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.

“You cannot bluff if there is a theatrical civilization, and theater is a great civil force; theater removes the cowardice of living, it takes away the fear of the different, the other, the unknown, of life, of death.“ Leo De Berardinis, actor and theater director     Theater is a powerful tool for communication, as … Continued

During the monitoring visit of LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors – a formal moment to verify that what has been done so far by the partners is consistent with the plans and rules of the European Commission – the role of bear-smart communities for human-bear coexistence in the central Apennines was strongly emphasized through testimonies, field visits, and official moments.

Since late May, the Italian partners of LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors have been implementing a new initiative to engage local communities, to support the development of Bear-Smart Communities in the Central Apennines.

A productive three days of meetings and visits took place over the past few days in the town of Kalabaka in Thessaly.

At the end of September, a bear cub, born last year, fell dead from a poacher’s weapon in the Radosi area, near the Xino Nero village of Florina! The unfortunate bear, which was still at an age where it has not been separated from its mother, was spotted by a local livestock breeder who informed … Continued

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.

A new study has confirmed that Marsican brown bears play a valuable role promoting the Central Apennines as nature-based tourism destination.

The first official meeting of the “LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors” Greek partners took place in Kastraki of Kalambaka. The two-day meeting on November 7th and 8th 2022 aimed to plan the next actions of the project, to deal with some raising issues of project implementation, but also for team building and further cooperation motivation between the … Continued

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.