Estimate of the Marsican brown bear population: second phase of genetic monitoring completed
At the beginning of March, the second meeting on the genetic monitoring of the Marsican brown bear was held in Rome, with strong institutional participation. The meeting was part of the PNRR DigitAP Project, coordinated by the Ministry of the Environment and Energy Security with technical support from ISPRA.
Around one hundred participants—including representatives from Regions, National Parks, public bodies, the Carabinieri Forestali, associations, and universities involved in the project dedicated to estimating the Apennine population of the Marsican brown bear—took part in the second update meeting on the results of genetic analyses, which conclude “phase two” of the project.
The fieldwork proved to be particularly significant: 854 samples were collected, with an analysis success rate of 81%—a result that demonstrates the effectiveness of the procedures and the high quality with which all teams involved carried out their activities.
The Rome meeting focused on the methodologies adopted, the processes for individual identification of specimens, the quality and robustness of the data, genetic variability, and the first genomic analyses.
The meeting represented an important opportunity for scientific discussion and knowledge sharing, highlighting the synergy among partners and the high level of technical and professional expertise applied throughout the entire process.
The project is now entering its final phase: data processing is ongoing, in preparation for the final meeting that will lead to the conclusion of the analyses and the updated estimate of the Marsican brown bear population.
Further information on the project: Raccolta di campioni biologici non-invasivi di orso bruno marsicano - Digitap