The Human-Bear Conflict Radar, an innovative digital twin prototype designed to monitor and predict conflicts between humans and brown bears in real time, will be presented for the first time at the upcoming Tusnad EcoBear conference which will take place in the Baile Tusnad spa resort, the organizers said in a release.

According to the organizers, the Human-Bear Conflict Radar is a "pioneering solution that offers a near real-time approach to managing human-wildlife conflict" and will be showcased to the participants on October 23.

"Developed by Wageningen University Research and Sensing Clues within the context of the EU-funded Nature FIRST Project, the Human-Bear Conflict Radar utilizes historical bear presence and conflict data, ranger tracking, and bear habitat information to create a conflict risk map. On top of this, near real-time human-bear conflict reports are used by the digital twin to predict the location of so-called 'problem bears' and provide a radius of potential conflict. This system empowers communities to make timely and informed decisions to prevent conflicts with brown bears, enhancing coexistence in regions where these animals roam. In the near future, this technology will also be used to develop radars for other species, such as elephants, baboons, tigers, and wolves," the release states.

Explaining digital twins' technicalities, Anna Davison, PhD Candidate at the Netherlands' Wageningen University Research, said that "digital twins are essentially models that use real-time data and therefore can provide information that captures the current state of the system you want to monitor, which is extremely useful for decision makers" and is crucial when dealing with fast-paced issues such as human-wildlife conflict in order to facilitate timely responses. "Our Human Bear Conflict Radar is, to the best of our knowledge, the first human-wildlife conflict digital twin (prototype) at the deployment stage and is an important first step in making this technology accessible to organizations dealing with conflict," Anna Davison said as cited in the release.

Other researchers from Nature FIRST will also share their findings, which have contributed to the development and operation of the Human-Bear Conflict Radar.

Melanie Arp from Sensing Clues pointed out how combining various data sources enhances the radar's effectiveness: "The Human-Bear Conflict Radar highlights how integrating diverse data sources enhances its value as an actionable tool. (...) Our Sensing Clues platform combines information from camera traps, citizen scientists, and tracking collars, improving prediction accuracy. By adding environmental data, we've created a bear habitat suitability model that, alongside historical conflict data, allows for localized risk mapping. We aim to further enhance the radar with additional geospatial data in the future."

Ilya Acosta from the Bulgarian Academy of Science also discussed the benefits of using the Cluey app for gathering real-time data, stating that the app empowers experts to gather real-time, on-the-ground data about human-bear interactions and bear presence and that combined with habitat suitability and food availability, this information will help scientists "paint a dynamic picture that informs the digital twin model and can significantly aid in understanding, mitigating, and managing human-wildlife conflicts."

Scientific coordinator of the Nature FIRST project, Jan Kees Schakel, highlighted the value of this tool in fostering communication and preventing conflict, stating that the bear radar is a perfect instrument to engage all stakeholders in the community and help each other to avoid human-bear conflicts.

Nature FIRST is an EU-funded project focused on improving biodiversity monitoring through predictive and proactive methods. The project aims to make monitoring near real-time, detect changes early, and turn predictions into actionable steps. By combining remote sensing technologies with environmental forensics, Nature FIRST seeks to provide insights that can help prevent wildlife and environmental crime.

In its role at the Tusnad EcoBear Conference, Nature FIRST facilitates discussions on managing human-large carnivore conflicts, developing bear-smart communities, and sharing best practices in biodiversity conservation. The sessions aim to empower participants and promote effective strategies for coexistence, the release adds.

The third edition of the scientific conference TusnadEcoBearConf and the thematic festival TusnadEcoBearFest take place October 22 - 25, with both events aiming to improve the coexistence between humans and bears, as well as the quality of life for both locals and visitors to the region, the organizers said.

The event is part of the CERV project (101146879) "Coexisting with bears - Conservation needs Conversation!" funded by the European Union, with support from the Nature FIRST project (101060954), which is part of the Horizon Europe research and innovation program. AGERPRES (RO - author: Gina Sstefan, editor: Antonia Nita; EN - editor: Simona Klodnischi)