EUROBEAR: Collaborative science for spatial brown bear ecology

The consequences of anthropogenic impacts on ecosystems are driving species adaptation and persistence worldwide. While local studies can help unveil fine-scale processes, robust assessment of broader processes are possible when pooling ecological data from a variety of environmental contexts. This is especially important for wide-ranging species, which are exposed to a large variety of conditions and stressors in space and time. The brown bear, the most extensively distributed ursid, is a prime example: it occupies various ecosystems, including forests, deserts, and tundras, at elevations ranging from sea level to 5000 meters, and within a latitude range of approximately 25° to 70°N. Building on the Euromammals initiative, which has been pioneering collaborative science in spatial animal ecology since 2007, the aim of this project is to establish a network of interested parties and build a long-term, secure sharing platform for researchers and managers to investigate biological, ecological, and management questions for brown bears in Europe. This is achieved by analyzing data across populations and with the field knowledge gained by managers and researchers working with bears in different socio-ecological contexts. The initiative builds on previous EU-wide collaborations, such as Biodiversa+ BearConnect and EU co-funded LIFE+ projects, and cloud-based data management infrastructure at Euromammals. Eurobear relational spatial database ensures the collection, quality control, standardization, and sharing of data necessary to actualize the collaboration, while the Term of Use allows partners to join the network while maintaining full ownership and responsibility for their data.