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line Ursus arctos Linnaeus, 1758


LEGAL STATUS

The Brown Bear is protected by the 1979 Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention) as well as by all European countries within the range of the species. Each contracting party is required to take legislative and administrative measures to ensure the protection of the species. The regulations must prohibit all forms of capture and killing, the damage or destruction of breeding or resting sites, the disturbance of wild fauna particularly during the period of breeding, rearing and hibernation, and the possession of and trade in any of these animals, dead or alive. However, to date a general ban on hunting and the establishment of protected areas for this species has not been enough to safeguard the future of the species.1

European populations of the Brown Bear are currently listed in Appendix II of the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES).



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