New Delhi, November 24, 2012: Bear experts from 35 countries will present their latest research findings in the Indian capital, beginning Monday, with the launch of the 21st International Conference on Bear Research and Management (IBA 2012). The conference being held for the first time in India will provide opportunities to share learnings and build collaborations for conservation and welfare of all eight species of bears found worldwide.

The IBA conference this year is jointly hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Wildlife Institute of India (WII), the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI), the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) and the International Fund for Animal Welfare (IFAW).

“India is unique in having four of the eight species of bears in the world,” said Dr S Sathyakumar, Scientist, WII. “With this conference, a new chapter has been initiated in Indian wildlife conservation. Not just are we hosting an international conference on bears for the first time in south Asia, this also brings a much needed action plan and focus for similar other species in addition to our popular flagships.”

A total of about 180 research papers will be presented during the five-day conference. The participants include 350-400 individuals including members of the International Association for Bear Research and Management, IUCN-SSC Bear Specialist Group, bear experts, field researchers, students and managers of bear populations and habitats.

“There is so much research being done on bears across the world. The IBA conferences provide a platform for the researchers to share their findings, so that these can be put into use to save the bears,” said Vivek Menon, Executive Director, WTI, who was a part of the team that successfully pitched for the conference to be hosted by India this year, and also the co-chair of the IBA 2012.

IBA is the largest conference focused on all eight bear species found across the globe. It is held alternatively in the Americas and Eurasia on an 18-month rotation, and brings the latest findings and experiences on bears, to a common platform.

The themes of IBA this year include – Bears of the world: Distribution and Conservation status; Population estimation and monitoring; Bear ecology and behavior; Bear-Human interactions: Towards a holistic solution; Bear conservation & community participation; Ex-situ conservation & management of bears in captivity; Trade in bear and bear parts: Conservation implication; Bear rescue and rehabilitation; Bears and climate change.

This five-day conference is expected to highlight the opportunities and challenges of bear conservation and offer opportunities for collaboration and information-exchange between people working in research, conservation, and husbandry of bears, both captive and free-ranging.

With India being the host, the conference focus this year will be on Indian bears. The IBA 2012 also features a pre-conference workshop on human-bear conflict mitigation that was held day before in Srinagar, Jammu & Kashmir, and a post-conference workshop on rescue and rehabilitation to be held in Kaziranga National Park, Assam on December 3, 2012.

The conference will also see the launch of India’s National Bear Conservation and Welfare Action Plan, that for the first time brings bears to national priority. The plan summarises threats faced by bears in India, and outlines management action to be undertaken by the 26 bear range Indian states.

Photo: WTI