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Article History

Received: 22 October 2025

Accepted: 31 March 2026

First Online: 17 May 2026

Declarations

:

: The authors declare no competing interests.

: This study did not involve human participants, human tissue, or experimental procedures on animals. All data were obtained from official records provided by regional wildlife administrations and non-governmental organizations. According to Spanish and European legislation, including the Organic Law 3/2018, 5 December, on the Protection of Personal Data and Guarantee of Digital Rights, the EU General Data Protection Regulation (Regulation (EU) 2016/679), and the CSIC’s Code of Good Scientific Practices (CSIC, 2021), research requires ethics committee review only when it involves the participation or intervention of human beings, or the use of their samples or personal data. In this study, consultations conducted with wildlife rangers and NGO technicians were limited to obtaining technical information in their institutional capacity and did not include any personal, identifying, or sensitive data. Wildlife rangers and NGO technicians collaborated within their institutional roles, after being informed about the objectives of the study and providing their professional agreement to share technical information related to official bear monitoring activities. Therefore, ethics committee approval and informed consent were not required. All methods were performed in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations.