There are between 7,536 and 8,093 brown bears roaming the forests in Romania, according to a recent study presented on April 5 by environment minister Barna Tánczos. The same estimates reveal a national average density of 11 individuals per 100 square kilometres.

"The maximum number was calculated using the EU average annual growth of 1.13% per year and starting from the EU reference value of 5,960-6,620 specimens for the year 2007," the Environment Ministry explained in the press release.

According to News.ro, a study carried out in 2016 estimated a minimum of 5,900 and a maximum of 6,500 bears at the national level.

"The study shows that we have a constant increase in the bear population in Romania. As it is a scientific study, there is no room for personal opinions. […] The point of view of the Ministry of Environment is that a constant increase in the bear population in Romania generates a constant rise in interactions, human-bear conflicts and a constant increase in the number and value of the damage generated by this species," minister Barna Tánczos said, quoted by News.ro.

He also said that a new ministerial order to be signed by May 15 would provide for the prevention quotas for the bear population. It foresees a higher quota than last year, considering the increase in the bear population, the minister explained.

According to Euronews Romania, the order to be signed by the environment minister allows the killing of over 400 bears this year, up from 140 in 2022.

"Last year, we had a ministerial order for 140 individuals. That order was put into practice by the hunting associations through specialized technical staff. INCDS (e.n. the National Institute for Forestry Research and Development) proposes a prevention quota of 426 individuals. They will be distributed in certain areas based on damage, attacks, amount of damage, number of unfortunate deaths," minister Barna Tánczos said, quoted by Euronews.ro.

Environmental non-profits say there is no scientific basis for this bear population estimate.

Greenpeace Romania, for example, said in a Facebook post: "Although the Ministry of Environment still does not have a clear estimate of bear specimens because the census will be completed only in the next two years, it is very cynical to do bear population management with a shotgun."

Agent Green also criticized the minister's decision and the proposed hunting quota: "He [the minister] knows that 426 bears will attack people in the next year and announced today that he would order them to be killed as a precaution. The individual has done nothing to protect the bear's habitat and human settlements and is only an instigator of the killing and demonization of the species." The non-profit also shared a petition to stop the hunting of bears.

Minister Barna Tánczos said several criteria would be taken into account when assigning prevention quotas, such as the number of attacks, the number of damage files, the density of the bear population, and a calculation formula that would eliminate "subjective intervention" in the allocation of these prevention quotas.

irina.marica@romania-insider.com

(Photo source:  Fernbach Antal | Dreamstime.com)