Spain is home to bears, specifically brown bears, which represent a significant part of the country’s natural heritage. While their populations faced decline in the past, brown bears are now a protected species in Spain, with their numbers showing recovery.
Bear Species in Spain
The bears found in Spain are European brown bears, scientifically known as Ursus arctos arctos. Within Spain, the population inhabiting the Cantabrian Mountains is often referred to as the Cantabrian brown bear. These bears are smaller than some other brown bear populations, with males weighing between 115 and 200 kilograms and females between 85 and 150 kilograms. Their body length ranges from 1.6 to 2 meters, and they stand about 0.9 to 1 meter tall at the shoulder.
Brown bears in Spain are omnivores, with a diet that consists of plant matter. They forage for roots, fruit, berries, and nuts, particularly acorns and beechnuts. Their diet is supplemented by insects, eggs, honey, fungi, and carrion, especially in spring when they need to replenish weight lost during winter. These bears are timid and actively avoid human contact.
Where Bears Live
Brown bear populations in Spain are concentrated in two mountainous regions: the Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees. The Cantabrian Mountains, stretching across northern Spain, host the largest brown bear population in Western Europe. This population is divided into two main groups, western and eastern, inhabiting areas within Asturias, León, Cantabria, and parts of Galicia. These rugged landscapes, characterized by high peaks and steep valleys, provide the dense forests and varied terrain suitable for the bears’ habitat.
The Pyrenean brown bear population is found along the mountain range forming the border between Spain and France, extending into Andorra. On the Spanish side, they inhabit regions such as Catalonia, Aragon, and Navarre. These environments offer food sources and secluded areas for denning and raising cubs. The presence of these bears depends on undisturbed natural spaces that provide food and shelter.
Conservation Efforts and Population Trends
The brown bear population in Spain faced a decline during the first half of the 20th century, due to human persecution, including hunting, and habitat loss. By the 1990s, the Cantabrian population dwindled to as few as 60 individuals, while the Pyrenean bears were on the verge of extinction. This situation prompted conservation efforts.
A step in their recovery was the ban on bear hunting in Spain in 1973, followed by their classification as an endangered species under Spanish and European law. Killing a bear now carries a maximum fine of €300,000. Conservation initiatives have focused on habitat protection and restoration, including acquiring land and planting native fruit-bearing trees to improve food availability and create wildlife corridors. These corridors help connect fragmented populations and enhance genetic diversity.
Anti-poaching measures have been strengthened through increased enforcement, training rangers, and establishing wildlife crime police units. Public awareness campaigns and environmental education programs, often conducted in collaboration with local communities, foster coexistence between humans and bears. Organizations also work to mitigate human-bear conflicts, for example, by deterring bears from villages and compensating farmers for damage to beehives, fruit trees, or livestock.
Population trends show a recovery. The Cantabrian brown bear population has grown from an estimated 60-100 individuals in the 1990s to over 400 in 2024. This population continues to increase annually. In the Pyrenees, reintroduction programs in the 1990s involving bears from Slovenia have helped the population rebound to around 96 individuals in 2024. While this growth is a success, challenges remain, including maintaining genetic diversity in the Pyrenean population and managing increasing human-bear interactions as bear numbers expand into new areas.