Planning Human-Bear Conflict Management in Turkey

WildCRU together with Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs and UNDP Turkey organized a workshop during 27-28 June 2012 to plan human-bear conflict management in Turkey's largest national park.

Emre Can of WildCRU and Yıldıray Lise of UNDP Turkey led the workshop which was organized with the support of World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) in Küre Mountains National Park , Kastamonu. UNDP Turkey has been implementing a pilot project in the national park to enhance forest protected areas system in Turkey and it was recently presented at the Rio+20 United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development as a successful case study in Brazil June 2012.

The workshop lasted two days and attracted 50 participants representing key interest groups from Kastamonu and the surrounding provinces where the protected area stretches. The workshop included introductory talks such as the one on WildCRU's global review of human-bear conflict and participants then worked together to identify the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats (which is also called SWOT analysis) related with conflict management. The workshop participants finally identified the short, medium and long-term actions to reduce human-bear conflicts in Küre Mountains National Park and the surrounding provinces.

Ministry of Forestry and Water Affairs and UNDP Turkey will incorporate the results of the workshop in the management plan of the national park, which is currently under preparation with a participatory approach for the first time in Turkey.