Photocredit: © Tomas Hulik

With just about 1,300 residents, Băile Tușnad is the smallest town in Romania by number of inhabitants. But that figure only counts the people. Harghita County is among the Romanian regions with the highest brown bear densities, and the animals are frequently detected near local settlements. In 2021 alone, Băile Tușnad registered 237 alerts and interventions triggered by bears entering the community. 

To move from conflict to coexistence, Băile Tușnad Municipality teamed up with WWF-Romania and the Project Bag Association. The partners agreed on a simple yet powerful approach: replacing emergency reactions with readiness. They improved the efficiency of the intervention team and trained it to use monitoring data from collars to respond quickly and safely. With support from international wildlife-tech specialists, an early-warning system was installed that is now operated by local teams themselves, helping prevent conflict before it starts. Bear proof bins were also installed to keep bears away from the town. 

The result 

Over just three years, alerts and interventions dropped from 237 in 2021 to only 14 in 2024. It is clear proof that prevention works when it is well planned, supported and implemented together with local partners.  

Intervention team installing a monitoring collar on a bear's neck. Photocredit: WWF-Romania

Bears are not just residents of the Carpathian forests, they are key to their rhythm and resilience. By spreading seeds as they move, they give new plants a chance to grow. They nudge deer to keep moving, which prevents the landscape from being overgrazed. Where bears thrive without causing conflicts, the whole ecosystem thrives. 

Replacing fear with confidence 

“Coexistence is more than a conservation strategy. It is a transformation in how we share our world. It replaces fear with confidence, keeping communities safe and prepared when wildlife is nearby. It preserves what makes a region unique and keeps iconic species like bears part of the landscape and local identity,” says Cristian-Remus Papp, Wildlife and Landscapes National Manager at WWF-Romania.  

“By putting local people and institutions at the center of decisions and solutions, coexistence builds trust and pride instead of conflict and frustration. Most importantly, it shows that conservation can succeed in real places, improving lives while ensuring wildlife has a future too,” Papp adds. 

What comes next 

The experience gained in Băile Tușnad is now becoming a model for other regions. Through the COOP4SAFE project, these solutions will be scaled up across borders - to Romania, Ukraine and Slovakia - to ensure long-term coexistence between people and wildlife. 

What began in Romania’s smallest town could now shape how people and bears learn to live together and avoid each other across the Carpathians. 

Bear-proof bin. Photocredit: WWF-Romania