Two protected areas, a nature park in Italy (Prealpi Giulie) and an adjacent national park in Slovenia (Triglav) have implemented a participatory decision-making process to inform about transboundary bear management in the Transboundary Ecoregion of the Julian Alps along the Slovenian-Italian border. Both parks have received EUROPARC’s formal certification as "EUROPARC Transboundary Area" and comprise a transboundary pilot region for ecological connectivity under the Alpine Convention. The decision-making process implemented involves several steps referred to as PrOACT (Problem framing, Objectives, Alternative strategies, Consequences, and Tradeoffs). This involved coming up with a long-list of concerns and wishes and narrowing them down to three ultimate objectives to be achieved. The project led to a joint agreement for allocation of resources (money & staff time) toward satisfying and improving engagement of all stakeholders concerned about brown bears in the Transboundary Julian Alps Ecoregion. Actions will be implemented through jointly funded park projects from 2017-2026. The actions agreed upon are expected to maintain or increase the carrying capacity of brown bears within and beyond the transboundary area by up to 150% of the current level, maintain sustainable agriculture by supporting small farms and minimize conflicts among stakeholder groups.

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