In Spain, supporting the conservation of the Cantabrian brown bear populations and its habitat.
With the aim of supporting the conservation of Cantabrian brown bear populations and their habitat, EDP has partnered with Fundación OSO de Asturias, following up on a project that was born in 2019.
Protecting Cantabrian brown bear populations
EDP partnered with Fundación OSO de Asturias (FOA) to support the program to provide information to visitors to protected natural areas where there is a consolidated bear population, which also included the provision of 100% electric vehicles to ensure sustainable mobility.
FOA is a private non-profit organization whose mission is to promote conservation activities - and scientific research - of the Cantabrian brown bear populations and their habitat.
Responsible practices and logistical support
As part of the program, information was produced and made available to advise visitors on responsible practices and civic behavior to adopt in the bears' natural environment. Additionally, the opportunity was taken to gauge visitors' perceptions of Cantabrian brown bear conservation, observation tourism, and FOA activities.
The Baldajos Group provided the necessary vehicles, 100% electric, to ensure the sustainable mobility of four employees, appointed by the FOA, who were responsible for going around the Somiedo Natural Park, Las Ubiñas-La Mesa Natural Park, the Desfiladero de las Xanas Natural Monument or the Senda del Oso, paying special attention to the points with the greatest flow of visitors.
These employees are responsible for answering all visitors' questions and providing information materials - such as the manual of good practices to adopt in the event of contact with a bear.
The project, launched by FOA in the summer of 2019, gained particular relevance in 2021, in the middle of the pandemic, due to the significant increase in the number of visitors opting for nature tourism. The third edition of the program was launched in March 2022, on the occasion of Holy Week, given the predictable increase in visitors.
This work is proving increasingly essential in a community whose Natural Network occupies 40% of its surface area - more than 400,000 hectares - and receives more than one million visits per year.
