Assessing the importance of protected areas in human-dominated lowland for brown bear (Ursus arctos) winter denning

Tammeleht, Egle; Kull, Anne; Pärna, Katri

doi:10.1007/s13364-019-00447-0

Cited by 9 publications

(11 citation statements)

References 57 publications

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“…The existence of this reservation and its large forest highlights the association of tourist interest with the increase in HBCs, as has been mentioned for other urban areas [58]. Large mountains and landscape forests near urban areas are generally used by brown bears and play an important role in the occurrence of HBCs [34,46,65]. The Southern Carpathians, where the MNTR is located, are fragmented by longitudinal and transverse valleys and depressions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Patterns of Human–Brown Bear Conflict in the Urban Area of Brașov, Romania

Cimpoca

Voiculescu

2022

Sustainability

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Human–bear conflicts are increasing in number due to deforestation, urban expansion, tourism, and habitat invasion by humans. Our study was conducted in Brașov, a picturesque city in central Romania. Brașov is surrounded by forests and has significant tourist traffic, but also much uncollected garbage and many garbage containers, which attract brown bears. We recorded human–bear conflicts in four districts (Răcădău, the Historic Centre, Noua, and Gară) between 2004 and 2018, finding 55 cases in total, of which in 19 cases involving people, 4 people were killed and 32 were injured. In 36 cases, there were no human victims. We mapped the locations of human–bear conflicts and garbage containers, then analysed their space–time location and human victims in terms of behavioural factors. The altitudes at which brown bears were identified ranged from 580 to 790 m, whereas bears were found in the city at distances of between 100 and 2600 m from the forest. The highest frequency of human–bear conflicts occurred during summer and autumn, and the most common behavioural factor was human outdoor activities. This study provides an important background for understanding human–bear conflicts and will help local authorities develop effective strategies to reduce human–bear conflicts and mitigate risk.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Patterns of Human–Brown Bear Conflict in the Urban Area of Brașov, Romania

Cimpoca

Voiculescu

2022

Sustainability

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“…The most common den types are those excavated in the ground or located inside natural caves (Linnell et al, 2000). However, bears can also use other types of dens such as depressions under rock shelters, nest dens (a nest of needles and branches or other materials deposited on the ground), and tree cavities (Elfström & Swenson, 2009;Elfström, Swenson, & Ball, 2008;Seryodkin, Miquelle, Goodrich, Kostyria, & Petrunenko, 2018;Štofík & Saniga, 2012;Tammeleht, Kull, & Pärna, 2020). A common bear den is generally composed of three compartments ( Figure 3): (1) an entrance; (2) a tunnel that connects the entrance with the resting chamber; and (3) a chamber occupied by the nest, that is, the zone where the bear gathers vegetative material to build a bed.…”

Section: Den Structurementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Actually, human activities and infrastructures may determine denning locations, for example, by increasing the distance from humans (Elfström & Swenson, 2009;Elfström et al, 2008;Eriksen et al, 2018) and/or by forcing bear to select concealed or inaccessible places. For example, winter dens close to human settlements or infrastructures (mainly roads) are typically located on steep (Eriksen et al, 2018;Groff, Caliari, Dorigatti, & Gozzi, 1998;Petram et al, 2004) and rugged (Eriksen et al, 2018;Sahlén et al, 2011) slope, as well as in areas with dense forest cover (Eriksen et al, 2018;Pigeon et al, 2014;Sahlén et al, 2011;Tammeleht et al, 2020). It has also been suggested that in places with a long history of persecution, such as Scandinavia, bears would select denning locations that are inaccessible or hidden (Eriksen et al, 2018).…”

Section: Den Selection and Human Disturbancementioning

confidence: 99%

Denning in brown bears

González-Bernardo

Russo

Valderrábano

et al. 2020

Ecology and Evolution

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Hibernation represents an adaptation for coping with unfavorable environmental conditions. For brown bears Ursus arctos, hibernation is a critical period as pronounced temporal reductions in several physiological functions occur. Here, we review the three main aspects of brown bear denning: (1) den chronology, (2) den characteristics, and (3) hibernation physiology in order to identify (a) proximate and ultimate factors of hibernation as well as (b) research gaps and conservation priorities. Den chronology, which varies by sex and reproductive status, depends on environmental factors, such as snow, temperature, food availability, and den altitude. Significant variation in hibernation across latitudes occurs for both den entry and exit. The choice of a den and its surroundings may affect individual fitness, for example, loss of offspring and excessive energy consumption. Den selection is the result of broad‐ and fine‐scale habitat selection, mainly linked to den insulation, remoteness, and availability of food in the surroundings of the den location. Hibernation is a metabolic challenge for the brown bears, in which a series of physiological adaptations in tissues and organs enable survival under nutritional deprivation, maintain high levels of lipids, preserve muscle, and bone and prevent cardiovascular pathologies such as atherosclerosis. It is important to understand: (a) proximate and ultimate factors in denning behavior and the difference between actual drivers of hibernation (i.e., factors to which bears directly respond) and their correlates; (b) how changes in climatic factors might affect the ability of bears to face global climate change and the human‐mediated changes in food availability; (c) hyperphagia (period in which brown bears accumulate fat reserves), predenning and denning periods, including for those populations in which bears do not hibernate every year; and (d) how to approach the study of bear denning merging insights from different perspectives, that is, physiology, ecology, and behavior.

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“…At the national scale, some scholars evaluated the conservation effectiveness for amphibian biodiversity [9] and carnivores [10]. Moreover, some evaluation studies are also available at the regional scale [11][12][13]. These studies primarily focus on changes of species or ecosystem services, which has provided a good foundation for further studies.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve Is Partially Effective in Mitigating Human Pressures

Tan

Guancheng

2021

Land

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Protected areas play significant roles in protecting biodiversity by mitigating human activities. As an indicator for human activities, the human footprint (HF) can be used to assess the effectiveness of protected areas. We developed a HF dataset for the Sanjiangyuan region in China after localizing the global HF model. Then we used it to assess the effectiveness of Sanjiangyuan nature reserve (SNR) in mitigating human pressures. Our results suggest that the HF value for the Sanjiangyuan region was generally low from 1995 to 2015, with a fluctuating increasing trend. The SNR is partially effective in mitigating human pressures. For 2005–2010, the HF values decreased both within and outside the reserve with more decreases for the outside. For the three functional zones of the SNR, our results show that the HF values decreased during 2005–2010 for all of them, with the largest decrease in the experimental area, and increased during 2010–2015, with the lowest increase in the core areas. The results we obtained are consistent with ecological indicator-based assessments. It is a challenge for the government to balance conservation and development in establishing Sanjiangyuan National Park.

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Assessing the importance of protected areas in human-dominated lowland for brown bear (Ursus arctos) winter denning

Cited by 9 publications

References 57 publications

Patterns of Human–Brown Bear Conflict in the Urban Area of Brașov, Romania

Patterns of Human–Brown Bear Conflict in the Urban Area of Brașov, Romania

Denning in brown bears

The Sanjiangyuan Nature Reserve Is Partially Effective in Mitigating Human Pressures

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