Press conference: Brown bear management in Slovenia is moving away from science
Ljubljana, 9 October 2025
Scientists at the University of Ljubljana are warning of the harmful consequences of abandoning proven, effective, science-based solutions to brown bear management and introducing so-called "alternative" measures that are not.
Dear Sir or Madam,
You are cordially invited to a press conference to be held on Wednesday, 15 October 2025, at 12:00 in the meeting room of the Dean's Office of the Biotechnical Faculty, University of Ljubljana (Jamnikarjeva 101, Ljubljana).
At the conference, renowned large carnivore experts from the University of Ljubljana, who are also members of the Expert and Stakeholder Advisory Group of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Spatial Planning, will present and justify the advantages and effectiveness of the current brown bear management model in Slovenia. They will also discuss the so-called "alternative" approaches that are being put into practice without serious expert discourse: sterilisation of bears at the population level, abandonment of dissuasive feeding, inhibition and unprofessional ordering of bear removal, which accelerates their spatial spread and increases conflicts with humans, fencing of settlements with a higher incidence of conflicts, and the abolition of CITES permits, which further undermines the trust of local communities in the management system.
In Slovenia, the brown bear management system, which has been a European model for many years, is increasingly moving away from its scientific foundations. Researchers warn that in recent years, tried and tested measures that have ensured a well-conserved bear population with relatively few conflicts with humans have been abandoned. Ideologically motivated and ineffective approaches are being put into practice without a clear scientific rationale, endangering both people and bears. They also point out that the Brown Bear Management Strategy, which was drawn up years ago on the basis of proven scientific evidence, has still not been adopted. They expect those responsible for its revision and adoption to be carried out in a transparent manner, on the basis of expert and field-tested evidence.
"This year has seen a complete reversal in bear management - proven solutions are increasingly being rejected and ideologically motivated, ineffective and often very expensive measures are coming to the fore. The consequences are already visible on the ground: conflicts are escalating, responses are too late, local populations are losing trust in the state, and a system that worked is breaking down," emphasises Prof. Dr. Klemen Jerina from the UL BF at UL, a member of the Expert Advisory Group on Large Carnivore Management.
"Science offers answers based on decades of research, monitoring and verification of results. When this evidence is ignored, we lose the delicate balance between man and nature that we have successfully established and maintained in Slovenia," add the researchers.
Speakers at the press conference:
- Prof. Dr. Klemen Jerina, Biotechnical Faculty, UL
- Prof. Dr. Gorazd Vengušt, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, UL
- Prof. Hubert Potočnik, Associate Prof. Dr. Hubert Potočnik, Biotechnical Faculty, UL
- Assoc. Prof. Dr Tomaž Skrbinšek, Biotechnical Faculty, UL
When: Wednesday, 15 October 2025, at 12.00
Where: meeting room of the Dean's Office, Biotechnical Faculty, 101 Jamnikarjeva Street, Ljubljana
Press contact:
Suzana Perman
T: 040 752 138
E: suzana.perman@bf.uni-lj.si
You are cordially invited!