Rewilding the Central Apennines increased the critically endangered Marsican brown bear population, connecting five wildlife corridors across 100,000 hectares.
Who would have thought you could watch wild wolves and bears in their natural surroundings just an hour and a half from Rome? The Central Apennines, Italy’s second major mountain range, stretches for hundreds of kilometers along the country’s spine, concealing centuries-old beech forests, limestone peaks rising to nearly 3,000 meters, and one of Europe’s highest densities of wolves.
Rewilding the Central Apennines centers on the region’s most iconic and endangered resident: the Marsican brown bear, a subspecies found nowhere else on Earth. While relatively secure within the Abruzzo, Molise, and Lazio National Park, bears venturing beyond park boundaries face poaching, poisoning, and traffic collisions, as well as conflict with communities that experience damage to beehives, orchards, and livestock, without economic benefit from the bears’ presence.
Rewilding Europe works with its local partner, Rewilding Apennines, to establish “coexistence corridors” connecting the local economy with wilderness across five corridors totaling more than 100,000 hectares. These corridors link Abruzzo, Molise, and Lazio National Park and Majella National Park to Sirente-Velino Regional Park and other protected areas, extending the range and abundance of wildlife beyond park boundaries.
Team leader Mario Cipollone, who co-founded the NGO Salviamo l’Orso in 2012, has driven measurable results. Rewilding the Central Apennines established 15 Bear-Smart Communities, installing over 430 electric fences, 57 bear-proof waste containers, and 63 bear-proof chicken coops and gates. Locally recruited “bear ambassadors” train landowners, search for illegal snares, support anti-poaching patrols, and manage camera traps that monitor bear movement.
The results speak clearly: the Marsican brown bear population grew from around 50 individuals in 2014 to approximately 65 by 2022. Reflective studs, road signs, optical systems, and reduced speed limits cut bear-related traffic accidents. Securing apiaries with electric fences and compensating for damage at unsecured sites substantially reduced bear-beekeeping conflicts.
Rewilding the Central Apennines has increased the critically endangered Marsican brown bear population from 50 to 65 individuals since 2014 through 15 Bear-Smart Communities, 430+ electric fences, and locally recruited bear ambassadors who monitor camera traps and prevent poaching across five wildlife corridors. Photo by Bruno D’Amicis, courtesy of Rewilding Europe.
Beyond bear-specific interventions, rewilding the Central Apennines restored broader ecosystem function. Teams removed 214 kilometers of abandoned barbed wire and five river barriers, enabling safer wildlife movement. Two crayfish breeding centers released 4,000 white-clawed crayfish and 400 Mediterranean trout into rivers. Griffon vulture numbers are rising through targeted recovery efforts, while Apennine chamois were reintroduced to the Sirente-Velino Regional Park in 2022.
Economic transformation runs parallel to ecological recovery. As traditional livestock herding and mountain farming declined for socio-economic reasons, nature rebounded across abandoned slopes. Rewilding the Central Apennines channels this shift productively rather than leaving it unmanaged, providing communities with new income sources from wildlife tourism instead of continued exodus to cities.
Rewilding Europe Capital loans have supported four tourism enterprises, including a mountain cottage, two wildlife hides, and a rewilding flycamp. Wildlife Adventures, based in Pescasseroli, became the first business to receive REC support, using it to refurbish the Bisegna Mountain Refuge. The Enterprise Network for Co-existence now includes 29 small, nature-based businesses promoting responsible tourism alongside traditional products such as sheep cheese, mountain flower honey, and herbs.
Partnership with Exodus Travels, launched in 2021, rewilds at least 100 square meters of land for every passenger booking a trip with the company, directly linking tourism revenue to corridor expansion. This model demonstrates how rewilding the Central Apennines transforms potential human-wildlife conflict into shared prosperity.
Engagement extends beyond fieldwork into culture and education. Documentaries, including National Geographic’s Europe’s New Wild series, a photo book on wolves by Bruno D’Amicis, animations, theatre performances, podcasts, and the international “Wild Tales” literary contest have amplified the story internationally. Since 2020, 158 volunteers from 24 countries have contributed to conservation work, bringing international energy and economic support to local villages.
Looking ahead, Cipollone wants to see significant growth in the Marsican bear population, with the expansion of its core range, the return of scavengers and raptors that once inhabited these mountains before hunting and poisoning took their toll, and the expansion of European otters into regional rivers. Securing long-term leases for critical habitat in three strategic communities at the northern edge of Abruzzo National Park remains a key priority, as it addresses ongoing threats posed by poisoning, poaching, and the transmission of livestock-related diseases.
Rewilding the Central Apennines demonstrates a model increasingly relevant across Europe: conservation succeeds not by excluding people from landscapes but by creating conditions where communities benefit directly from wildlife’s return. With 24 memoranda of understanding signed across sectors, 17 scientific publications, and 10 university partnerships that have generated 25 theses, the initiative combines rigorous science with grassroots economic development.
For a critically endangered bear subspecies found nowhere else on the planet, and for communities that spent decades watching young people leave for cities, rewilding the Central Apennines offers proof that wild nature and human prosperity can grow together, just 90 minutes from one of Europe’s busiest capitals.
