Habitat suitability for Brown bear (Ursus arctos) in the south-eastern Iberian Range

The Brown bear (Ursus arctos) is the biggest mammalian carnivore living in Western Europe and an endangered species in Spain. After centuries of decline. all Iberian populations have become extinct except two of them which are currently being recovered. Today. it seems feasible to initiate new conservation strategies to allow the recovery of extinct bear populations and their ecological functions by means of reintroduction programs. The goal of this study was to assess habitat suitability for the species in the south-eastern part of the Iberian Range. Our starting hypothesis predicts that this geographical area has favourable ecological characteristics to harbour a viable population of brown bears. The results point out that land abandonment, forest regeneration, a large forest extension. high habitat heterogeneity. and large natural protected areas network all provide suitable habitat conditions. The assessment of habitat suitability allowed ranking the land of the study area for the establishment of a Brown bear population; ca. 16 000 km(2) has high or medium-high habitat suitability values. The most suitable areas included abrupt relief. forests and other vegetation cover types that will provide both refuge and food to brown bears throughout all seasons. This study is a first step towards the evaluation of a future reintroduction of the species into the area, which in following steps would require addressing social acceptance and, ultimately. would depend on bold policy decisions.