Introduction

MónNatura Pirineus is to host a series of conferences on 19th, 20th and 21st September, as part of the project LIFE Consolidation of a brown bear population in a region with fragmented management: the Central Pyrenees.

The symposium European experiences in damage prevention will take place on 19th and European experiences in brown bear damage prevention systems in the primary sector will be shared. The conflict between this sector and large carnivores will be discussed, with particular emphasis on the brown bear. Southern European practices in innovative damage prevention systems will be introduced; there will be round tables on prevention systems; and the topic of ways in which administrations facilitate the implementation of prevention measures will be discussed.

The international conference The return of large carnivores in mountain areas, which will take place on 20th and 21st September, will discuss and debate the recovery of large carnivores in Europe and their coexistence with the local population and traditional mountain activities, such as livestock farming and bee-keeping. To begin, the results of the PirosLife project, implemented between 2014 and 2019 by the various project partners, will be presented. Guest speakers will include European specialists on brown bears, wolves and lynx, mainly from southern and central Europe. A series of round tables will be held to discuss communication, conflict management and the intrinsic value of large carnivores for the region. Finally, participants will taken on a field trip to discover the brown bear population’s habitat in the Catalan Pyrenees, where the PirosLife project is being implemented.

The symposium and conferences will include simultaneous translation into Spanish and English.