Chapter 10
The Importance of Reintroducing
Large Carnivores: The Brown Bear
in the Pyrenees
Santiago Palazón
Abstract Large carnivores are keystone species in the ecosystems where they
inhabit. Their loss may provoke an imbalance at several levels of the ecosystem.
Conservation strategies for existing populations of large carnivores and restoration
programmes of disappeared populations can help at maintaining the ecosystem
balance and foster the perception links of humans with nature. The case of the
restoration of the brown bear population in the Pyrenees during the last 20 years is a
successful example of conservation measures carried out to assure the coexistence
between this species and the local society, which economy is based on extensive
livestock, beekeeping and tourism. In this chapter, I describe the role of large carnivores in mountain ecosystems and the context and development of the of the
brown bear in the Catalan Pyrenees as an example of the challenges of large carnivore conservation in a rural context but a high influence from nearby urban areas.
Keywords Large Carnivores Á Bear Á Wolf Á Population restauration Á Mountains
10.1 Introduction
Large carnivores are characterised by their large size and for being apex predators,
i.e. predators at the top of the food web (Edwards 2014). Populations of large
carnivores are typically at low densities and with low reproductive potential partly
because of their large spatial requirements and their vulnerability to habitat
destruction (Rosenblatt et al. 2013; Noss et al. 1996). This feature makes populations of large carnivores especially vulnerable to catastrophic events or continued
declines, from which they recover slowly (Edwards 2014). Doing research on large
carnivores is also difficult because of the time scale, geographical scope and high
costs involved (Estes 1996). Historically in Europe, they have competed for food
S. Palazón (&)
Fauna and Flora Service, Ministry of Territory and Sustainability,
Government of Catalonia, Dr. Roux, 80, 08017 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: santiago.palazon@gencat.cat
© The Author(s) 2017
J. Catalan et al. (eds.), High Mountain Conservation in a Changing World,
Advances in Global Change Research 62, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55982-7_10
231
The Importance of Reintroducing
Large Carnivores: The Brown Bear
in the Pyrenees
Santiago Palazón
Abstract Large carnivores are keystone species in the ecosystems where they
inhabit. Their loss may provoke an imbalance at several levels of the ecosystem.
Conservation strategies for existing populations of large carnivores and restoration
programmes of disappeared populations can help at maintaining the ecosystem
balance and foster the perception links of humans with nature. The case of the
restoration of the brown bear population in the Pyrenees during the last 20 years is a
successful example of conservation measures carried out to assure the coexistence
between this species and the local society, which economy is based on extensive
livestock, beekeeping and tourism. In this chapter, I describe the role of large carnivores in mountain ecosystems and the context and development of the of the
brown bear in the Catalan Pyrenees as an example of the challenges of large carnivore conservation in a rural context but a high influence from nearby urban areas.
Keywords Large Carnivores Á Bear Á Wolf Á Population restauration Á Mountains
10.1 Introduction
Large carnivores are characterised by their large size and for being apex predators,
i.e. predators at the top of the food web (Edwards 2014). Populations of large
carnivores are typically at low densities and with low reproductive potential partly
because of their large spatial requirements and their vulnerability to habitat
destruction (Rosenblatt et al. 2013; Noss et al. 1996). This feature makes populations of large carnivores especially vulnerable to catastrophic events or continued
declines, from which they recover slowly (Edwards 2014). Doing research on large
carnivores is also difficult because of the time scale, geographical scope and high
costs involved (Estes 1996). Historically in Europe, they have competed for food
S. Palazón (&)
Fauna and Flora Service, Ministry of Territory and Sustainability,
Government of Catalonia, Dr. Roux, 80, 08017 Barcelona, Spain
e-mail: santiago.palazon@gencat.cat
© The Author(s) 2017
J. Catalan et al. (eds.), High Mountain Conservation in a Changing World,
Advances in Global Change Research 62, DOI 10.1007/978-3-319-55982-7_10
231