1. Ine Dorresteijn, Jan Hanspach, Attila Kecskés, Hana Latková, Zsófia Mezey,
Szilárd Sugár, Henrik von Wehrden, Andra I. Milcu, Joern Fischer
Human-carnivore coexistence in a
traditional rural landscape
Email: ine.dorresteijn@gmail.com

2. Benefits and disadvantages of nature
Source: The Resilience Alliance

3. Benefits and disadvantages of nature
Hazards and
Disadvantages

4. Benefits and disadvantages of nature

5. Benefits and disadvantages of nature
Hazards and
Disadvantages

6. Benefits and disadvantages of carnivores

7. Carnivore conservation
 Separate humans and carnivores
 Protected areas
 Promote human-carnivore coexistence
 Most carnivores live outside protected areas
We need to better understand the dynamics of human-
carnivore coexistence

8. Insights from traditional rural areas
 Understanding coexistence dynamics
 Learn from areas where humans and carnivores co-inhabited
the landscape for centuries
 Romania
 Largest carnivore populations in Europe
 Transylvanian foothills
 Humans and carnivores share the landscape
Transylvania

9. Aims
How do humans and bears (Ursus arctos) coexist in Southern
Transylvania?
 Assess spatial patterns of bear activity
 Anthropogenic variables
 Biophysical variables
 Local connectivity between forest patches
 Regional connectivity to source population in Carpathian
mountains
 Relate bear activity to human-bear conflicts
 Assess attitudes towards bears

10.  Bear distribution surveys
 Activity index by ratio
destroyed/total anthills
 Forest pasture interface
 550 km of transects
Combined ecological and social research
 Interviews with shepherds
 Conflicts, attitude, compensation
(n = 86; 2012)
 Interviews with local people
 Conflicts (n = 300; 2012)
 Attitudes and coexistence
(n = 250; 2013)

11. Spatial patterns of bear activity
 High bear activity
 Good connectivity to Carpathian Mountains
 Large forest blocks in rugged areas
 Bears did not avoid settlements

12. Bear activity in relation to conflicts
Bear activity:
 Positively correlated
 Crop damage
 Orchard damage
 Not correlated
 Sheep attacks
Sheep are well-protected

13. Traditional livestock husbandry
 No effect of shepherds or dogs on sheep predation by bears
 High number of dogs
 Small sample size
 Difference in season
 Attacks less frequent in guarded nighttime enclosures

14. Attitudes and tolerance of shepherds
 Some tolerance to occasional conflict among shepherds

15. Attitudes of local people
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Nature in balance
Clean carcasses
Dangerous
Damage orchards/fields
Kill sheep
Disadvantages and ecological benefits
 People agree more with disadvantages than ecological benefits

16. Attitudes of local people
Emotional and cultural values towards bears
 People have generally positive feelings towards bears
 Bears are important in their culture
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Important culture bears persists
Bears important in culture
Important bears persists in future
It is good to have bears
I like bears

17. Attitudes of local people
Perceived human-bear coexistence
 77%: Peaceful or peaceful with acceptance of occasional damage
 31%: Expect relationship to get worse in the future
 Loss of forests
 Bear population increase

18. Economic incentives and management
Coexistence is not upheld by economic incentives
 90% shepherds and 84% of local people unaware of
compensation
 Only 20% believe that bears increase tourism
 Only 7% believe trophy hunting benefits the community
Coexistence could be improved by better bear management
 93% shepherds find compensation important
 More effort wanted from local authorities (65%) and
hunting associations (38%) to prevent damage
 Local involvement is wanted (45%)

19. Human-carnivore coexistence is possible
 Availability of large forest blocks connected to source
population
 Traditional livestock husbandry techniques to minimize
damage by bears
 Some tolerance among shepherds for occasional loss
 Emotional and cultural values towards bears

20. Human-carnivore coexistence is possible
 Links between people and nature
 Benefits and disadvantages
 Key to coexistence in areas with discontinuous human -
carnivore co-occurrence is to reinstate practices and attitudes
that facilitate coexistence
 How can this be achieved?
 What about areas where human lives are lost?

21. THANKS TO:
Funding
 International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA),
Alexander von Humboldt foundation
Great field efforts
 Annamarie Krieg, Joris Tinnemans, Cathy Klein, Remi Bigonneau, Ben
Scheele, Alexander Fletcher, Arpad Szapanyos, Hans Hedrich,
Marlene Roelig, Jannik Schultner, Szilard Sugar, Zsofia Mezey, Katrien
Delille, Hana Latkova, Mareike Brix, Lehel Denes, Norbert Morariu,
Zsuzsanna Aczel-Fridrich, Istvan Kosa, Adrienn Bugar, Fragnaud
Helissandre, Fulop Tihamer, Cosmin Moga, Lucas Teixeira
All the shepherds and local people for their collaboration!