The Dinaric-Balkan-Pindus region is one of Europe’s richest areas in terms of biodiversity and is home to brown bears, wolves, and lynx—species that transcend national borders and administrative systems. Their conservation requires coordinated, transnational efforts, which is why the Dinaric-Balkan-Pindus Large Carnivore Initiative was launched five years ago. The Initiative brings together experts from ten countries with the goal of establishing a long-term mechanism for exchanging experiences and data on the management of shared large carnivore populations.

Since its establishment, significant efforts have been made over the past five years in various aspects of large carnivore population management—ranging from monitoring and conflict prevention between people and wildlife to the establishment of intervention teams, improvement of habitat connectivity, and capacity building across the region. The Initiative is supported by the German Environment Agency.

In response to the increasing number of incidents between people and large carnivores, particularly bears, in Montenegro, a workshop was held in Plužine on October 20–21, 2025. The workshop focused on one of the most critical components in both protection and conflict mitigation—the Intervention Team (IT), which was established in Montenegro in 2018 but is currently not operational.

To address this, a series of expert sessions were organized for the Intervention Team, along with the sharing of concrete experiences from similar teams in other countries of the region. Practical exercises and demonstrations of the latest deterrent equipment for large carnivores were also held for current and potential IT members. Additionally, equipment aimed at reducing damage to farmers’ property—especially for beekeepers and livestock breeders who share space with large carnivores—was demonstrated. All equipment was donated to the Montenegrin Intervention Team and local beekeepers in the area of Nature Park Piva at the end of the workshop.

The final part of the workshop was dedicated to a meeting with local residents, together with the protected area manager, hunting organizations, members of the Intervention Team, and other interested stakeholders. This segment proved to be the most important, as local community representatives were carefully listened to while they voiced their need for support to continue living and working safely and without fear in areas shared with large carnivores.

The event concluded with a shared vision: a future in which bears are not seen as a threat but as indicators of ecosystem health, and in which coexistence between people and large carnivores is a reality. To realize this goal, all relevant institutions, including the Intervention Team, must intensify their efforts starting today.

The workshop was organized in cooperation with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Water Management, the Ministry of Ecology, Sustainable Development and Northern Development, the Environmental Protection Agency of Montenegro, Nature Park Piva, and Parks Dinarides. It was implemented by experts and organizations gathered around the DiBaPi Initiative. The costs of organizing the workshop and the demonstration equipment were covered by the DiBaPi Platform Secretariat and WWF Adria, as part of the project “Large carnivores in Central and South Eastern Europe – connected and coexisting with people.”