Estonia is exploring ways to lower European Union protection levels for brown bears, ERR News reported. The country wants to move the species from Annex IV to Annex V of the EU Habitats Directive.
The change would make it easier to manage growing bear populations. Aimar Rakko, an advisor on hunting at the Ministry of Climate, identified potential allies for this initiative.
Neighboring Finland, Sweden, and Latvia, along with Poland, are among the potential partners. Other countries facing fatal bear attacks, such as Slovakia and Romania, could also join forces.
Slovakia supports the Estonian initiative. The country has at least 2,500 bears and recorded 16 attacks over the last decade, with four proving fatal.
Slovenia, which is home to 1,000 bears and 20 attacks over the past ten years, supports discussions. However, Slovenia has not yet adopted an official position, according to ERR News.
Romania has doubled its annual hunting quota for bears to 969. Its total bear population is estimated between 10,419 and 12,770 individuals.
Aimar Rakko attributes the current legal impasse to the timeline of EU expansion. When the Habitats Directive was adopted in 1992, countries with large bear populations had not yet joined the bloc.
Timo Kark, Head of the Biodiversity Department at the Ministry of Climate, pointed out that public perception hinders policy changes. “Whereas the wolf is the wicked character in fairy tales — remember ‘Little Red Riding Hood’ — the bear has a completely different image: one of a cute teddy bear,” Kark stated.
Rakko noted that relocation is not a viable solution because Estonian forests are too small. Relocated bears simply return within a day or two while shifting the burden elsewhere.
Bear hunting in Estonia has faced strict limits since April, requiring special authorizations from the Environmental Board for problem animals. Hunters argue this policy has effectively ended the regular bear hunt.
The Board issued permits for 30 bears this autumn, resulting in ten culls, while the Environment Agency recommended up to 150. The Tallinn Circuit Court suspended remaining permits in September following a challenge by the NGO Eesti Suurkiskjad.
The NGO argues that the state lacks accurate population data. Estonia’s current bear population is estimated at roughly 1,100, which is double the figure from 20 years ago.
Estonia wants to move brown bears from Annex IV to Annex V of the EU Habitats Directive to make population management easier. Human-bear conflicts have reached near-daily occurrences as the local population has grown to about 1,100 individuals.
Slovakia strongly supports the push after recording 16 attacks over the last decade, including four fatalities. Slovenia supports ongoing discussions, while Romania has independently doubled its annual hunting quota to 969 bears.
The process will be lengthy and requires a majority of member states to propose amendments to the Bern Convention. Once approved by convention member states, the European Commission could then propose changes to the directive’s annexes.