Eurasian brown bears

[Sully]

"Nothing says they are saved": defenders of the bear "surprised" by Macron

The President of the Republic assured breeders on Tuesday that the reintroduction of bears, implemented since 2018 in the Pyrenees, was "over".

The announcement made environmental defenders jump: on the move to Pau on Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron guaranteed Pyrenean breeders to stop reintroducing bears in the region until the end of his mandate. A promise that would result in putting aside the bear plan launched in 2018 by the then Minister of Ecological Transition, Nicolas Hulot, and whose term is set for 2028. 


"On this point, he was very clear when he said: 'The reintroductions of bears, it's over. It's recorded and I will write it black on white'," testified Tuesday at L'Express Jean- Pierre Pommiès, breeder in the Ossau valley and one of the leaders of the dispute concerning the reintroduction of the animal in the region. The president would also have responded to the recurrent request of the breeders to "withdraw from the massif" certain plantigrades already present "having attacked sheep". "On this point, he was more vague, referring to subsequent discussions with senior officials," said Jean-Pierre Pommiès.  

Promises that delight opponents of the mammal, who accuse the animal of being responsible for the death of hundreds of sheep in 2019. A "nonsense", on the other hand, for Gérard Caussimont, naturalist specializing in brown bears and president of the eco-pastoral intervention fund of the bear Pyrenees group.  



A decision "too fast"
On the form, the naturalist first criticizes Emmanuel Macron for having only listened to a bell: "It is surprising to learn that such measures were announced without associations of nature protection not have had the opportunity to provide contradictory information. Is the message sent that radical actions must be taken to be heard? "he asked. But above all, Gérard Caussimont accuses the president of taking "decisions too quick, which do not belong to him completely".  

The bear plan launched in 2018 provides for "the introduction of about twenty bears for ten years" in the region, so that the population of specimens in the Pyrenean massif is reliable. "For this to be the case, this population must be self-sufficient with a probability of extinction over 50 years of less than 5%," explains the naturalist. "To verify the population dynamics of the animal, an evaluation is supposed to be carried out every two years. Every four years, another evaluation is made to analyze these data and the interactions of the animal with human activity ", he specifies. 

For him, "as long as these social and scientific assessments are not made, it is not up to Emmanuel Macron to know whether or not to release bears, where, when, and why". According to Gérard Caussimont, "nothing says that they have been saved for the moment. Stopping the reintroduction of the species in France is perhaps putting it in danger".  

"The conservation of the brown bear is essential"
"The possible consequences of this judgment are for the moment theoretical", nuance François Moutou, epidemiologist and honorary president of the French Society for the study and protection of mammals . "It is not impossible that the quarantine of specimens currently at large will be maintained and developed, but this is not guaranteed. In 2013, a report commissioned by the National Museum of Natural History showed that depending on certain hazards, such as the fact that there may be more males than females, accidents, diseases, inbreeding, this fragile population can to be put in danger ", he explains to L'Express." And for all these reasons, it is better to continue to reintroduce the 20 or so bears mentioned in the report, rather than not to do so ".  

"The population is extremely small in terms of numbers, and everything must be done to ensure its sustainability," says Florian Kirchner, in charge of the species program within the International Union for the Conservation of Nature ( IUCN ). "The brown bear is even placed in the red list of endangered species in France, and that is why its conservation is essential".  

In 2012, the weakness of the Ursine population in the Pyrenean mountains had even resulted in France giving the European Commission a notice for failing to meet its animal protection obligations in the region. "France has obligations towards the European Union. If we allow the bear population to decrease, and we are not living up to our commitments, we could be sanctioned by the organization", warns Gérard Caussimont.  

Support from public authorities for breeders
For Florian Kirchner, the right solution thus lies in a phenomenon of balance: "It would be good to continue strengthening the population of these animals, but in this case, very strong support from the public authorities must be put in place to support the The conservation of the animal must be thought of taking into account the cohabitation between the species and the inhabitants, as well as the activities in mountain, in particular the breeding, "he underlines.  

A bet already half-successful: beyond the breeders, the populations concerned seem rather seduced by the plantigrade. In 2018, an IFOP survey integrated into Nicolas Hulot's plan indicated that 46% of the inhabitants of the western Pyrenees were in favor of keeping the animal in the region.  Reply