BearWatch is the mobile watchdog platform developed as part of a community project aimed at improving public involvement in the ecotourism destination "Băile Tușnad and Surroundings" (Băile Tușnad și Împrejurimile) — in public decision-making around the harmonious coexistence of people and brown bears.
Băile Tușnad currently lacks a strategy for evaluating and monitoring prevention methods against bear-related damage. The capacity of the local mayor's office is not sufficient to bring local civil society, NGOs, and tourists into the problem-solving process. This app is built to close that gap.
The project addresses this through a range of activities: mapping the current situation and proposing practical solutions for evaluating and improving damage prevention methods; making bear-coexistence information available to the public; running an advocacy campaign to develop a local prevention strategy; and implementing brand and event regulations in the town. BearWatch is the digital arm of this effort — a communication and monitoring tool for environmental issues in the area.
What you can do in the app:
- Report bear sightings with photos, video, GPS location, and observation details
- Browse validated sightings on a list or map
- Receive push notifications about bear activity in your area
- Communicate privately with administrators through your report's comment thread
For administrators
Review, validate, or reject incoming sightings, send broadcast alerts, and manage the user community.
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This project is part of the Active Citizens Fund Romania programme, funded through the EEA Grants 2014-2021. The programme is administered by a consortium composed of the Civil Society Development Foundation, Romanian Environmental Partnership Foundation, Resource Center for Roma Communities, PACT Foundation, and Frivillighet Norge, designated by FMO – Financial Mechanism Office of the EEA and Norway Grants. Its objectives are to strengthen civil society and active citizenship, empower vulnerable groups, and promote democratic participation and human rights, with a total allocation of €46,000,000.
Available in English, Hungarian, Romanian, German, and Greek.
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