On 1 August 2023, a joint meeting of representatives of the Slovak Hunters’ Chamber (SPK), the Slovak Hunting Association (SPZ), the State Nature Conservancy of the Slovak Republic (SNC SR) and the Ministry of the Environment of the Slovak Republic (MoE SR) took place in Dom poľovníkov (Hunters’ House) on Štefánikova Street in Bratislava.

Initiated by SNC SR, the meeting aimed to establish cooperation between the SNC SR’s Brown Bear Intervention Team and the hunting entities represented by the SPK and SPZ in dealing with problem brown bear specimens. The State Nature Conservancy officers suggested the possibility of using cooperation agreements between the SNC SR and hunting entities in dealing with specific problem brown bear specimens to the representatives of SPK and SPZ. After a detailed assessment of the draft cooperation agreements, the meeting participants agreed that these should be discussed also with the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development of the SR representatives and that the discussion with both ministries will continue.

Photo: Joint meeting on the issue of problem brown bear specimens

The participants also exchanged views on a proposal concerning the evaluation and update of the measures of the Brown Bear Management Programme brought by the representatives of the hunting self-governmental organisations. 

The representatives of the participating organisations agreed that the current relations between hunters, foresters, nature conservationists and inhabitants of rural and urban areas is exacerbated and politically manipulated. The MŽP SR, SNC SR, SPZ and SPK are interested in cooperation when dealing with the problem brown bear specimens, and it is advisable that they take effective measures to calm the situation together.

The Ministry of the Environment of the SR presented steps to minimise the risk of human-bear encounters in Slovakia.