'This is a professional job throughout, including excellent photos, maps, and other illustrations … Highly recommended.' D. A. Lovejoy, CHOICE

Bears have fascinated people since ancient times. The relationship between bears and humans dates back thousands of years, during which time we have also competed with bears for shelter and food. In modern times, bears have come under pressure through encroachment on their habitats, climate change, and illegal trade in their body parts, including the Asian bear bile market. The IUCN lists six bears as vulnerable or endangered, and even the least concern species, such as the brown bear, are at risk of extirpation in certain countries. The poaching and international trade of these most threatened populations are prohibited, but still ongoing. Covering all bears species worldwide, this beautifully illustrated volume brings together the contributions of 200 international bear experts on the ecology, conservation status, and management of the Ursidae family. It reveals the fascinating long history of interactions between humans and bears and the threats affecting these charismatic species.

Part I. Systematic, Ecology and Behaviour: 1. Systematic, evolution and genetic of bears
2. Mating strategies
3. Interspecific interactions between brown bears, ungulates and other large carnivores
4. Adaptations and Competitive Interactions of Tropical Asian Bear Species Define Their Biogeography: Past, Present, and Future
5. Remarkable adaptations of the American black bear help explain why it is the most common bear: a long-term study from the centre of its range
Part II. Species Accounts: 6. Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
7. Andean Bear (Tremarctos ornatus)
8. Sun Bear (Helarctos malayanus)
9. Sloth Bear (Melursus ursinus)
10. Asiatic Black Bear (Ursus thibetanus)
11. American Black Bear (Ursus americanus)
12. Brown Bear (Ursus arctos
Eurasia)
13. Brown Bear (Ursus arctos
North America)
14. Polar Bear (Ursus maritimus)
Part III. Human – Bear Coexistence: 15. Human–Bear Conflicts at the Beginning of the Twenty-First Century: Patterns, Determinants, and Mitigation Measures
16. Principles of Human–Bear Conflict Management in Challenging Environments
17. Patterns of bear attacks on humans, factors triggering risky scenarios and how to reduce them
18. Effects of human disturbance on brown bear behavior
19. Bears in human-dominated landscapes: The case studies of the Cantabrian, Apennine and Pindos Mountains
Part IV. Conservation and Management: 20. Conservation and management of bears
21. How is climate change affecting polar bears and giant pandas?
22. Managing for inter-population connectivity of the world's bear species
23. Ex-situ conservation of bears: Roles, status and management
24. The Challenge of Brown Bear Management in Hokkaido, Japan
25. Potential ecological corridors for remnant Asiatic black bear populations and its subpopulations linked to management units in Japan
26. Captive bears in Asia: Implications for animal welfare and conservation
27. Human Dimensions of Asiatic Black Bear Conflicts and Management in Japan
28. Ecological and social dimensions of sloth bear conservation in Sri Lanka.

Subject Areas: Wildlife: mammals [WNCF], Conservation of wildlife & habitats [RNKH], Environmental management [RNF], Zoology: Mammals [PSVW7], Animal ecology [PSVS], Animal behaviour [PSVP], Zoology & animal sciences [PSV]