Understanding the processes related to wildlife recoveries is not only essential in solving humanwildlife conflicts, but also for identifying priority conservation areas and in turn, for effective conservation planning. We used data from a citizen science program to study spatial aspects of the demographic and genetic recovery of brown bears in Greece and to identify new areas for their conservation. We visually compared our data with an estimation of the past distribution of brown bears in Greece and used a point process approach to model habitat suitability. We then compared our results with the current distribution of brown bear records and with that of protected areas. Our results indicate that in the last 15 years bears may have increased their range by as much as 100%, by occupying mainly anthropogenic landscapes and areas with suitable habitat that are currently not legally protected, thus creating a new conservation reality for the species in Greece. This development dictates the re-evaluation of the national management and conservation priorities for brown bears in Greece by focusing in establishing new protected areas that will safeguard their recovery. Our conservation approach is a swift and cheap way of identifying priority conservation areas, while gaining important insights on spatial aspects of population recovery. It will help prioritize conservation actions for brown bears in Greece and may serve as a model conservation approach to countries facing similar financial and logistic constraints in the monitoring of local biodiversity or facing challenges in managing rapid population recoveries. Our conservation approach appeared to be particularly suited to identifying priority areas for conservation in areas with recovering wildlife populations and may therefore be used as an 'early-warning' conservation system.

The survival of large carnivores in a rapidly changing, human-modified world depends largely on their movements; therefore, understanding how movement patterns change within space and time and which factors affect them most is of paramount importance for their conservation. In a case study in Greece using brown bears Ursus arctos, we evaluated the movement ecology of a recovering population in a Mediterranean landscape, where human activity is high. We found that during daytime bears moved less when ambient temperatures were high and when they were far away from forests and close to settlements, where human activity is expected to be high. During night-time, when human activity and mortality risk are expected to be low, bear movement was higher farther from forested areas, close to roads, and in less rough terrain. Although bear movement patterns in Greece were generally similar to those of other bear populations in Europe, home ranges were smaller than in northern populations. These findings indicate that increased human activity and high ambient temperatures reduce bear movement and ultimately contribute to the smaller home ranges in the warmer and human-dominated Mediterranean landscapes. We suggest that management and conservation actions in Mediterranean landscapes should aim on separating humans and bears in space or time, so that bear movements are not constrained and, in turn, minimum home ranges that cover their essential requirements are guaranteed.

SummaryDirofilaria immitis (canine heartworm) is a fi larial nematode found in the pulmonary circulation and the heart of susceptible hosts. It represents an important zoonotic vector-borne disease of domestic dogs and several wildlife species. Herein we report for the fi rst time, the fi nding of Dirofi laria immitis worms in a brown bear killed in a vehicle collision in Northern Greece. The worms were morphologically identifi ed; molecular examination, based on the analysis of the mitochondrial genes 12S (433 bp) and CO1 (610 bp), verifi ed the identifi cation by demonstrating 100% similarity to D. immitis specimens deposited in GenBank. Brown bears in Greece occupy habitats that are shared with the potential wild and domestic hosts and the vectors of D. immitis and thus may be particularly susceptible to this parasite. This report contributes to the knowledge of dirofi lariosis spread in Europe and on the epidemiological threats that may affect the survival of the endangered brown bear in Greece.

Understanding the habitat use and selection patterns of endangered species is essential in developing management measures that will protect critical habitat and mitigate human-wildlife conflicts. This understanding is particularly important in areas with high anthropogenic pressures. To understand the ecological role of various habitat types in the conservation of an endangered large carnivore in southern Europe, with its distinct environmental conditions and predominantly anthropogenic landscapes, we studied 18 GPS-collared brown bears Ursus arctos in Greece. We examined the use and selection of habitats according to age and sex categories and behavioral status during 5 ecologically defined seasons. Areas with rough terrain were identified as important refuge areas and were used by all bears in late hyperphagia and emergence. All bears used areas closer to human-related habitat features during the night. Habitat selection was positive for areas with rough terrain and naturalized (i.e. abandoned or not intensive) crops and areas close to water courses, while high-altitude areas and roads were avoided. The selection or avoidance of other habitats varied across bear categories and between stationary and moving behavior. We recommend that the results of the study be used to develop guidelines for species conservation and allow for prioritizing management actions that will promote the conservation of bears in Greece. In particular, the habitat use patterns provide information on how to limit interactions between humans and bears in space and/or time, while the habitat selection patterns indicate suitable habitats that should be protected/improved based on their importance and ecological role for the species.

The rehabilitation and release of orphan brown bears (Ursus arctos) to the wild is of increasing importance in the conservation and management of the species. In April 2011 two orphan male brown bears were found and rehabilitated for the first time at a dedicated Bear Rehabilitation Centre in Greece. In this case report we describe in detail the veterinary procedures and the feeding regime followed during the 9-month rehabilitation process. For the release on the 23rd of January 2012 the two bears were anaesthetized with a combination of xylazine and ketamine, and satellite collars were placed on them for post-release monitoring. Eight hours later the bears were anaesthetized with the same mixture for a second time, transported and placed into an artificial den in the wild; recovery from anaesthesia took place without complications. Three months later the bears left the den and started moving in the wider area of northwestern Greece. We conclude that rehabilitation and release of orphan bears is an important tool in the management and conservation of this endangered species in Greece.

A rapid and extensive range expansion of the golden jackal has recently been documented in continental Europe, raising new policy and legal questions and creating an urgent need to understand the mechanisms underlying this distribution change. Because of human persecution, the jackal population in Greece went through a serious bottleneck and is therefore now listed as endangered. We used data from field work and publicly accessible sources as well as general linear models to assess the evolution of jackal presence and to identify important variables that could predict occupancy probability and potential expansion, and priority conservation and management areas for the species in Greece. Our results indicate a rapid expansion of approximately 320% of the golden jackal range in Greece in less than 5 jackal generations. Distance to their previous distribution range and the presence of wolves had a negative effect, while percentage of wetlands, arable land and permanent crops had a positive effect in predicting the probability of jackal occupancy in Greece. Potential areas of expansion were identified mainly in the western and central parts of the Greek mainland and the island of Euboea. Only 22.6% of the potential priority conservation areas for the jackal in Greece are currently under legal protection, and of these, 23.8% are suitable for targeted management actions. Based on these results we define concrete research, conservation and management priorities for golden jackals in Greece.

Understanding the processes related to wildlife recoveries is not only essential in 21 solving human -wildlife conflicts, but also for identifying priority conservation areas and in 22 12 "early-warning" conservation system. 13 14