ON THE TRAIL OF BROWN BEARS IN ROMANIA

3. Tusnad Eco Bear Conference in Romania

nature first team united

Last week, Jan-Kees, Melanie, Menno, and Rebekka gathered at the 3rd Tusnad Eco Bear Conference at Hotel O3zone in the stunning Băile Tușnad, Romania. It was an incredible experience finally meeting in person. The scenic train ride from Budapest gave us plenty of time to bond, especially over a few spirited card games. The conference was a fantastic opportunity to connect with our Nature FIRST partners and meet some intriguing new faces.

brown Bear Scratch Marks…

A standout moment was Thursday’s field trip to Lake Saint Anne and the Mohos Peat Bog, where we discovered numerous signs of brown bears. Scat, scratch marks, and chewed signage: all clear indications that bears are indeed in the area, which we dutifully documented in our Data Collection App Cluey.

brown bear scat…

As the trip progressed, we became increasingly attuned to the signs of bears, growing ever more excited about the possibility of a sighting. On the bus ride back to the hotel, we suddenly heard the call: "Brown bear!" And there it was, just off the road: a magnificent brown bear. It was a sight none of us will forget, etched forever in our hearts.

This trip to Romania was truly an adventure, and we at Sensing Clues would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to everyone involved for the superb organisation, engaging presentations, and delightful conversations. We can't wait for the next opportunity to come together!

…and finally the brown bear!

3. Tusnad Eco Bear Conference in Romania

Sensing Clues and Nature FIRST Join the Tusnad Eco Bear Conference in Romania

Next week, we’re excited to be part of the 3rd Tusnad Eco Bear Conference at Hotel O3zone in Băile Tușnad, Romania.

Organised by the ProjectBag Association and WWF Romania, with support from the Mayor's Office of Băile Tușnad and Nature FIRST, this year's conference will tackle the challenges of human-large carnivore coexistence. Experts from across Europe will gather to share practical solutions for reducing human-wildlife conflicts through presentations, workshops, and field trips.

A conference about people and bears, about coexistence.

Our team members – Jan-Kees, Melanie, Menno, and Rebekka – will lead discussions on managing these conflicts and developing bear-smart communities. Rebekka will moderate a panel discussion on human-wildlife coexistence featuring Tánczos Barna, former Minister of Environment, Water, and Forests of Romania, Zsolt Butyka, Mayor of Băile Tușnad, Cristian Remus Papp, Bear Expert & Team Leader WWF Romania, and Jan-Kees. Additionally, Nature FIRST partners, including Jan-Kees, will delve into various aspects of human-large carnivore coexistence.

A special highlight will be the debut of the Human-Bear Conflict Radar, developed by Wageningen University Research and Sensing Clues as part of the EU-funded Nature FIRST Project. This innovative tool will help communities monitor and predict conflicts with brown bears in real-time, paving the way for better coexistence. We’re excited to share that similar technology will soon be adapted for other species, like elephants, wolves, and tigers. Stay tuned for updates!

Game Changer Alert: The Newest Crane Radar Is Here

Introducing the Latest Crane Migration Radar: Insights from DEVELOPER Melanie

crane radar hackathon with Melanie, Koen, Hugo, Bas & Menno

We are thrilled to announce the release of the latest version of our Crane Radar! Every autumn, cranes migrate from chilly Scandinavia to the warmer climates of France and Spain, returning in spring. With our Crane Radar, you can track their migration in real time and discover where to spot them in the coming hours.

To celebrate this milestone, we sat down with Melanie, one of the brilliant developers behind the latest release. Here are five questions that highlight her insights and contributions to this exciting upgrade.

1. Melanie, what was your role in this project?

I maintain the crane radar, focusing on development, testing, and debugging. I implement new code, primarily developed by Koen, as well as other requests into the live version. The successful launch of this new version was truly a team effort, involving Koen, Bas, Hugo, and myself, with valuable support from Alba, Ralph, Menno, and Jan Kees.

2. What key features were introduced in the latest version of the Crane Radar, and how do they enhance its functionality for tracking bird migration?

In the latest version, Koen developed a new method for calculating the probability of crane migration paths using a grid-based approach. This provides a more accurate visualization at any zoom level, addressing limitations of the previous heat map system, especially on busy days with numerous sightings. We also improved the connection between wind data - from KNMI HARMONIE model - and the crane radar, thanks to contributions from Ralph, Hugo, and Bas.

3. What challenges did you face during the development of this version, and how were they overcome?

This application was one of the first to transition to our new analytical platform, requiring us to navigate some steps through trial and error. Hugo and Bas were pivotal in this process, collaborating closely with Alba.

4. Can you explain the significance of the first bird sighting in September 2024, and how this new release enhances real-time tracking of migration patterns and contributes to conservation efforts?

While I'm not an ecologist like Koen, I know that crane migration is highly popular among birders who gather extensive data. Our improved radar aims to help them locate cranes more effectively, potentially increasing the data collected, which is valuable for scientific and conservation efforts.

5. Looking ahead, what improvements or updates do you envision for future versions of the Crane Radar based on the upcoming migration season?

With the new grid-based model, we can analyze different time intervals. Currently, the map predicts crane locations in real time, but it would be beneficial to add forecasts for future hours, similar to rain prediction apps like Buienradar. This would help birders plan their visits more effectively.

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Background Information

Koen explaining the crane radar

During migration, large grazing birds - such as cranes, geese, and swans - often gather in large numbers at staging sites to feed on agricultural crops. These sites frequently overlap with protected wetlands, resulting in significant crop damage that jeopardizes both bird conservation and wetland preservation.

To mitigate this issue, it is crucial to integrate damage prevention strategies with the conservation of these birds in agricultural landscapes. A thorough understanding of their spacing behavior is essential for assessing damage risks and determining effective protective measures. The crane radar plays a vital role in this process and is part of the Nature FIRST project, funded by the European Union’s Horizon Europe Research and Innovation programme. This initiative also serves as the first working example of a digital twin, with components that can be adapted for other projects, such as those aimed at preventing human-wildlife conflicts involving bears and elephants.

The crane migration is on!

Author: ass. prof. Koen de Koning, partner in Nature FIRST

Autumn is normally marked by colder weather, giving many thousands of birds the go-ahead to migrate south to their wintering grounds in southern Europe and Africa. However, this fall has been particularly mild so far, so few birds really felt the need to begin their fall migration. That is now changing! Colder weather is approaching, and that will change the minds of many thousands of migratory birds. There may even be a real mass migration in the offing! So are the cranes.

Some time ago I examined GPS data from transmittered cranes, and combined it with historical weather data, to get a picture of how the weather affects their migratory behavior. What emerged? Cranes are particularly heavily influenced by weather in the fall. They wait patiently until optimal conditions literally give them a boost to fly southward. A very strong relationship can be found between a few key weather characteristics, and the choice to depart, namely: wind speed, wind direction, precipitation, cloud cover and temperature. The day of departure is heralded by a strongly cooling temperature, a substantial decrease in wind speed (calm weather), drier weather, more sun and a wind turning northeast. Sunshine provides the necessary thermals, allowing cranes to gain altitude easily, and the wind from the northeast naturally blows the birds south. Especially in northwestern Europe, where headwinds (southwestern wind) are dominant, this turning of the wind to the northeast is a very important starting signal for the autumn migration. And let now coincidentally all these favorable weather factors come together early next week! So that is a guarantee for spectacular bird migration!

Can we expect thousands of cranes in the Netherlands? That remains to be seen, but the predictions are favorable. The only thing is that most of the cranes have only just made the crossing from Scandinavia to Germany, so the question is whether they have been sufficiently 'refueled' to make the next leg. In addition, the wind has to come in from the east to 'blow' the cranes to our country. In any case, there is plenty of reason to keep a close eye on the crane radar!

And a nice piece of news for those who are already familiar with the crane radar: Recently, we have been working hard on a new version that incorporates all of these weather forecasts as well in order to track migration even more accurately on the radar!

Credits:

Nature FIRST and Waarneming.nl

WWF-Ukraine introduces Sensing Clues

In May, our WWF-Ukraine colleagues of Nature FIRST have trained staff of the Verkhovyna National Nature Park and Yasinya Forestry in collecting and analysing data about large carnivores.

Some impressions!

It is necessary to systematically collect and analyse information on the populations of large carnivores and other species to develop sustainable management plans for territories, biodiversity conservation, and the prevention of conflicts in the region. The modern tools of the Sensing Clues software suite can provide this. We provided partners with 10 test smartphones with ready-to-use mobile applications and installed these applications on employees' phones. We introduced and taught how to work with the capabilities of the package of programs for monitoring and analysis, — Roman Cherepanyn, WWF-Ukraine expert and project manager.

"We met motivated conservationists who strive to improve the primary data collection process and modernise their analysis on these training. We got reasonable questions and collected comments and suggestions regarding work organisation with the presented mobile application. Today, this package of programs for analysis and reporting has no available analogues; it has received favourable reviews", — Ostap Reshetylo, WWF-Ukraine expert and project manager.

Intro and Demo of Solutions for Biodiversity Monitoring

Join our online demo

Join an online session where we will showcase the achievements, solutions, and technologies of Nature FIRST, a project focused on biodiversity preservation. Our goal is to gather feedback from key stakeholders in the ecosystem, as they are the future users of our technology.
The session will begin with an introduction to the project, followed by a demonstration of our achievements and solutions.

After the demonstrations, we will open the floor to a Q&A session where you can ask questions and provide feedback. We hope to start a discussion about the ongoing challenges in biodiversity preservation and gather insights from key players in the field.
The session will take place on April 26, 14:00 CET. We look forward to your participation and contribution to this vital discussion. Please let us know if you can join by completing the form below. After completing the form, you will receive a link for the session!

Agenda (CET)

14:00 – 14:10

Introduction of Nature FIRST by Jan Kees from Sensing Clues

14:10 – 14:45

Nature FIRST tech & solutions demonstrations

• Taxonomy crossovers: EUNIS, CLC, IUCN Red List, Natura2000 and more by Albin from the Semantic Web Company

• Ecosystem base maps by Melanie from Sensing Clues

• Intro to the Habitat Mapping method by Jan-Kees from Sensing Clues

• TrapTagger for Species Recognition by Judith from Sensing Clues

• Towards the Nature FIRST Knowledge Graph by Jan Kees

14:45 – 15:00

Q&A

About Nature FIRST

As a Horizon Europe project funded by the European Commission, Nature FIRST is developing predictive, proactive, and preventative tools for nature conservation.

Stay tuned to learn more about how we combine forensic intelligence, remote sensing technologies and digital twins to protect and restore biodiversity in Europe and beyond. The tools we are developing are tested and demonstrated in the following regions:

• The Carpathian Mountains, a 1,500 km-long range in Central and Eastern Europe.

• The Danube Delta River is Europe’s largest remaining natural wetland. The more significant part of the Danube Delta lies in Romania, and a small part is in Ukraine.

• The Stara Planina Mountains are a mountain range in the eastern part of the Balkan Peninsula.

• And the Ancares y O Courel, the largest green reserve in Galicia, Spain.

Learn more about the project on the Nature FIRST website.

Bird watcher alert!

The crane migration is about to start. With the Crane Radar we’ll show you in real-time where and when you can see them flying!