The winter number of Tatry deals extensively with the conservation strategies of the 3 large predator species (brown bear, wolf, lynx) for which proposals have been developed and presented in the end of 2011. The comments to the management plans have been acknowledged and new versions of the plans will appear soon to further follow the consultation process led by the General Directorate for Environmental Protection. Download the article about the conservation programs of large predators in the Polish website.

One of the main tools in the elaboration of the brown bear management plan was a series of workshops covering different major topics: (1) population monitoring and conflict management, (2) habitat conservation, and (3) transboundary population management. In the last volume of Chrońmy Przyrodę Ojczystą from 2011, the authors summarize the developing and main outputs of these workshops. Download the article here(12MB).

After years of absence, the bears seem to have returned to Beskid Śląski. Tracks of two bears, from few weeks ago, were found in the mountains valleys and slopes of Skrzyczne. The fact that these bear signs were registered so early in spring may suggest that they could have wintered in this region. Signs of bear presence were also registered in Beskid Śląski last year. Unfortunately, bears do not tolerate well the huge human pressure existing in both the valleys and ridges of Beskid Śląski. Hopefully, some measures to reduce human disturbance will be taken and bears will show up not only occasionally, but for staying longer. More information in the Association for Nature “WOLF” website.

This winter has been finally cold and snowy and bears in the Polish Carpathians have been wintering for longer periods. Few weeks ago, spring arrived and with it bears have started to get active. As expected, first bears to wake up were those wintering solitarily. In Bieszczady, bear tracks were visible on the snow in the first day of March, whereas in Tatra, the first bears leaving their winter dens were registered on 18^th March. One of the winter dens found was quite high, over the forest line - at 1716 m a.s.l. See the incredible picture!

By the end of World War I, the distribution and numbers of brown bears in the Carpathians were reduced due to strong hunting pressure, deforestation and other human activities. The population was then divided into the larger subpopulation in the Eastern Carpathians and a small isolated one in the Western Carpathians, which consisted of about 15–75 individuals by the end of 1920s. A recent study by Straka and co-authors provides evidence of the genetic differentiation between these two subpopulations as a result of about 100 years of isolation. The authors highlight the need to secure the connectivity between these two population segments. Link to the paper HERE.