This year 2024 the Western Valleys of Aragon They recorded a total of 20 brown bear attacks (Ursus arctos) to date, with a total of 28 dead sheep, in an area where the presence of three specimens of this species has been detected.
In this context and taking into account concern raised by these incidents With this protected species, the general director of Natural Environment, Hunting and Fishing, Alfonso Calvo, held a meeting with the main agricultural unions (UAGA, ARAGA, UPA, ASAJA) and agri-food cooperatives.
In view of the recent brown bear attacks in the Pyrenees, these groups have been informed of the actions being taken to make the presence of this protected animal compatible with breeding activitystrengthening support measures for the primary sector and enabling various prevention and protection infrastructures.
Among the first measures are those already established desk to agree and reach consensus on the various measures, the next meeting of which will take place in October.
Infrastructure improvements
The Government of Aragon announces that it will invest 64,800 euros in improving livestock infrastructure in the areas of pasture, with the installation of two shelters for shepherds in the ports of Aguas and Estriviella, at a cost of 48,800 euros, and the upcoming installation of a double fence in the port of Segarra, which will require an investment of 16,000 euros.
Among other measures aimed at prevent bear attacksA controlled burning of bushes will also be carried out, planned for October, to improve grazing areas and access roads to grazing ports have been optimised.
The General Directorate also held meetings in August of this year with the mayors of Ansó, Hecho and Aragüés del Puerto, as well as with the farmers affectedwhich allowed for better coordination of actions.
Intensive surveillance
Since the mid-90s, the Government of Aragon has carried out a constant monitoring of the bear populationboth local specimens and those introduced by the French reintroduction project launched in 1996.
For this, a specialized patrol of five vigilantes works in the western valleys, Alta Ribagorza and Sobrarbe, using techniques such as phototrapping and tracking clues.
In addition, these patrols inform breeders of the presence of bears and assist them in settling in protective measures, such as electric fences and shepherds, as well as the use of mastiff dogs.
The department also strengthened support after bear attacksby collaborating with breeders in the search for lost sheep and the regrouping of livestock. Similarly, the expert reports established after each incident facilitate the processing of requests for compensation.
Aid and compensation
To continue making the presence of brown bears compatible with livestock farming practices, the Government of Aragon continues offer grants annual payments to agricultural holdings located in risk areas, regulated by Ordinance AGM/997/2022.
These grants finance the acquisition of electric fences, mastiff dogs and offer of bonuses per head of livestock for farms that implement additional protective measures.
Furthermore, the farmers concerned may request compensation in accordance with the decree of 31 March 2003. Requests are assessed with a official scale which includes not only the value of the affected livestockbut also concepts such as loss of profits and the cost of additional work.
Commitment to extensive livestock farming
The Government of Aragon has reiterated its commitment to extensive livestock farming in the Pyrenees, promote initiatives that ensure the protection of livestock and, at the same time, the conservation of the brown bear. Efforts will continue with an open dialogue with the livestock sector and the implementation of appropriate preventive and compensatory measures.
In Spain, the brown bear is classified as a “endangered species» and protected by national legislation through Law 42/2007 on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity.
Brown Bear Protection Measures
This protection is reinforced at European level by the inclusion of the bear in Annex II of the European Union Habitats Directive, which obliges Member States to adopt measures for its conservation, habitat restoration and threat management.
These regulations prohibit their hunting, their capture or any action likely to endanger its population, guaranteeing a safe environment for its development.
THE The reintroduction of the brown bear in the Pyrenees began in 1996 thanks to the release of specimens from Slovenia into the French Pyrenees, which means the presence of specimens in mountainous areas on both sides of the border.
Increase in Catalonia
In other regions of Spain, the brown bear population continues to grow in the Pyrenees, both on the Spanish side, in Catalonia, and in the French area and Andorra. These new data place the brown bear in one of his best moments of the last decades.
The brown bear population in the Pyrenees It reached 83 copies in 2023 and could be counted up to 16 calf birthsone of the “highest recorded” entry figures since the first reinforcements of the species in 1996, according to the Department of Climate Action of the Generalitat in a statement.
