Objective
The project's actions are designed to address the full range of identified major threats to the species and its habitat. They comprise two main categories of measures:
- direct actions such as wardening, habitat restoration and improvement, management of certain human activities and infrastructures in critical bear areas, which aim at minimising factors responsible for the negative trends and habitat loss;
- the implementation of specific compensation measures, which aim at minimising the risk of human interference and its subsequent effects on bear populations.
The expected results are: Control of mortality caused directly by human action; preservation and/or enhancement of corridors linking populations and habitats; maintenance and/or improvement of bear habitat quality; greater efficacy of the existing wardening network; enhancement of other practical measures to prevent adverse bear-human interactions; improvement of national forestry policy in relation to bear habitat conservation criteria; attribution of an official protection status to important bear zones; optimalisation of the damage compensation procedures; improvement of information and levels of public awareness with special attention given to different social target groups.
The brown bear's distribution range in Greece currently consists of two separate population nuclei, located about 200 km apart in the NW and NE part of the country, in the Peristeri-Pindos range and the Rodopi mountains respectively. The total bear range covers about 9,000 sq.km. of which 1,500 sq.km. are only occasional and/or potential bear habitat. Within this overall range are 19 sites, totalling about 255,023 ha, which are being proposed as Sites of Community Interest. The main criteria for delineation of these nineteen sites were developed taking the output from the 1993 LIFE Greek bears project.
In terms of significance for the species' conservation status, the Greek brown bear populations are considered as the most healthy and viable among those in the southern parts of the EU. A high degree of habitat suitability, coupled to a certain degree of connectivity to bear populations and habitats in neighbouring countries of the south Balkan region, increase the chances for survival of the Greek brown bear populations as compared to those of other southern European countries.
Topic(s)
Data not availableCall for proposal
Data not availableFunding Scheme
CSC - Cost-sharing contractsCoordinator
54625 Thessaloniki
Greece