Lorraine Williamson
Spain’s emblematic Cantabrian brown bear is once again under threat – this time not from hunters or poachers, but from the flames. Vast wildfires sweeping across Asturias, León and the Picos de Europa have scorched thousands of hectares of prime habitat, leaving conservationists deeply concerned for the future of the vulnerable species.
The municipality of Somiedo, long celebrated as a refuge for the brown bear, has seen more than 5,000 hectares reduced to ash. In neighbouring León, the figure climbs beyond 7,000 hectares, while parts of the Picos de Europa National Park have also been ravaged. These are not ordinary forests but protected landscapes of extraordinary ecological value, home not only to bears but to countless other species now displaced by fire.
A fragile recovery at risk
Only four decades ago, the Cantabrian brown bear population hovered near extinction, with just 50 to 60 animals clinging on in the wild. Today, after years of joint efforts by conservationists and regional governments, numbers have risen to around 370. The Fundación Oso Pardo, which tracks bears using GPS collars, has documented how males roam hundreds of kilometres and females tens, giving them some chance to flee advancing flames. But survival is about more than escape—it depends on the land’s ability to provide food and shelter.
Loss of vital food sources
Ecologists warn that the fires have wiped out much of the vegetation that sustains the bears. Oak, cherry and hazel trees—central to their diet—will take between 7 and 15 years to return. The disappearance of anthills, another crucial protein source, further deepens the crisis. With food scarce, bears are already being spotted closer to villages, rummaging among fruit trees and refuse. The delicate balance between humans and wildlife in the Cantabrian Mountains risks being tested anew.
Rare species pushed closer to extinction
The brown bear is not the only casualty. The capercaillie, a rare woodland grouse whose numbers in Spain have collapsed by 90% since the late 1970s, is also losing its last strongholds to the flames. For both species, habitat loss compounds the pressures of shrinking genetic diversity and climate disruption.
Climate change reshaping Spain’s north
What makes this fire season so devastating is not just its scale but its relentlessness. High summer temperatures and prolonged drought, both linked to climate change, have turned northern Spain’s forests into tinderboxes. Ecologists warn this is no longer an anomaly but the new normal: wildfires will become a defining challenge for Spanish conservation in the decades ahead.
A long road to recovery
The charred slopes of Somiedo and León will take years—perhaps decades—to heal. In the meantime, conservation groups are urging renewed investment in fire prevention, habitat restoration, and rural support programmes that can reduce human-wildlife conflict. Spain’s iconic brown bear, pulled back from the brink of extinction once before, now faces a test of resilience against forces far greater than poaching.
Source: RTVE