Brown Bear Management in Slovenia - 2002Minister Franc But November 22, 2002 Dear Minister But: The purpose of this letter is to express our concern over recent changes in brown bear management in Slovenia. We are concerned that recent upward adjustments to harvest quotas will result in unsustainable levels of harvest and unacceptable declines in bear numbers in Slovenia and adjacent countries including Croatia. The International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA) is a professional organization committed to conservation and restoration of the world’s bears through science-based research, population and habitat management and education. Our membership of over 700 bear specialists from over 50 countries conducts research studies on and manage all 8 bear species that exist today. In addition, the IBA maintains close association with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature/Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) by appointing the chairperson of the IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group (BSG). Our organization can speak with authority on issues concerning management and research needs of the world’s bear species. Our website is www.bearbiology.com. Our organization was pleased to visit Slovenia in 1998 following our international conference in Graz, Austria. On that trip, bear experts from around the world, were able to observe and admire Slovenia's bear management program. We recognized it as one of the most successful bear management programs in Europe. Brown bears in Slovenia were at very low numbers following World War II, but good management has allowed the species to increase, while being hunted, to an estimated 400 individuals today. Slovenia has managed the harvest of bears to maintain a stable to slowly increasing population and was one of the first countries in Europe to successfully implement a zone management system for a large carnivore. This successful management has also allowed some movement of bears to the Alpine countries to the north. Other countries have recognized this successful management, and it is not surprising that Austria, France and Italy turned to Slovenia to obtain bears for their augmentation and reintroduction projects. It has come to our attention that the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has issued quotas that would permit the kill of 104 brown bears during the 2002/2003 hunting season. This hunt has already been carried out and we understand that 107 bears have been reported killed. Concerns about an increase in reports of damage caused by bears initiated this change in harvest quotas. The IBA feels compelled to comment on this action, which is contrary to the earlier successful Slovenian management of brown bears. The IBA recognizes that states have the right to manage their wildlife resources and that hunting of viable populations can sometimes help reduce depredation problems. However, appropriate management of depredation requires much more than increasing hunting quotas and likely major reductions of brown bear populations. In an area as important as Slovenia for brown bears, such mismanagement would have wider adverse implications as well for neighboring countries and all of Europe. Preliminary results from brown bear research in Sweden indicate that a European brown bear population can sustain about 13-15% human mortality of bears older than cubs-of-the-year (harvest, traffic loss, etc). A co-operative study of body growth of Slovenian/Croatian and Scandinavian bears has shown that females in both areas have the same growth rate and adult body size in autumn, indicting that reproductive rates should be similar (J.E. Swenson, M. Adamic, Đ. Huber; in preparation). Of course a reliable population estimate is necessary to use this harvest rate in management. A recent evaluation of Slovenian bear census data has resulted in an estimate of 380-430 bears, and this estimate has been accepted for publication in the prestigious scientific journal “Ecological Modeling” after an evaluation by international experts. If we assume that the brown bear population in Slovenia consists of 400 bears and that 320 of these are older than cubs, a sustainable harvest rate of 13-15% would be 40-50 bears. During the last 9 years, Slovenian hunters have harvested an average of 50 bears a year. This seems to be a reasonable harvest, based on our calculations. The sustainability of this level of harvest is also supported by the observations of a slow increase in numbers of bears. This has allowed an even and predictable bear harvest and income to bear hunters. However, a harvest of 104 bears is 26% of this population estimate and about one-third of the estimated number of bears older than cubs—not counting non-hunting human-caused mortality. We are aware that some have made estimates of Slovenian bears numbers ranging as high as 731 but such estimates appear to be based more on political convenience than on any science with which we are familiar. We also know from experience in Norway that it is easy to overestimate the size of a bear population. Overestimates are especially common from those dealing with situations where bears are causing damage. We strongly advise that management decisions be made on the best scientifically-based estimates which, in this case, is 380-430 bears. We are very concerned that the Slovenian Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food has allowed a harvest that is almost three times the sustainable level based on best available data. This will likely cause a dramatic and rapid bear population decline. Such a high harvest rate can have dramatic population consequences for such a long-lived animal with a delayed and heavily age-dependent reproduction pattern and a complicated social organization. We are not able to precisely predict these consequences, because we know of no other instance in the world where a government has allowed a brown bear population to be to be harvested in such a risky fashion that it could be decimated by one-fourth in a single year. Of further concern, we understand that this high harvest will also be allowed within the core area, where depredation losses are small. This not only calls into question the need for increased harvest to deal with depredation problems, but also raises the possibility of influencing the bears in Croatia. It is entirely possible that a population decline in these core areas will affect the bear population in adjacent Croatia. For this reason, we are sending copies of this letter to Croatia. We understand that Slovenia has not discussed this management decision with the appropriate Croatian authorities, as stipulated in the Slovenian management plan. The European Union has investigated bear management in both Sweden and Finland to assure that it is conducted following scientifically sound principles. We are concerned that the hunt that has occurred in Slovenia would be viewed negatively in a possible future EU investigation. We understand that this management action will be discussed at the next meeting of the Bern Convention, so we are sending a copy of this letter as well to the Council of Europe. The IBA believes that the increased quotas for brown bears in Slovenia are contrary to the sound conservation principles that are being followed in the management of this sensitive species around the world. We ask that the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Food to return to their former policy of exemplary brown bear management. Although we do not believe the evidence indicates that there are compelling reasons to reduce the Slovenian brown bear population, in localized areas where such reductions might be justified they should be implemented slowly. If necessary, the quotas in such areas could be increased by a maximum of perhaps10% yearly, be monitored carefully, and depredation problems should be dealt with using effective long-term measures to minimizes conflict situations. Former management programs in Slovenia have shown that Slovenia has good expertise in bear management. However, if the Ministry would also like assistance from the International Bear Association, we would be happy to provide it. Thank you for your consideration of the concerns we have expressed here. Sincerely yours, |