BEAR FRIENDLY PRODUCERS ALONG THE BEAR TRAIL
Who is the Apennine brown bear, what is the strategy for its protection, how many bears are there in the Maiella National Park, what is the WWF’s commitment to bear protection and how to best use electric fences to protect themselves from damage. These were the topics of the workshop addressed at the 20 Bear Friendly producers of the Maiella National Park, held on 30 June 2023 and organized by the Park and WWF Italy as part of Action C10 of the LIFE ARCPROM project.
The programme, repeated in two shifts (one in the morning and one in the afternoon) to meet everyone’s needs, was divided into theoretical sessions on the Apennine brown bear and the role of the PNM and WWF Italy in its conservation, and practical sessions demonstrating the use of electric fences. The workshop took place along the Bear Trail, created as part of Action E5, which offered insights into the bear world and made all the activities more involving. Sixteen people from 12 farms/beekeepers took part in the workshop, a day dedicated to relaxation and sharing which, in addition to training the producers, helped to create a more solid bond between the Bear Friendly producers and between them and the Park and…of course the selfie with the bear could not be missing!
