In the last months, Several brown bears have been spotted very close to Oviedo.They are now roaming through wooded areas increasingly closer to the city. The main reason for this approach is not accidental: the increase in apiaries installed in peri-urban forest areas has become a powerful magnet for these animals.
The Fund for the Protection of Wild Animals (FAPASThe organization has been tracking wildlife in the municipality for over two decades and has confirmed that at least three different brown bears have recently been sighted in the vicinity of the Asturian capital. Far from being an isolated phenomenon, the organization believes it is becoming more established. a new scenario of coexistence between mountain beekeeping and the presence of the bear in the Cantabrian Mountains.
A forest environment that benefits bees and bears
According to FAPAS, the Oviedo/Uviéu council offers high-quality deciduous forests in its peri-urban belt, which provides shelter and food for the bears for much of the year. These same forests, expanding in recent decades, have been used by beekeepers to install hives in locations where pollen and nectar are abundant.
The result is that Bees produce high-quality natural honeys Thanks to the diverse vegetation of these mountains, beehives have become a very attractive resource for bears. Just as has happened with wild boar, which are increasingly present in outlying areas, bears no longer shy away from areas near populated centers if they find food available.
The conservationist association emphasizes that Asturias is a region with top-tier natural resources spread across almost the entire territorywith the exception of the densest urban and industrial areas. This continuity of habitats allows the bears to move with relative ease through the valleys and slopes near Oviedo without needing to venture into very remote areas.
The automatic cameras that FAPAS maintains in collaboration with the Oviedo City Council have recently captured Three different brown bears in rural areas of the councilFor the organization, this is not a rarity: they have been identifying bears in the area for more than 20 years, although they do detect clear changes in the way they use the territory.
At the beginning of these monitoring efforts, the bears mainly descended to the valley floors around Oviedo. to feed on the first ripe cherries at the beginning of the season. Now, however, they remain in the surrounding area for more months, attracted by the growing number of apiaries installed within the forest, which guarantee them a concentrated and relatively easy-to-locate food source.
Beehives as a new potential source of conflict
The rise of beekeeping in the Cantabrian Mountains and the Oviedo area has generated a scenario in which beehives and bears increasingly coincideAlthough the presence of the bear is a sign of a healthy ecosystem, the damage to beehives worries beekeepers, who see an expanding economic activity threatened.
FAPAS admits that attacks on apiaries can lead to tensions, but stresses that The conflict can be minimized with appropriate preventative measuresIn his opinion, the installation of effective protective enclosures and the restructuring of beehive sites are the most useful tools for reconciling bear conservation with mountain beekeeping.
In many cases, damaged apiaries are located in areas that They need a complete reorganizationThe plan includes rethinking the distribution of the hives, studying vehicle access routes, improving roads, and facilitating future management. These actions cannot always be carried out overnight, so work is often done in phases, combining temporary relocations with new protective infrastructure.
The conservation association insists that the key lies in anticipate attacks in areas where bears are already known to frequent. This reduces economic losses and avoids negative reactions toward a protected species whose return and expansion are the result of years of conservation efforts.
At the same time, FAPAS points out that a large part of the citizens of Oviedo He is unaware that the brown bear lives so close to the cityThe organization believes it is necessary to strengthen public information so that society understands why these animals approach beehives and what measures are being taken to prevent problems.
The project to support mountain beekeeping in bear habitats
To respond to this new reality in the Oviedo area and other parts of the Cantabrian Mountains, FAPAS has launched a specific project to support mountain beekeeping in bear habitatsThe main objective is to offer technical and material assistance to beekeepers working in territories frequented by bears.
When an attack occurs, the procedure is clear: The beekeeper notifies FAPAS on the same day The system detects the damage and, from there, activates an intervention protocol. Technicians from the organization travel to the affected apiary to assess on-site what type of protective enclosure is most suitable and how the apiary should be reconfigured.
In this first half of May, protection has already been provided a first apiary that had been attacked by a bear in the Oviedo area. Specialists have designed and implemented a closure system intended to prevent the bear from regaining access to the hives, while also reinforcing the security of the apiary in the medium term.
In recent days, FAPAS has also visited another apiary in the vicinity of Trubia which has suffered a visit from a bear. In this case, while definitive protection measures are being prepared, the beekeeper has been forced to temporarily move his hives to another site built and prepared by the conservation organization, with the aim of preventing further damage.
The organization emphasizes that these interventions allow to reconcile the expansion of mountain beekeeping with the consolidation of brown bear populationsThe honeys produced in these areas, of high quality due to the rich flora of the Cantabrian forests, represent an economic opportunity for the rural environment, provided that a reasonable coexistence with wildlife is guaranteed.
Oviedo, an example of coexistence between city, forest and brown bear
The experience accumulated by FAPAS in the Oviedo council shows that The presence of the brown bear near a provincial capital is not incompatible with human activityprovided that land use is properly planned. The increase in forests in peri-urban areas has created a unique environment where urban areas, beekeeping, and fauna of high ecological value coexist.
Far from being an anomalous behavior, experts believe that Bears are taking advantage of the resources available in a changing landscapeThe movement from the cherries in the valleys to the beehives in the interior of the forest illustrates how animals adjust their habits to the food supply, with direct implications for human activities that share that space.
In this context, Oviedo has become an open-air laboratory on how to manage the relationship between a protected emblematic species and a booming economic sectorThe measures being tested in the council's mountains—high-efficiency enclosures, redesign of apiaries, technical support for beekeepers—can serve as a reference for other territories in Spain and Europe where beekeeping and bear populations are increasingly overlapping.
Coordination between local authorities, conservation organizations, and field professionals is essential for to prevent localized damage from becoming a structural problemThat is why FAPAS insists on the importance of maintaining a constant dialogue with beekeepers, who are the ones who suffer firsthand the consequences of the bear's presence near the hives.
The current situation surrounding Oviedo ultimately reflects a delicate but possible balanceOn the one hand, there are healthy peri-urban forests that allow for the recovery of a species as symbolic as the brown bear; on the other, there is a growing mountain beekeeping industry, supported by the excellent quality of the area's natural honeys. The challenge lies in consolidating this balance through practical solutions that reduce conflicts and ensure that both wildlife and traditional rural activities continue to have a future in the Cantabrian Mountains.