The Brown Bear Foundation wanted to improve the presence of the brown bear in the Serra do Courel. To this end, it has carried out actions to improve the habitat and raise awareness among the groups related to the environment of this species.

The Brown Bear Foundation has completed the project “Actions to promote the expansion of the Cantabrian brown bear to new territories in the Sierra do Courel (Galicia, Spain)”. An initiative that has had the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition within the framework of its 2018 call for grants. Its purpose has focused on promoting the long-term viability of the Cantabrian brown bear population, promoting its expansion to the southwest and its permanent settlement in the Serra do Courel (Lugo, Galicia).

The LIFE Courel Bear project has favoured the settlement of brown bears in new territories of the Serra do Courel, a space of recent expansion of the species. The actions have been: the collection of seed from native species for an estimated production of 25,000 plants, which leads to the improvement and quality of the habitat, trophic availability and the connection between isolated fragments.

The plan has also contributed to the awareness and information of the sectors that live with the presence of the bear, such as beekeepers, hunters or neighbors. To this end, they have explained the presence and expansion of the bear in the area by applying protection practices of 25 apiaries and the cleaning of 106 hunting posts, to avoid accidental shootings. In addition, informative actions have been carried out in the media, social networks and environmental campaigns in four educational centers.