Thread by @AfonsoBarrocal

In this thread I’ll summarize a project that I developed this semester with my colleagues @PicoElhombrebug and Mafalda Moncada Cordeiro entitled “Bear with Me: The impact of the natural expansion of the brown bear (Ursus arctos) into Portugal".
#bears #conservation #carnivores

In this project, we were challenged by our professor @lmrosalino to develop a conservation plan that would be hypothetically submitted for a research grant. We used a modified version of the @ruffordgrants as template for the project. We chose to focus on the brown bear. (1/8)

The brown bear is one of the most iconic carnivores in the world, existing in most of the Northern Hemisphere. In Portugal, it has been extinct since the 1800’s, but there are still 2 relic populations in the Iberian Peninsula: the Pyrenees and the Cantabrian Mountains. (2/8)

The Cantabrian Mountains population is the Iberian population which closest to Portugal. It is divided into two subpopulations: the West Cantabrian Population and East Cantabrian Population. (3/8) #rstats #rspatial

The West Cantabrian population is so close to Portugal that in 2019 a bear travelled from the Cantabrian Region into the North of Portugal. (4/8)

Our goal with this project was to prepare Portugal (specially the North) for the bear's recolonization of the country, so that this amazing species can return peacefully. (5/8)

Our plan consisted of going to the Cantabrian Region (NW Spain) and collecting biological, legal and social data, that we could then use as proxy of how the bear would affect the communities in the North of Portugal. (6/8)

The main outputs of this project would be (1) the development of a plan focused on the preparation of the Portuguese population for the recolonization of the country by the bear; (2) the dietary revision of the cantabrian bear; (7/8)

(3) understanding the benefits of coexisting with bears; (4) and raising awareness in the Portuguese community about the bear. (8/8)

To know more about our project read our project report available here: drive.google.com/file/d/1SqkUGY…