Rewilding Apennines - Life Bear-Smart corridors
- jojoharvey1970
- Nov 2
- 2 min read
Within the National Park of Abruzzo, Lazio and Molise live the only colony of Marsican bears, a subspecies of the Eurasian brown bears, which with only approximately fifty individuals, are considered to be critically endangered.
Rewilding Apennines are working to maintain and increase the number of LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors, through the development of “coexistence corridors”. LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors aim to improve conditions for bears in critical dispersal corridors, which will link national parks in the region. Ultimately, this will allow the bears to expand their range into new areas.
Within the “coexistence corridors” local communities will learn to live alongside the iconic Marsican bear. Rewilding Apennines encourage cooperation between local communities, businesses, and individuals to prevent conflict between bears and humans.
By removing any potential source that could attract bears to urban areas, and by developing ways for communities to benefit from this iconic species in their region, people living here will become ambassadors for the area’s wild nature. At the same time, they are supporting nature-based enterprises in and around corridor areas, and raising awareness amongst local communities and people visiting the area.
The aim is to remove threats and improve conditions for bears in the coexistence corridors, with a focus on preserving natural food in areas away from towns to reduce the incidence of bears approaching villages.
In Italy, the project area extends over 2,400 km2. Within this area, conditions for bears are enhanced in four critical dispersal corridors for bears, covering 1,100 km2 and connectivity is improved in protected areas including of more than 1,300 km2 of habitat. This is available habitat which is considered suitable for bear expansion but is currently under-occupied because of poor conditions in the connecting corridors. Ultimately, this will facilitate a significant expansion of Apennine brown bears and establish a harmonious connection with local communities.
23 September 2025
Comments