Post by brobear on Feb 2, 2019 8:18:28 GMT -5
www.wildtransylvania.com/p/brown-bear.html
Brown bears have a large global distribution which reflects their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats. There are estimated to be more than 200,000 brown bears worldwide, with approximately 6000 individuals in the Carpathian region of Romania. They are amongst the largest living carnivores and can grow to an enormous size, males up to 350kg, and females to 200kg, with the biggest on record being caught in Romania weighing 480kg. Adult males tend to be on average 8 to 10% larger than females. They have good hearing, an excellent sense of smell and can live for up to 30 years.
Is the Carpathian ecosystem in good health?
According to Chris Morgan (bear biologist and wildlife researcher) bears make great barometers of ecosystem health, stating "What's good for bears is good for people". Given their dependence on large natural areas, it could also be viewed that bears are important management indicators for a number of other wildlife species too. With this in mind and relatively large numbers of brown bears in the Carpathians, should we consider this a declaration of good ecosystem health?
As always in life the picture becomes more complicated when human activity is involved. Whilst I broadly agree with Chris Morgan's statement, there are other biologists that believe that regular feeding of high calorific and protein rich foods by hunters, reduces the need for bears to forage too far away from hunting sites. With less pressure on natural forest food, bear numbers then increase giving rise to a larger than normal population within any given territory. Regular food improves general health and reduces mortality rates due to natural causes. It could then be argued that bear numbers could remain artificially high through feeding, even when the ecosystem is in decline.(Update note:Since the hunting of bears for trophies was banned in 2016, the feeding of bears should have ceased)
In many ways the Romanian forest ecosystem faired better under the tyranny of Nicolae Ceausescu and his communist regime which strictly controlled logging and land management. However, after the fall of Ceausescu many relatives of those families dispossessed of their land are now claiming their inheritance back from the present day government. After rigorous procedures to verify former family ownership large swathes of forest covered land are rapidly returning to private ownership. Many of these beneficiaries quickly realise the vast commercial potential of the land they now own and tend to harvest trees far too quickly for the environment to recover. Logging is big business which generates high tax revenues, so the government is not generally opposed to large scale logging . These revenues are quickly generated but for how long can this situation be sustained?
There is also a thriving but illegal trade in wood, with extensive clear cuts causing widespread deforestation across the country. This illegal activity has also been taking place in 'protected' national parks, causing a significant reduction in some of Europe's largest virgin forest stands. There are many activist groups now highlighting this destruction, but Gabriel Paun of NGO Agent Green was one of the first.
Are bears hunted in Romania?
Before 2016 there was a thriving hunting industry, but thereafter a trophy hunting ban was introduced by the Romanian government. Now in 2018 this decision is likely to be reversed, although the reasons for changing direction are not fully understood. Conservationists believe that the system for counting bears in Romania is flawed, which artificially raises population figures. If hunting quotas of up to 10% of the population are issued each year, then some argue that the brown bear population will be at risk long term.
Many believe the bear population has increased too fast over the past two years and as a result human/bear conflicts have increased. Pressure is now being put on the Romanian government to reduce the bear population to improve public safety. But how do we know that the bear population is increasing if the method for counting them is incorrect? Is it possible that this apparent increase in bears is caused by habitat loss and fragmentation caused by extensive deforestation? Is habitat loss leading to a reduction in the available 'wild foods' and promoting further conflicts with humans? The government published a strategy called 'The Action Plan for Conservation of the Brown Bear in Romania to determine the level of intervention for brown bears in the interest of Health and Safety of the Population and in Order to Prevent Serious Damage.' In response to this strategy Agent Green replied to the minister for the environment with an open letter stating that "The population estimates on which the proposed hunting quota for the brown bear are based, are biased and biologically implausible."
Is coexistence between man and bears possible?
Transhumant pastoral shepherds are a good example of coexistence, and have developed many non-fatal measures to protect their livestock whilst grazing lands heavily populated by brown bears. Flocks are moved from one meadow to another in search of fresh grazing along interlinking forest tracks. Wary of the threat posed by bears, shepherds and their dogs are constantly vigilant to prevent loss of livestock. Sheep are rounded up each evening and kept in large corals, with shepherds sleeping in close proximity in makeshift boxes that look like rabbit hutches. The dogs are allowed to roam freely, patrolling the corals overnight. If a bear is brave enough to attempt to steel a sheep the shepherds are quickly alerted by the dogs barking, who form a pack to deter the bear. Not many sheep are taken, but some losses are expected. However, if livestock are taken, the shepherds never call or demand for the bear to be culled. They have lived with bears for generations, and believe they have equal right to exist in the same environment. It is this tolerance and ability to accommodate predators that make these transhumant shepherds unique and such a useful conservation asset. We could in fact learn a lot from them as their methods are tried and tested over many generations, and work.
Unfortunately the story is quite different inside villages and towns where bear incursions occur on a regular basis, especially during autumn and spring. In general people who experience conflicts with bears are unaware of who and where to go for assistance. Recently I contacted a carnivore expert in Romania to talk about a bear sow who enters the village of Ozsdola on a regular basis with her three cubs. I asked him for the helpline number that people should call for help but he wasn't aware if there is such a service. He said they should contact the mayor in the village.
Neither are resources readily available to the general public to prevent conflicts, which is in stark contrast to the other countries where people coexist with bears such as the USA and Canada. Resources such as bear spray (for personal protection), bear proof bins for food waste, electric fences to protect livestock and disposal services for roadkill carcasses and dead farm animals. There are a few European Union funded initiatives and NGO's trying to help farmers and provide educational resources, but their message does not always reach the many smallholders that are effected. Possibly because this information is in digital format and many villagers do not have the time or inclination to access the internet.
To give the reader some perspective the Carpathian mountains ecosystem is slightly larger than the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem but supports ten times more bears. (The Livingstone Enterprise 2018).
*Note: more to read on-site.
Brown bears have a large global distribution which reflects their ability to adapt to a variety of habitats. There are estimated to be more than 200,000 brown bears worldwide, with approximately 6000 individuals in the Carpathian region of Romania. They are amongst the largest living carnivores and can grow to an enormous size, males up to 350kg, and females to 200kg, with the biggest on record being caught in Romania weighing 480kg. Adult males tend to be on average 8 to 10% larger than females. They have good hearing, an excellent sense of smell and can live for up to 30 years.
Is the Carpathian ecosystem in good health?
According to Chris Morgan (bear biologist and wildlife researcher) bears make great barometers of ecosystem health, stating "What's good for bears is good for people". Given their dependence on large natural areas, it could also be viewed that bears are important management indicators for a number of other wildlife species too. With this in mind and relatively large numbers of brown bears in the Carpathians, should we consider this a declaration of good ecosystem health?
As always in life the picture becomes more complicated when human activity is involved. Whilst I broadly agree with Chris Morgan's statement, there are other biologists that believe that regular feeding of high calorific and protein rich foods by hunters, reduces the need for bears to forage too far away from hunting sites. With less pressure on natural forest food, bear numbers then increase giving rise to a larger than normal population within any given territory. Regular food improves general health and reduces mortality rates due to natural causes. It could then be argued that bear numbers could remain artificially high through feeding, even when the ecosystem is in decline.(Update note:Since the hunting of bears for trophies was banned in 2016, the feeding of bears should have ceased)
In many ways the Romanian forest ecosystem faired better under the tyranny of Nicolae Ceausescu and his communist regime which strictly controlled logging and land management. However, after the fall of Ceausescu many relatives of those families dispossessed of their land are now claiming their inheritance back from the present day government. After rigorous procedures to verify former family ownership large swathes of forest covered land are rapidly returning to private ownership. Many of these beneficiaries quickly realise the vast commercial potential of the land they now own and tend to harvest trees far too quickly for the environment to recover. Logging is big business which generates high tax revenues, so the government is not generally opposed to large scale logging . These revenues are quickly generated but for how long can this situation be sustained?
There is also a thriving but illegal trade in wood, with extensive clear cuts causing widespread deforestation across the country. This illegal activity has also been taking place in 'protected' national parks, causing a significant reduction in some of Europe's largest virgin forest stands. There are many activist groups now highlighting this destruction, but Gabriel Paun of NGO Agent Green was one of the first.
Are bears hunted in Romania?
Before 2016 there was a thriving hunting industry, but thereafter a trophy hunting ban was introduced by the Romanian government. Now in 2018 this decision is likely to be reversed, although the reasons for changing direction are not fully understood. Conservationists believe that the system for counting bears in Romania is flawed, which artificially raises population figures. If hunting quotas of up to 10% of the population are issued each year, then some argue that the brown bear population will be at risk long term.
Many believe the bear population has increased too fast over the past two years and as a result human/bear conflicts have increased. Pressure is now being put on the Romanian government to reduce the bear population to improve public safety. But how do we know that the bear population is increasing if the method for counting them is incorrect? Is it possible that this apparent increase in bears is caused by habitat loss and fragmentation caused by extensive deforestation? Is habitat loss leading to a reduction in the available 'wild foods' and promoting further conflicts with humans? The government published a strategy called 'The Action Plan for Conservation of the Brown Bear in Romania to determine the level of intervention for brown bears in the interest of Health and Safety of the Population and in Order to Prevent Serious Damage.' In response to this strategy Agent Green replied to the minister for the environment with an open letter stating that "The population estimates on which the proposed hunting quota for the brown bear are based, are biased and biologically implausible."
Is coexistence between man and bears possible?
Transhumant pastoral shepherds are a good example of coexistence, and have developed many non-fatal measures to protect their livestock whilst grazing lands heavily populated by brown bears. Flocks are moved from one meadow to another in search of fresh grazing along interlinking forest tracks. Wary of the threat posed by bears, shepherds and their dogs are constantly vigilant to prevent loss of livestock. Sheep are rounded up each evening and kept in large corals, with shepherds sleeping in close proximity in makeshift boxes that look like rabbit hutches. The dogs are allowed to roam freely, patrolling the corals overnight. If a bear is brave enough to attempt to steel a sheep the shepherds are quickly alerted by the dogs barking, who form a pack to deter the bear. Not many sheep are taken, but some losses are expected. However, if livestock are taken, the shepherds never call or demand for the bear to be culled. They have lived with bears for generations, and believe they have equal right to exist in the same environment. It is this tolerance and ability to accommodate predators that make these transhumant shepherds unique and such a useful conservation asset. We could in fact learn a lot from them as their methods are tried and tested over many generations, and work.
Unfortunately the story is quite different inside villages and towns where bear incursions occur on a regular basis, especially during autumn and spring. In general people who experience conflicts with bears are unaware of who and where to go for assistance. Recently I contacted a carnivore expert in Romania to talk about a bear sow who enters the village of Ozsdola on a regular basis with her three cubs. I asked him for the helpline number that people should call for help but he wasn't aware if there is such a service. He said they should contact the mayor in the village.
Neither are resources readily available to the general public to prevent conflicts, which is in stark contrast to the other countries where people coexist with bears such as the USA and Canada. Resources such as bear spray (for personal protection), bear proof bins for food waste, electric fences to protect livestock and disposal services for roadkill carcasses and dead farm animals. There are a few European Union funded initiatives and NGO's trying to help farmers and provide educational resources, but their message does not always reach the many smallholders that are effected. Possibly because this information is in digital format and many villagers do not have the time or inclination to access the internet.
To give the reader some perspective the Carpathian mountains ecosystem is slightly larger than the Greater Yellowstone ecosystem but supports ten times more bears. (The Livingstone Enterprise 2018).
*Note: more to read on-site.