LIFE Bear Smart Corridors
The LIFE project in which Callisto participates as a partner is titled “Enhancing Brown Bear Viability in Central Italy and Greece through the Development of Bear-Smart Corridors” and is known by the acronym LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors. The project officially began in March 2022 and is scheduled to run for five years.
Coordinated by Rewilding Europe, the project brings together 12 partners from Italy and Greece. Funded by the European Union, it aims to improve human–bear coexistence in Southern Europe, focusing on the Central Apennines (Italy) and the regions of Western Macedonia and Thessaly (Greece). The Greek partners include Callisto, Arcturos, the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Thessaly, KENAKAP S.A. – Trikala Development Agency, and the Municipality of Amyntaio.
The LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors project supports the creation of a network of Bear-Smart Communities through targeted interventions along coexistence corridors. In Greece, two Bear-Smart Communities will be established: one in the Municipality of Amyntaio and another covering the Municipalities of Trikala and Meteora.
The Bear-Smart Community concept originated in British Columbia, Canada, home to an estimated 140,000–160,000 black bears. Communities there developed practical measures to reduce human–bear conflicts while promoting coexistence. These locally developed practices were later adopted by municipal and regional authorities and supported by regulations and enforcement measures. Their implementation has been highly successful, significantly reducing human-caused bear mortality. Building on this experience, the Greek partners aim to adapt and apply the Bear-Smart Community model in Greece.
The project’s official kick-off meeting took place in March 2022 in Pettorano sul Gizio, in the Central Apennines, where representatives of all project partners met to discuss the project’s objectives and planned activities.
The total project budget is €5,855,772. Of this amount, 75% is co-financed by the European Commission, while part of the Greek partners’ co-financing is provided by the Green Fund, following a decision of its Board of Directors under the 2022 call for the co-financing of approved LIFE projects.
Learn more about the project on the Rewilding Apennines website.
