In the Bear-Smart Communities of the Central Apennines, an educational initiative has begun to raise awareness among children and teenagers about human-bear coexistence.

The aim of the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors initiative is to enhance human-bear coexistence in Italy, Greece, and further afield. The initiative’s well-attended first two public meetings, in the towns of Pettorano sul Gizio and Vastogirardi in the Central Apennines rewilding landscape, proved very positive and educational events.

The initiatives of the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project are as necessary as they are desirable in the areas of new expansion of the Marsican brown bear, such as Alto Molise. And here it is essential to meet the communities.

In the coexistence corridor between the Monte Genzana Alto Gizio Nature Reserve and the Maiella National Park, Rewilding Apennines and the entrepreneur Eugenio Vitto Massei have embarked on a new collaboration aimed at connecting people to nature and involving them in rewilding actions in the central Apennines.

Within the LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors initiative, some partners had the idea to spread the coexistence best practices with the bear through the promotion of high-quality food products from the Central Apennines, all encased within the Bear-Smart Box.

Through volunteering and internship programs, Rewilding Apennines gives the opportunity to many young people to have professional and life experiences in direct contact with nature. This is Elena Viti’s story.