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| Subspecies: | Unknown |
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| Est. World Population: | 50000-55000 |
| CITES Status: | NOT LISTED |
| IUCN Status: | Least Concern |
| U.S. ESA Status: | NOT LISTED |
| Body Length: | |
| Tail Length: | |
| Shoulder Height: | |
| Weight: | |
| Top Speed: | |
| Jumping Ability: | (Horizontal) |
| Life Span: | in the Wild |
| Life Span: | in Captivity |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Females) |
| Sexual Maturity: | (Males) |
| Litter Size: | |
| Gestation Period: | |
Habitat:
The original distribution of the Brown Bear in Europe illustrates its adaptability to different environmental conditions. With little or no human interference, Brown Bears occupied not only forests, but also steppes and tundra. Today, most of the Bear's former range is no longer suitable habitat due to human habitat alteration and human presence. Components of habitat can be grouped into three main categories: food, security cover, and den sites. Bear movements and habitat use are strongly affected by the availability of food. Furthermore, population density is positively associated with food availability. Areas with a high availability of preferred foods, such as berries, fruits, hard mast, colonial Hymenoptera, and ungulates, are of special importance to Brown Bears.
1. Cantabrian
The Cantabrian subpopulation inhabits the Cantabrian Mountains, which are partly covered with mixed deciduous forests.
2. Pyrenees
Mixed forests and pastures, depending on slope and elevation.
3. Alps
Habitat is predominately Alpine with steep slopes covered mostly by conifers, and mixed or deciduous forests. Human settlements and infrastructure in the valleys contribute to habitat fragmentation.
4. Central Apennine
Mountain habitat in the central Apennines; partly covered by deciduous forest (dominated by Beech).
5. Dinara-Pindos
Landscape is mountainous with mixed forests of Beech (Fagus silvestris), oak (Quercus sp.) and several conifer species, and oak (Quercus sp) with pastures, depending on slope and elevation.
6. Carpathian
The habitat is mainly the mixed forests in the Carpathian Mountain range.
7. Balkan
Mostly mountains with Black Pine (Pinus nigra) and oak (Quercus sp.).
8. Scandinavia
The habitat is dominated by intensively exploited boreal forest.
9. Karelia and Northeastern Europe
The habitat is dominated by intensively exploited boreal forests.
1. Cantabrian
The Cantabrian subpopulation inhabits the Cantabrian Mountains, which are partly covered with mixed deciduous forests.
2. Pyrenees
Mixed forests and pastures, depending on slope and elevation.
3. Alps
Habitat is predominately Alpine with steep slopes covered mostly by conifers, and mixed or deciduous forests. Human settlements and infrastructure in the valleys contribute to habitat fragmentation.
4. Central Apennine
Mountain habitat in the central Apennines; partly covered by deciduous forest (dominated by Beech).
5. Dinara-Pindos
Landscape is mountainous with mixed forests of Beech (Fagus silvestris), oak (Quercus sp.) and several conifer species, and oak (Quercus sp) with pastures, depending on slope and elevation.
6. Carpathian
The habitat is mainly the mixed forests in the Carpathian Mountain range.
7. Balkan
Mostly mountains with Black Pine (Pinus nigra) and oak (Quercus sp.).
8. Scandinavia
The habitat is dominated by intensively exploited boreal forest.
9. Karelia and Northeastern Europe
The habitat is dominated by intensively exploited boreal forests.
Range:
The Brown Bear is the most widely distributed ursid. The species is widespread in Europe, however, subpopulations in Europe are highly fragmented, and some are extremely small and isolated. Details of the European subpopulations are given below (following LCIE 2007):
1. Cantabrian
Presently there are two bear nuclei in the Cantabrian Mountains in Spain. They are defined as the western and eastern portions.
2. Pyrenees
Western Pyrenees: the Western Pyrenean Brown Bear subpopulation is found in a 1,000 km² area located on both sides of the national border between France and Spain in the western portion of the Pyrenees Mountain Range. However, only about one-half of this area is used regularly.
Central Pyrenees: the Central Pyrenean Brown Bear subpopulation is on both sides of the national border between France and Spain in the central portion of the Pyrenees Mountain Range including Andorra.
3. Alps
Presently there used to be three bear nuclei in the Alps. In Central Austria there was a small nucleus originated from three bears released in 1989-1993, into an area with a naturally occurring male bear. However, this nucleus vanished during the last ten years. Another nucleus is located in the Central Italian Alps, centred in the province of Trento. This nucleus (49-66 individuals, all originated from the animals translocated in the 1999-2003 period) occupies an area of about 1,500 km², of which only 240 km² is used regularly. A third nucleus of bears is present in the Eastern Alps (Slovenia. Italy, Austria), and originated from individuals that arrived naturally from the Dinara-Pindos subpopulation. This nucleus is estimated at ten individuals and has a clear male bias.
4. Central Apennine
The subpopulation is located in Abruzzi National Park and the surrounding area in the Apennine Mountains in Italy.
5. Dinara-Pindos
This subpopulation consists of Brown Bears in the forested areas extending from the Dinara range in Slovenia in the north through the Pindos Mountains in Greece in the south. The countries involved are Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. The forested areas in these countries are less contiguous than in the Carpathian area, separating to some degree the functional habitat into more or less isolated sub-areas, although there are corridors.
6. Carpathian
The Carpathian subpopulation includes the Brown Bears in Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania. The Carpathian Mountains population is the second largest in Europe. The bears are widely distributed within the entire Romanian Carpathian Mountains range, starting from hilly areas and extending to sub-alpine habitats. Bears in Romania occur permanently or sporadically across a total area of 62,000 km², of which about 44,000 km² are forested.
7. Balkan
The Rila-Rhodope area is located in southwestern Bulgaria and north-eastern Greece. It includes the three connected subpopulations in the Bulgarian Rila Mountains and Pirin Mountains and the subpopulation in the western Rhodope Mountains on both sides of the national border. Of the total population of about 520 bears, only about 42 are found in Greece. The connection between the bears in Greece and Bulgaria is likely to consist of dispersing males from Bulgaria, as well as of family groups seasonally dispersing from Greece into Bulgaria.
The Stara Planina subpopulation is located from Kotlenska Mountain in the east to Zlatitsa-Teteven in the west, along a 120 km stretch of the Stara Planina Mountains (Balkan Range). The western end extends into Serbia and a few bears are shared over the border. The Stara Planina subpopulation was believed to be isolated from the populations to the south and west but there is recent evidence of bears in the corridors to the south towards Rila-Rhodopean Mountains, including family groups.
8. Scandinavia
The subpopulation is shared between Sweden and Norway, but much more than 95% of the individuals are in Sweden. In Norway, the bears are found mostly along the Swedish border and most individuals are dispersing young males from Sweden. The delineation is along the Swedish-Finnish border, and further north through Norway. Bears in Norway east of this line are in the Karelian and northeastern Europe subpopulations. The area between the Scandinavian and northeastern Europe subpopulations is very sparsely inhabited by bears.
9. Karelia and northeastern Europe
The north-eastern European subpopulation is the largest continuous Brown Bear subpopulation in Europe. Its range stretches from the Ural Mountains in the east (continuous with the bears on the east side of the mountains making it the largest Brown Bear subpopulation in the world) to the west coast of Finland and the Baltic. It ranges from 53° N in the south to 69° N in the north. This subpopulation includes bears in north-easternmost Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belarus.
This species once ranged across a large portion of North America, including Mexico, throughout Europe, Asia, and even into several countries in North Africa. Its current global range extends across parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, with the largest numbers in Russia, Alaska, and Canada.
1. Cantabrian
Presently there are two bear nuclei in the Cantabrian Mountains in Spain. They are defined as the western and eastern portions.
2. Pyrenees
Western Pyrenees: the Western Pyrenean Brown Bear subpopulation is found in a 1,000 km² area located on both sides of the national border between France and Spain in the western portion of the Pyrenees Mountain Range. However, only about one-half of this area is used regularly.
Central Pyrenees: the Central Pyrenean Brown Bear subpopulation is on both sides of the national border between France and Spain in the central portion of the Pyrenees Mountain Range including Andorra.
3. Alps
Presently there used to be three bear nuclei in the Alps. In Central Austria there was a small nucleus originated from three bears released in 1989-1993, into an area with a naturally occurring male bear. However, this nucleus vanished during the last ten years. Another nucleus is located in the Central Italian Alps, centred in the province of Trento. This nucleus (49-66 individuals, all originated from the animals translocated in the 1999-2003 period) occupies an area of about 1,500 km², of which only 240 km² is used regularly. A third nucleus of bears is present in the Eastern Alps (Slovenia. Italy, Austria), and originated from individuals that arrived naturally from the Dinara-Pindos subpopulation. This nucleus is estimated at ten individuals and has a clear male bias.
4. Central Apennine
The subpopulation is located in Abruzzi National Park and the surrounding area in the Apennine Mountains in Italy.
5. Dinara-Pindos
This subpopulation consists of Brown Bears in the forested areas extending from the Dinara range in Slovenia in the north through the Pindos Mountains in Greece in the south. The countries involved are Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Kosovo, Montenegro, North Macedonia, Albania, and Greece. The forested areas in these countries are less contiguous than in the Carpathian area, separating to some degree the functional habitat into more or less isolated sub-areas, although there are corridors.
6. Carpathian
The Carpathian subpopulation includes the Brown Bears in Slovakia, Poland, Ukraine, Serbia and Romania. The Carpathian Mountains population is the second largest in Europe. The bears are widely distributed within the entire Romanian Carpathian Mountains range, starting from hilly areas and extending to sub-alpine habitats. Bears in Romania occur permanently or sporadically across a total area of 62,000 km², of which about 44,000 km² are forested.
7. Balkan
The Rila-Rhodope area is located in southwestern Bulgaria and north-eastern Greece. It includes the three connected subpopulations in the Bulgarian Rila Mountains and Pirin Mountains and the subpopulation in the western Rhodope Mountains on both sides of the national border. Of the total population of about 520 bears, only about 42 are found in Greece. The connection between the bears in Greece and Bulgaria is likely to consist of dispersing males from Bulgaria, as well as of family groups seasonally dispersing from Greece into Bulgaria.
The Stara Planina subpopulation is located from Kotlenska Mountain in the east to Zlatitsa-Teteven in the west, along a 120 km stretch of the Stara Planina Mountains (Balkan Range). The western end extends into Serbia and a few bears are shared over the border. The Stara Planina subpopulation was believed to be isolated from the populations to the south and west but there is recent evidence of bears in the corridors to the south towards Rila-Rhodopean Mountains, including family groups.
8. Scandinavia
The subpopulation is shared between Sweden and Norway, but much more than 95% of the individuals are in Sweden. In Norway, the bears are found mostly along the Swedish border and most individuals are dispersing young males from Sweden. The delineation is along the Swedish-Finnish border, and further north through Norway. Bears in Norway east of this line are in the Karelian and northeastern Europe subpopulations. The area between the Scandinavian and northeastern Europe subpopulations is very sparsely inhabited by bears.
9. Karelia and northeastern Europe
The north-eastern European subpopulation is the largest continuous Brown Bear subpopulation in Europe. Its range stretches from the Ural Mountains in the east (continuous with the bears on the east side of the mountains making it the largest Brown Bear subpopulation in the world) to the west coast of Finland and the Baltic. It ranges from 53° N in the south to 69° N in the north. This subpopulation includes bears in north-easternmost Norway, Finland, Estonia, Latvia and Belarus.
This species once ranged across a large portion of North America, including Mexico, throughout Europe, Asia, and even into several countries in North Africa. Its current global range extends across parts of North America, Europe, and Asia, with the largest numbers in Russia, Alaska, and Canada.
Conservation:
Since 1992, all Brown Bear populations have been listed on either Appendix I or Appendix II of CITES. In the EU, all populations are listed in Annex A of the European Union Council Regulation (EC) No. 338/97, that implements CITES in the member states (Knapp 2006). The Brown Bear is included on Appendix II of the Bern Convention and Annex II (except for Finnish and Swedish populations) and Annex IV of the EU Habitats Species Directive. Most European range states have national Brown Bear management plans.
General conservation recommendations include the following: Key bear areas and corridors need to be sufficiently managed and protected. Farmers need to be encouraged to use traditional livestock guarding techniques to reduce conflict arising from livestock depredation. Public awareness and education is also needed to inform people in bear areas about bear behaviour and ecology. International and national legislation protecting bears from poaching should be enforced. More research into population dynamics, genetics and bear habitat is also required to carry out work in bear action plans.
1. Cantabrian
The Cantabrian population is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur (snares set by poachers for Wild Boars).
2. Pyrenees
The species is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur.
3. Alps
The Italian and Austrian bear nuclei are under strict protection; in Slovenia, a regulated harvest policy is in place. The removal of the bear in Germany caused a great public outcry and quite a controversy between different national and international GOs and NGOs. Fortunately, the case also raised awareness of the need for a bear management strategy on the population level. Initiatives to coordinate and harmonize bear management between Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Germany are underway.
4. Central Apennine
It is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur.
5. Dinara-Pindos
In the largest part of this population's range (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro) the bear is a game species. In Slovenia and Croatia, the Brown Bear is hunted under status protected by the Habitat Directive. In Albania, North Macedonia and Greece, it is strictly protected. Additionally, in Greece, it is considered as a priority species under the EU Habitat Directive 92/43.
6. Carpathian
Whereas in Romania and Slovakia, bears are a hunted species, in other countries, they are harvested under various regimes, mostly related to the damage control system (but protected in Poland). Annually, in Romania, up to 250 bears were killed by hunters (about 4% of the estimated population), but since 2017 all bear hunting has been suspended. In 2005 a national bear management plan was approved by the authorities, its implementation being started by the Ministry of Environment and Water Management together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development. One of the first initiated actions was related to population surveys of larger areas (geographical criteria) and setting up hunting quotas based on the analysis at the national level. Compensation for damages caused by bears is paid by the game administrators, and it is foreseen that in areas where bears are not hunted these compensations will be paid by the Ministry of Environment and Water Management (the authority for protected species).
7. Balkan
Bears in Bulgaria are under protected status that allows the removal of problem individuals. The Greek portion is strictly protected, as well as are the few specimens in Serbia.
8. Scandinavia
There is a quota hunting regime in Sweden. The harvest rate allowed the further and steady population growth until it was increased to reverse the trend. In Norway only damage-causing bears are removed, but such a reduction is technically sustainable only due to the influx of individuals from Sweden.
9. Northeastern Europe
Bears are game animals in most of this population range under various quota systems.
General conservation recommendations include the following: Key bear areas and corridors need to be sufficiently managed and protected. Farmers need to be encouraged to use traditional livestock guarding techniques to reduce conflict arising from livestock depredation. Public awareness and education is also needed to inform people in bear areas about bear behaviour and ecology. International and national legislation protecting bears from poaching should be enforced. More research into population dynamics, genetics and bear habitat is also required to carry out work in bear action plans.
1. Cantabrian
The Cantabrian population is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur (snares set by poachers for Wild Boars).
2. Pyrenees
The species is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur.
3. Alps
The Italian and Austrian bear nuclei are under strict protection; in Slovenia, a regulated harvest policy is in place. The removal of the bear in Germany caused a great public outcry and quite a controversy between different national and international GOs and NGOs. Fortunately, the case also raised awareness of the need for a bear management strategy on the population level. Initiatives to coordinate and harmonize bear management between Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Slovenia and Germany are underway.
4. Central Apennine
It is strictly protected but occasional losses due to poaching or other human-related accidents do occur.
5. Dinara-Pindos
In the largest part of this population's range (Slovenia, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia and Montenegro) the bear is a game species. In Slovenia and Croatia, the Brown Bear is hunted under status protected by the Habitat Directive. In Albania, North Macedonia and Greece, it is strictly protected. Additionally, in Greece, it is considered as a priority species under the EU Habitat Directive 92/43.
6. Carpathian
Whereas in Romania and Slovakia, bears are a hunted species, in other countries, they are harvested under various regimes, mostly related to the damage control system (but protected in Poland). Annually, in Romania, up to 250 bears were killed by hunters (about 4% of the estimated population), but since 2017 all bear hunting has been suspended. In 2005 a national bear management plan was approved by the authorities, its implementation being started by the Ministry of Environment and Water Management together with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forests and Rural Development. One of the first initiated actions was related to population surveys of larger areas (geographical criteria) and setting up hunting quotas based on the analysis at the national level. Compensation for damages caused by bears is paid by the game administrators, and it is foreseen that in areas where bears are not hunted these compensations will be paid by the Ministry of Environment and Water Management (the authority for protected species).
7. Balkan
Bears in Bulgaria are under protected status that allows the removal of problem individuals. The Greek portion is strictly protected, as well as are the few specimens in Serbia.
8. Scandinavia
There is a quota hunting regime in Sweden. The harvest rate allowed the further and steady population growth until it was increased to reverse the trend. In Norway only damage-causing bears are removed, but such a reduction is technically sustainable only due to the influx of individuals from Sweden.
9. Northeastern Europe
Bears are game animals in most of this population range under various quota systems.