BET, Bear Emergency Team

In 2009, Callisto established Greece’s first Bear Emergency Team (BET) with the aim of effectively managing bear-related conflict situations and contributing to the conservation of a viable brown bear population in the country by promoting peaceful coexistence between bears and people. Similar emergency response teams have been successfully operating in several European countries, including Austria, Italy, and Croatia. Callisto has the necessary scientific expertise and extensive field experience, while also ensuring that its knowledge and best practices are systematically transferred to the technical staff of the competent authorities, such as Forest Services and Protected Area Management Bodies, creating a long-term capacity-building impact.

Since 2019, the operation of Callisto’s Bear Emergency Team has been funded by the Green Fund, under the implementation of Article 8 of Joint Ministerial Decision No. 104180/433 (Government Gazette 272/07-02-2014), titled “Measures for the management of bear approach and human–bear interaction incidents in inhabited areas.” Under this decision, the costs associated with managing human–bear interaction incidents are covered by the Green Fund following a proposal by the Directorate of Forest Management.

To reduce the financial burden on the Green Fund, which is financed exclusively through national resources, Callisto also leverages donations from its supporters and European funding. Through the implementation of LIFE projects, the organisation co-finances personnel costs for the Bear Emergency Teams, equipment, consumables, travel expenses, public awareness activities, training for staff of the competent authorities, and other measures supporting human–bear coexistence. Such actions have been integrated into projects including LIFE AmyBear, LIFE SAFE CROSSING, LIFE Bear-Smart Corridors, and LIFE ARCPROM within their respective implementation areas.