Non-lethal Bear Management Training Programme

While identifying habitat loss and conflict with human beings as the two principal ways in which bear populations are adversely impacted and, inevitably, reduced, addressing conflict issues is the most effective way Ursus International can contribute to bear conservation.  Small organisations, like Ursus International, can contribute to habitat conservation and restoration through education provision and lobbying, but the problem really needs to be addressed by agencies and big conservation organisations that have large bank accounts, access to lawyers, and which have the capacity to influence politics.  Based on the fundamental belief  that bear encounter and conflict can either be avoided or managed by non-lethal means, the majority of the time, Ursus International's non-lethal management training is oriented towards group instruction of people who live and/or work in bear country, such as forestry, mining and oil industry workers.  It is also well-suited to resident groups, police and resource management staff in isolated communities.

The Non-lethal Bear Management Training Programme is Ursus International's principal project, offering a practical solution to encounter and possible conflict with bears.  The programme takes the form of a workshop which usually lasts a day and a half, but which can be tailored according to a client's needs.  The majority of the programming focuses on bear biology and behaviour, understanding of the differing behaviours of different species of bear, the theories of  encounter and conflict management and instruction in the use of a variety of bear deterrents.  The rest of the programme is then dedicated to practical use of the detrrents.

More details about Ursus International's Non-lethal Bear Management Training Programme will be posted soon.