Overview
Food-conditioned bears cause human injuries and fatalities as well as concern for property, human health and safety. Broad- scale actions play a key role in understanding conflicts (research) and implementing effective solutions (legislative, financial, technical, etc.). In the High Tatras, food-conditioned brown bears have been recorded since the 1960s. Bear-proof containers, as an appropriate and effective management tool, had been installed only a few years ago. Mishandling of critical situations (e.g., clear responsibility of a particular institution in case of an incident) showed an urgent need for a brown bear intervention team, which was then created in 2014 under the direction of the Ministry of the Environment. A coherent policy on waste management in relation to bears specifies roles and responsibilities, as well as guidelines for implementing measures effectively. The Ministry has expanded the areas where containers must be protected against bears to 360 locations in Slovakia.
Description of the conflict
The brown bear is a protected animal according to the Act on the Protection of Nature and Landscape, as well as in accordance with European legislation. Its killing is possible only on the basis of an exception of the Ministry or a decision of the intervention team of the State Nature Protection of the Slovak Republic. According to the latest DNA analysis, the population of the Western Carpathian brown bear in Slovakia is estimated at 1056 individuals. Regularly in spring and autumn, the city of the High Tatras drew attention to the increased occurrence of bears in the inner village (almost 1000 reports in 2019 year), which is located directly in the national park and is also in the immediate vicinity of the Natura 2000 site. Municipal officials often argued that this is related to the increase in its population. However, conservationists say that what has changed significantly is not the number of bears, but their behaviour. Unsecured containers, hunters´ feeding grounds, growing corn in the foothills, or the urbanization of the natural environment have caused bears to stay closer and closer to human housing and lose their shyness. All these factors increase the risk of a human-bear collision. Unfortunately, several individuals had to be killed as part of protective measures („A fed bear is a dead bear”), and the securing of other sites with waste continues (in 2020, 115 unsecured sites were still identified in the High Tatras).
Approach and tools used
Improved systems of food/waste management in areas that have recently experienced problems with human-habituated and food-conditioned bears, as well as other practical measures, were taken to discourage bears from visiting hotels, campsites, and mountain huts. In 2016, the city received a grant from the fund in the amount of 1,2 million € to build container stands. Through the Environmental Fund, the High Tatras municipality has built 64 closed container stands (stations), in which there are 260 containers for separated waste, and another 47 would need to be completed. However, several stands were not thoroughly maintained/secured and the inappropriate construction had to be supplemented with additional protective elements (cross bars). The result is that the number of conflicts has decreased significantly (reports of bear sightings have decreased from 202 in 2020 to 18 in 2022). (reports of bear sightings have decreased from 202 in 2020 to
18 in 2022). (reports of bear sightings have decreased from 202 in 2020 to
18 in 2022). (reports of bear sightings have decreased from 202 in 2020 to
18 in 2022). (reports of bear sightings have decreased from 202 in 2020 to
18 in 2022). The municipality is trying to improve the container security system and expand the number of stations. As part of a project aimed at preventing the occurrence of brown bears near people and human settlements, they plan to reinvest 5.8 million € by the end of 2023. It seems that even the representatives of the local government appreciate the mentioned tools and see a positive benefit.
Conclusion
Addressing human-bear conflicts by nonlethal means should have priority and strong support. There was a clear and urgent need to adopt detailed protocols to guide management interventions and develop a comprehensive, proactive, and long-term policy on waste management in relation to bears in Slovakia. Subsequently, attention should be paid to better monitoring of implemented measures and evaluation of effectiveness. Appropriate communication, outreach, education, and training are other important elements to include. In tandem with improving technical measures and procedures, we encourage a greater effort to resolve longstanding conflicts between interest groups (representatives of local residents, visitors, tourism associations and hotel owners, waste management agencies, local and national government, conservation bodies, the forestry service, hunters, and environmental NGOs).
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