NAME OF THE SPECIE:
(Ursus arctos marsicanus)
The primary distribution of brown bear in Europe
has been adapted to different environmental conditions.
The bear spends most of its time in the forest,
full of green leafs, in grasslands, rocky lands
and other places in function of its biological
and ecological necessity: food, shelter, lethargy,
copulation.
Its diet is essentially vegetarian (90% of its
diet is made of grass, pulpy and dry fruits),
anyway during the warm season it feeds itself
of insects, carcasses and may also damage cattle
and beekeeping. The omnivorous diet of the bear
is related to its teeth, developed canines and
molars and to the adaptation to vegetarian food
by its digestive apparatus. The specie is characterized
by a low frequency of copulation because of its
late sexual development and protracted reproduction
cycles: females repeat reproduction every 3-4
years. Puppies are usually from 2 to 4, and attain
independence at one year and a half or two years
and a half.
The Bear, as many carnivorous, is present in
low rate of population and moves along wide home
range. Its home range can change from 10 to 300kmq
for each specimen, usually wider for male because
of the natural condition and resources (male home
range 1.600kmq and 128kmq in Sweden and Croatia
and female home range 225kmq and 58kmq). There
have been also records of males moving into wide
areas such as 12.000kmq. One of the major factor
that causes limits to species distribution is
the necessity of wintering sites, which requires
uncontaminated areas. Topography is also necessary
to focalize the anthropic areas.
GENERAL DISTRIBUTION OF SPECIES ON NATIONAL AND
EUROPEAN BASES. POPULATION EVOLUTION
 The
Brown Bear (Ursus
arctos) distribution is holoarctic and
its presence is through the entire north hemisphere
between the 35° and 65° of the parallel.
The distribution of the
areas is extended mostly in Europe,
Asia and North America from arctic areas
to desert habitat, from the subarctic forest (Alaska,
Canada, Siberia) to rocky mountains of European,
American and Asian regions. The Brown Bear was
diffused in most of Europe (excluding major islands)
but during history, the extension of human race,
the destruction of natural habitat, which was
often suitable to species connection to the agricultural
changes and to the deforestation, besides the
direct persecution, have determined the decrease
of the surface. Today bears cover wide spaces
through North Scandinavia and Russia. The actual
European population of the bear is around 50.000
(about 14.000 out of Russia) in a space of 2,5
million kmq (800.000 out of Russia) diffused in
different consistence of the populations: two
are copious (5.000 specimens),three are medium
(500-5.000 specimens) one is small (100-500 specimens)
and six are very small (<100 specimens).In
Southern Europe the bears area is divided among
different populations: Spain (50-65), Greece (110-130),
Albania (250), ex Yugoslavia (2000), Italy (40-80),
Austria (20-50). In Italy exist three separate
populations: the most important is situated in
the Central Apennine
and it includes around 40 to 50 specimens represented
by the subspecies Ursus arctos marsicanus
genetically different from the brown European
bear, a small group of less than 5 specimens are
present in Trento province which is now subject
to reintegration project; finally, bears which
come from Slovenia are now colonizing the Udine
alpine area. In Central Apennines, besides the
National Park of Abruzzo
and its external area, the bears spaces are essentially:
Maiella mountains,
Alto Molise, Sirente
Velino system, Ernici
-Simbruini mountains,
Genzana mountain, Gran
Sasso and Laga
mountains, Duchessa
and Reatino mountain.
POPULATIONS DIMENSIONS SUBJECT OF INTERVENTION
In 1985,in the National
Park of Abruzzo, it has been estimated,
with the bears’ tracks counting techniques,
a number near to 50 bears and with the extrapolation
of data into the area, it has been estimated a
total population of 70-80 bears.
The recent scientific studies on the consistence
of the populations have been estimated on genetic
bases by the Forest Corps
of the State and offer one first plan of
one part of the area and confirm the precarious
conservation level and risk of extinction of the
Central Apennines population.
In the Sirente Velino
Park it has been estimated the steady presence
of 3 to 5 specimens (5 to 10% of the present population
inside the distribution area).
The Sirente Velino area
is an important zone of
connection (or linkage
zone), in the system of protected zones
of Central Apennines, by admitting that the National
Park of Abruzzo is the most dense Apennines
area of the bear population. The project seems
to be interested on the expansion process of the
population of the bears in National Park of Abruzzo
and the neighbouring zones. The presence of the
bears into the Sirente Velino Mountain, has been
historically documented  with
continuous signals through the last century. Since
1996, with the event of the monitoring activities
realized during the Project Life and Ponte project,
has been confirmed the steady presence of the
bears in the area. The first Project Life (Habitat
Gole Rupestri) and the Ponte Life I-Life II project,
have underlined that the Sirente Velino constitutes
one passage and food zone important to specimens
coming from National Park of Abruzzo. The second
Life project has underlined the importance of
the area even for shelters, lethargy, and reproduction.
Today the area is also frequented by wintered
bears, reproductive bears and by females with
puppies.
|
 |
