At the beginning of 2010, in January started the LIFE+ Nature project “Best practices and demonstrative actions for conservation of Ursus arctos species in the eastern Carpathians, Romania” under coordination of Environmental Protection Agency Vrancea, having as partners Environmental Protection Agency Covasna, Environmental Protection Agency Harghita, Association for Biological Diversity Conservation Focsani and Association for Nature Values Conservation from Balan, being followed the conservation the most representative sample of Ursus arctos population in Romania, through implementing the best practices and demonstrative actions in central-eastern area of the eastern Carpathians.

   Located in the central zone of the Eastern Carpathian’s curve, the project’s area overlaps those habitats where exists the biggest brown bear density/hectare in Europe (4,3 bears/1000 ha), in 2008 the population being estimated at 2300 individuals spread on the area of Vrancea, Covasna and Harghita- on the proposed project’s area.

   This high density generates many conflicts which can lead at the embittering of the specie’s image but in the same time at the increase of the number of individuals killed by derogation from the protection law, accorded by the national authority responsible with the bear management (Ministry of Environment).

   The existence of this representative core of the Carpathian bear population has been a scientific argument which led at the designation on the project’s area 15 communitarian interest sites, part of the Natura 2000 network.