Words from the IBA President

The 19th International Conference on Bear Research and Management in Tbilisi, Georgia was a tremendous success! Much of the credit goes to the host organization, NACRES Centre for Biodiversity Conservation and Research, and the organizers for an extremely well-organized conference. The conference facilities were excellent, providing a great environment for the technical presentations. The program was designed so that sessions were not too lengthy, which really helped participants to attend all presentations and allow time for questions and answers. There was also plenty of time for socializing and networking, including the mid-week field trip, which gave attendees a peek into Georgia’s beautiful landscapes and culture. The gala dinner, with Georgian song and dance, was particularly memorable. It is difficult to convey the beauty of these performances on a webpage but it was an impressive and moving experience.

The scientific program was simply excellent. Looking back at all the IBA conferences I’ve attended over the past 20 years, we can be extremely proud of our accomplishments and increasing collaboration among bear researchers. Where little was known then about most brown bear populations in Europe, there is now a wealth of scientific information being applied to develop effective conservation measures. The Scandinavian Brown Bear project is a good example; the level of international collaboration, the number of bears that has been studied, and the impact of this project on bear management is quite remarkable. The presentations also showed that new technologies have certainly revolutionized our science. In the mid 1990s to early 2000s, we were still figuring out the details of using genetic sampling to estimate population size, but these techniques are now routinely applied and we have started focusing more on improving the accuracy and precision of those estimates through modeling and to develop effective monitoring protocols. It was also satisfying to see how informative GPS data can be; from movements of bears in Slovenia to incredibly detailed documentation of human-bear interactions in Scandinavia, we are gaining many new insights.

This was the first conference where we had a Bear Specialist Group (BSG) session as part of the regular conference program. Presentations included timely updates on ongoing work, status reports, and other activities for which our technical program typically provides few opportunities. I think all participants would agree that this was a very successful session, giving much needed attention to species and populations about which we know very little but for which conservation concerns are extremely pressing. In my closing remarks I challenged us to make these species (primarily sun bear, sloth bear, Asiatic black bear, and Andean bear) a priority. By no means does this imply we should not continue our research on the other, better studied species. In fact, we stand much to gain from studies in which we can obtain good sample sizes and quality data because those will help all bear conservation efforts. However, we will have to direct more research and funding towards these lesser-known species immediately if we are to reverse their declining conservation status.

In closing, I again like to thank the organizing committee, particularly committee chair Levan Butkhuzi and conference coordinator Nino Dadiani, NACRES, and the many volunteers for an excellent and memorable IBA conference. I was fortunate to stay in Georgia after the conference and enjoyed visiting the majestic Caucasus Mountains and other parts of the country, getting a true flavor of the wonderful Georgian hospitality, its people, and culture. It was an extraordinary experience!

I’m looking forward to seeing you at our next conference in Ottawa, Canada in July 2011.

Frank T. van Manen

President, IBA

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