Romania has the most bears in Europe

Romania has the highest number of bears in Europe, more than 12.770 specimens, while the optimal number is 4.000.

This is the main conclusion of a study carried out from 2021 by the Ministry of Environment, Water and Forests, together with the Institute for Research - Development in Forestry "Marin Dracea" and the National Forestry Agency Romsilva.

The importance of these results, according to Environment Minister Mircea Fechet, is that we can state for the first time in history how many bears we have in the forests, based on solid scientific evidence.

He also says he hopes the results of this study will be used further in conserving the species while protecting human communities.

Mircea Fechet: My conclusion is that this study opens a new stage in the management of the brown bear population and I hope that it will strike a balance between conservation on the one hand and the safety of citizens, between the protection of biodiversity and the interest of local communities on the other. The state is obliged to safeguard the lives of citizens, to protect them and to take all measures to this end.

The research, which is one hundred percent Romanian, aims to be a basis for optimizing the number of brown bears in the country, but also to reduce the risk of bears attacking human communities in areas that are vulnerable today.

Translated by: Radu Matei