The brown bear population management

This special feature explored the evolving relationship between humans and brown bears in Hokkaido, Japan, considering shifting wildlife management policies and global biodiversity conservation efforts. Drawing on discussions from symposia held in 2023 and 2025, the collection of articles traced the historical phases of the human-bear relationship—from reverence and utilization (HBR ver.0), to extermination (HBR ver.1), protection and population recovery (HBR ver.2), and the current call for coexistence through mutual vigilance between humans and bears (HBR ver.3). As bears reduce their fear of humans, conflicts such as agricultural damage and human injuries have increased, highlighting the need for new management strategies. A distinctive aspect of Hokkaido’s strategy is categorizing bears as either nuisance or non-nuisance, based on traditional Ainu knowledge. This categorization is made possible through the long-term monitoring of the number of nuisance bears. This approach represents a form of active adaptive management that is rarely seen in large mammal conservation. The case of Hokkaido’s brown bears illustrates a broader global challenge—how a society facing population decline and wildlife recovery can sustainably coexist with large wildlife. This requires not only ethical reflection but also practical, science-based solutions.