@article{10272/28042,
year = {2025},
url = {https://hdl.handle.net/10272/28042},
abstract = {Aim: Large carnivores worldwide have experienced substantial range contractions due to human activities, though several species are recolonising parts of their historical range. We aimed to assess current and potential European brown bear (Ursus arctos arctos) habitat as well as habitat connectivity on a continental scale.
Location: The extended biogeographical regions of Europe, spanning from Portugal to central Russia, longitudinally, and from Norway to Türkiye, latitudinally. Excluding inland seas; this area covers 11,151,636 km2.
Methods: We assessed habitat suitability throughout the study area using an ensemble species distribution model with nine submodels, using data from 10 European bear populations and Türkiye. We used the resulting habitat suitability maps to conduct a least-cost path connectivity analysis and an omnidirectional circuit connectivity analysis.
Main Conclusions: Habitat suitability was strongly associated with low percentages of agricultural cover, low percentages of human development, and proximity to forest. Of our entire study area, 37% (4.09 million km2) is occupied or potentially suitable for bears. Connectivity analyses identified corridors that could facilitate movement among southern European bear populations, though agricultural land and human development limit connectivity between northern and southern European bear populations. Previous research estimated bears occupied 0.5 million km2 across the European Union, while our results estimate 1.82 million km2 of this part of our study area is potentially suitable for bears, though connectivity is limited. Our results inform conservation strategies and policy development for the future of brown bears in Europe, emphasising the need for transboundary conservation efforts.},
organization = {Horizon 2020 ERA-NET COFUND. Estonian Ministry of Education and Research. Grant Numbers: PRG1209, TK215 German Science Foundation. Grant Number: HE 8857/1-1 Polish-Norwegian Research Programme. Grant Number: 212160 Romanian Ministry of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization funds. Grant Number: PN23090304 ANR. Grant Number: ANR16-EBI3-0003 Miljødirektoratet. Grant Number: 22087007 NextGenerationEU National Biodiversity Future Center RCN. Grant Number: 269863 LIFE DINALP BEAR. Grant Number: LIFE13 NAT/SI/000550 The Slovenian Research and Innovation Agency. Grant Numbers: P4-0059, P1-0184 CCCDI–UEFISCDI. Grant Number: BiodivERsA3-2015-147-BearConnect (96/2016) environmental agencies of Galicia, Asturias, Castilla y León and Cantabria Fundación Oso Pardo EuroNatur Stiftung BMBF DLR-PT. Grant Number: 01LC1614A NCN. Grant Number: 2016/22/Z/NZ8/00121 National Center for Research and Development. Grant Number: POL-NOR/198352/85/2013 Brown Bear Foundation Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry. Grant Numbers: 2015/93284, 2015/131608},
publisher = {Wiley},
title = {High Habitat Potential but Limited Connectivity for Brown Bears Throughout Europe},
doi = {10.1111/ddi.70130},
author = {Van den Bosch, Merijn and Selva Fernández, Nuria and Belant, Jerrold L.},
}