The three-year project “Protection of brown bears in the Dinarides” implemented by the Center for Environment in Bosnia and Herzegovina ends at the end of this year. So many processes related to sustainable brown bear management have been launched within the project. Our state, as a signatory to many multilateral agreement, among other things, has committed itself to managing wild species in a way that ensures the survival of species populations and their habitats. So far, no management plan for a particular species of wild fauna has been developed in BiH, so it is especially important that through this project the Center for Environment initiated the process of drafting a Management Plan for brown bear in Republika Srpska in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management of Republika Srpska). The draft document should be completed by July 2021.
“The Working group appointed by the Decision of the Ministry in charge, consists of eminent experts in this field, has done a great job so far and a large part of the materials needed for this document has been collected and analyzed. In the next year, we will continue in the direction of finalizing the Managerment Plan “, pointed out Aleksandra-Anja Dragomirović, Project coordinator at the Center for Environment.
The Ministry also nominated and legally regulated the Team for Large Carnivores, which is supported within this project with the purchase of another tranquilizer gun which will enable them to react more easily in risky situations with large carnivores. The Center for Environment organized a training for the Intervention Team, which was held in mid-December in the National Park “Sutjeska”. Darko Jovanić, a member of the Intervention Team for Large Carnivores, said that the training, as well as the purchase of another tranquilizer gun are of the greatest importance when it comes to establishing a more efficient Intervention Team for large carnivores.
During the first phase of the project, the collection and genetic analysis of samples has been done and as a results we have the first findings about the brown bear population in our country based on modern genetic analysis.
“It is a very important step towards understanding the status of the brown bear population in our country, as well as an important part of the puzzle in understanding the Dinaric-Pindian bear population as a whole. We believe that these data will contribute to decision makers in the way they can act in accordance with the conservation standards when it comes to management of the brown bear population in the future “, said Dejan Radošević, from the Republic Institute for the Protection of Cultural, Historical and Natural Heritage.
An important segment of all previous activities is informing the public about the importance of habitat and wildlife conservation, sustainable management, cross-sectoral and international cooperation.
“The Center for the Environment, as well as the significant project partners, can proudly conclude this project cycle, hoping for a successful next year, as well as new projects and challenges, through which we may plan to continue working on this very important issue, because our country is one of the few in Europe that can proudly say for itself that it has well preserved the habitat and population of the brown bear “, concluded Aleksandra-Anja Dragomirović.