In 2025, Spain’s Ministry for Ecological Transition confirmed a key stage: the country’s brown bear population had climbed above 400, a dramatic turnaround from fewer than 70 individuals counted in the early 1990s. Decades of coordinated conservation drove the recovery, which now brings new complexities as bears reclaim territory across the Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees. Research led by the Instituto Pirenaico de Ecología, part of Spain’s National Research Council (IPE-CSIC), in collaboration with the Universidad Miguel Hernández, places the recovery in a broader pattern: large predators are returning to former ranges after years of protection and the expansion of protected areas.
Genetic analyses place around 370 bears in the Cantabrian range, with the remainder in the Pyrenees, where cross-border monitoring identified at least 108 different animals in 2025. These figures reflect different methods and timeframes, but, so they cannot be combined as a snapshot of Spain’s total bear numbers. The Cantabrian population remains largely native, split between western and eastern groups, while Pyrenean bears descend mainly from Slovenian individuals released since 1996. Male movement has helped reduce genetic isolation, but female dispersal remains limited, especially in the Cantabrian region.
Natural Expansion and New Frontiers
Recent studies show brown bears are steadily expanding into areas such as Cabrera, La Carballeda, and Sanabria. Between 2012 and mid-2025, researchers documented 85 confirmed bear signs across 34 new 10-kilometer grid squares. The signs included tracks and photos, as well as evidence from hive damage and genetic samples. Some evidence suggests a stable presence, but experts call for more systematic monitoring. The bears are recolonizing landscapes where they vanished for decades, and the occupied area reached nearly 18,800 square kilometers by 2024. These mountain corridors are now seen as strategic for reducing isolation and supporting further recovery.
The expansion is part of a wider European ecological trend. Some large mammals, including roe deer and wild boar, are increasing even as insects and amphibians decline. Researchers describe this contrast as an ecological paradox. In Spain, the return of bears and wolves has been linked to reduced persecution and legal protection, alongside the growth of protected landscapes.
Recovery Brings New Risks
Despite the population boom, the brown bear remains officially endangered in Spain. The resurgence reflects more than an end to poaching: it also stems from sustained work to restore habitats and protect sensitive areas, coordinated between regional governments. Yet threats persist. Climate change is altering food availability, with blueberry harvests becoming less predictable. Some forests may shrink, and hibernation periods are shortening. The LIFE Osos con Futuro project has responded by planting 150,000 trees and shrubs, including 25,000 local chestnuts, to support bear diets.
Spain’s wider large-carnivore policy also shifted in 2025. In March, Congress approved removing the wolf from the Listado de Especies Silvestres en Régimen de Protección Especial, allowing hunting north of the Duero River. That decision concerns wolves, not bears, but reflects the contested policy field surrounding predator conservation.
As bears move closer to villages, the risk of conflict grows around orchards and beehives, as well as on roads. Limiting access to human food sources is now a priority to prevent bears from becoming habituated to people. These challenges echo the need for prevention in areas where wildlife accidents are common, a topic also explored in reports such as recent coverage of unexpected risks in daily life.
New Protocols for Coexistence
On June 22, 2026, Spain’s environmental authorities approved an updated protocol for managing bears that are injured or habituated to people, as well as those that pose problems. The guidelines, now in force in Galicia, Asturias, Cantabria, and Castilla y León, set out procedures for intervention teams, covering deterrence and veterinary care, with capture and release available if necessary. The protocol emphasizes public safety alongside strict protection of the species, with graduated responses depending on the bear’s behavior and risk level. It also covers abandoned cubs and injured animals, aiming for consistent action across regions.
Spain’s brown bear comeback is a conservation success, but its future depends on continued habitat protection and vigilant monitoring, along with public acceptance. As the bears reclaim their place in the country’s wild landscapes, the balance between recovery and coexistence remains delicate.
