanied by concrete actions to prevent and manage human-bear conflicts.<\/span><\/p>\n The project therefore focused not only on bear movements and ecological connectivity, but also on the human dimension of conservation. Local areas and communities were involved, local committees were established, and tools were tested to make coexistence more practical, organized, and replicable. <\/span><\/p>\n The conclusion of the project does not, however, mark the end of this journey.<\/span><\/p>\n One of the key messages to emerge from the final conference was the need to continue the work that has been initiated, strengthening local governance and keeping the networks built over these years active. The project has made it possible to test and establish methods and tools that can continue to be used beyond the formal duration of LIFE funding. <\/span><\/p>\n At Pescasseroli, therefore, it was not only studies and results that were presented. For a week, people working in very different places and circumstances came together around the same goal: to better understand bears and find ways to protect them in the long term, by jointly developing long-term projects with local communities and fostering a concrete sense of responsibility among all the stakeholders involved. After months of preparation and an intense week of work, the IBA has come to an end, but its purpose does not end here. Bear-Smart Communities, corridors, prevention tools, and the relationships built across the region provide a foundation for continuing this work, while always maintaining an international perspective, because science, like people, should never be confined by borders. On the contrary, it needs continuity, knowledge, and people who will continue to devote themselves to it with professionalism, dedication, and perseverance. <\/span><\/p>\n And perhaps, then, this is the message that Pescasseroli leaves us with at the end of this week: to conserve bears, we certainly need to understand them. But we also need to learn how to share the space, listen to those who live in it every day, and share what we have learned. <\/span><\/p>\n The rest, as always, is work in the field.<\/span><\/span><\/span><\/p>\n Below is the Salviamo L\u2019Orso team present at the IBA. From left to right: Valeria Barbi, Stefano Orlandini, Serena Frau, Arianna Balacchi, and Stefania Toppi. <\/span><\/em><\/span>Pics by Filippo Castellucci.<\/span><\/em><\/span><\/p>\n \n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/5818c0c5-6fe7-4a8c-bab0-4518f5afa42c.jpg” alt=”Lo staff di Salviamo L'Orso presente all'IBA. Foto di Filippo Castellucci. ” title_text=”Lo staff di Salviamo L'Orso presente all'IBA. Foto di Filippo Castellucci ” _builder_version=”4.27.4″ _module_preset=”default” custom_padding=”0px|||||” global_colors_info=”{}” theme_builder_area=”post_content”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" From September 20 to 25, Pescasseroli hosted the 29th Conference of the International Association for Bear Research and Management. This international gathering brought researchers, technical experts, land managers, organisations and representatives of local communities to the heart of the central Apennines, placing at the centre of the discussion one of the most important challenges for […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":21096,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1,36],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-21095","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-non-categorizzato","category-press-releases"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21095","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=21095"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21095\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":21104,"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/21095\/revisions\/21104"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/21096"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=21095"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=21095"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.salviamolorso.it\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=21095"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}From research to conservation in the field<\/strong><\/h2>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nThe real challenge: coexistence<\/strong><\/h2>\n
The contribution of the Central Apennines<\/strong><\/h2>\n
A conference within the conference: the conclusion of the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Communication and coexistence<\/b><\/h2>\n
Achieving this goal will also require a new approach to conservation communication: no longer simply a tool for delivering information in one direction, but a means of engaging and activating people. <\/span><\/p>\nFrom Pescasseroli, a look towards the future<\/b><\/h2>\n