The brown bear is one of Europe’s most iconic and culturally significant species, playing a huge role in European culture, folklore, art, and mythology. In Bulgaria, the brown bear is considered “the lord of the mountain” and is the country’s most emblematic forest species. Despite its protected status, Bulgaria’s brown bear population has declined significantly since the 1990s due to illegal killings, habitat fragmentation, and climate change. Today, only around 321 bears remain, split between two subpopulations with limited connectivity: the Rilo-Rhodopean subpopulation and the Central Balkan subpopulation.
Climate change is impacting the survival of brown bears in Bulgaria by decreasing their natural food base. Erratic weather patterns—such as early thaws followed by late frosts—cause premature blooming cycles that damage brown bears’ key food sources like wild fruit and oak, while also impacting insect populations, like beetles and ants, that are important prey. These disruptions are leading to increased human-wildlife conflict by driving bears into human settlements in search of alternative food sources like beehives, crops, and garbage. This is especially evident in Bulgaria’s Western Rhodopes, where bear-related incidents are the highest in the country, increasing almost twofold from 2023 to 2024. Subsequently, tolerance for brown bears is becoming especially low in these areas. WWF's observations show increased bear incidents during years of poor natural food availability, highlighting the need to improve forest food systems for both the benefit of bears and people.
