The Brown Bear (Ursus arctos arctos) is one of the largest land animals in Europe. The specimens that inhabit the Iberian Peninsula can reach two meters long and the males can weigh up to 200kg, while the females do not exceed 100kg. They are characterized by having a sharp ear and a very fine sense of smell, this being their most developed sense. In addition, it is considered a good swimmer and they are usually solitary animals, except in the breeding season, between the months of May and July.

In Spain there are around 300 specimens distributed in two populations: one in the Cantabrian Mountains, of about 250, and another in the Pyrenees, of 35-40. They usually live in high mountain wooded areas (between 1,100 and 1,400 meters of altitude).

The bear is an omnivorous animal whose diet undergoes significant variations throughout the year, depending on the season. The basis of their diet is herbaceous vegetation and fruits such as oak acorns, beechnuts, hazelnuts or chestnuts; more rarely they devour insects, honey, birds or eggs.

Spain, along with Italy and France, is home to the European populations of Brown Bear with the highest risk of disappearance, although thanks to the efforts made, the Spanish population is clearly recovering, where its threats are being successfully faced, including death caused by people, habitat loss and fragmentation or low genetic diversity. Currently, activities to facilitate coexistence between bears and humans and connectivity between population centers continue to be intensified.

The Brown Bear is a valuable example of biodiversity in Spain and the achievements of conservation of threatened species. The Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Food and the Environment has been contributing to its protection and conservation for more than 12 years, supporting, among many other initiatives, the Brown Bear Foundation with the maintenance of the renowned “bear patrols” or in the LIFE+ Bear Defragmentation project, whose objective is to unite the bear subpopulations of the Cantabrian Mountains and consolidate the genetic exchange between them.