ABSTRACT
Large carnivores are challenging to manage, partly because they are wide-ranging and therefore have large distribution ranges that may cross political or administrative boundaries. Moreover, large carnivores are conflict prone in relation to some human activities, which results in diverse conservation and management policies. The conservation and management policies of European brown bears (Ursus arctos) are frequently characterised by conflicting management regimes. Thus, a comparative study of the conservation and management practices of European brown bear populations may provide valuable insights into the problems related to trans-boundary, conflict-solution oriented management of large carnivores in human-dominated landscapes. In this chapter, we provide an overview of brown bear management across Europe, including existing decision-making and policy aspects. Since most European populations extend across several countries or regions, more effort is required to increase trans-boundary and trans-regional coordination in conservation and management policies. We suggest that such trans-boundary or trans-regional approaches should coordinate monitoring efforts within and between bear populations, in order to make data comparable, harmonize regulations and management goals, and to develop strategies to define and handle problematic individuals. Several trans-boundary initiatives have already been put into practice. For example, considerable effort is currently being expended on both monitoring and research activities, but we encourage further international collaboration, particularly in policy and applied management.
