In December 2020, Parks Dinarides started the implementation of the project “Research of public opinion about the brown bear as a contribution to the Action Plan for brown bears in Montenegro“, which directly contributed to the development of the Action Plan for brown bears (Ursus arctos) in Montenegro.

The aim of the project was to obtain valuable data through the collection and analysis of public opinion on the brown bear in Montenegro, which will be used in the development of the Action Plan for the management of the brown bear in Montenegro.

In addition, efforts were made to educate the public about the importance of the brown bear and the need to protect and preserve its population.

Related to that Parks Dinarides conducted a survey of public attitudes about the brown bear on the basis of a questionnaire used in Slovenia and Croatia for the purpose of drafting the Brown Bear Action Plans there. Collected data were processing and used for preparation of reports that will be integrated into the future Bear Management Plan as part of it.

In addition to this research, the project worked on educating and informing the public about the need to protect and preserve the brown bear. In addition to the general public in Montenegro, a particularly important target group is the population from the area of ​​permanent and temporary residence of bears.

For this reason, the project has developed educational material – infographics that will provide a clear picture of the bear in Montenegro, its importance and the need for protection and conservation through the communication channel of Parks Dinarides. An informative leaflet was prepared for the population from the area of ​​permanent and temporary residence of bears with recommendations and measures to reduce the possibility of encounters between bears and humans, behavior if an encounter occurs, measures to reduce the amount of damage from bears and the like. The leaflets were distributed to the population in the field.