Increased sightings indicate Formosan black bear population growth

Taipei, May 16 (CNA) More recorded sightings of Formosan black bears in recent years suggested that the bear population has increased since 2011, according to data compiled by the Forestry and Nature Conservation Agency.

There have been sightings of the omnivorous mammal in 27 townships across 11 cities and counties since 2018, compared to 17 townships across 11 cities and counties from 2011-2017, Lin Hua-ching (林華慶), director of the agency, said at a press conference in Taipei on Friday.

The figures are based on 2,034 sightings of the species since 2011.

There are currently no concrete figures on the Formosan black bear population in Taiwan. However, the agency said it is in the process of compiling figures on the number of black bears and is scheduled to publish those at the end of 2025.

The Formosan black bear, which occupies the top tier of the food chain in Taiwan's terrestrial area, serves as a key indicator of the health of the island's ecosystem, Lin said.

Increased Formosan black bear activity has been observed at altitudes both above and below 1,200 meters, he added.

There were 78 sightings at altitudes below 1,200 meters from 2011-2017, but that jumped to 513 in the years that followed.

A similar trend was observed in areas below 500 meters: only 18 sightings were recorded between 2011 and 2018, but the number has steadily increased, with 16 recorded in 2025 as of mid-May.

Lin attributed the wider range of sightings to increased forest coverage, rejecting the hypothesis that they are moving to lower elevations due to environmental degradation in higher-altitude habitats.

State-owned forests currently cover about 1.43 million hectares, nearly 22,000 hectares more than in 2015, according to Lin.

With more bears now appearing in human-inhabited areas, Lin said, future conservation efforts will focus on how to ensure peaceful coexistence.

Chiang Po-jen (姜博仁), founder of the Formosan Wild Sound Conservation Science Center, said feedback from residents in mountainous regions indicates a growing number of bear encounters -- something that was relatively rare over the past two decades.

Lin, Chiang, and Lin Liang-kung (林良恭), a distinguished professor at Tunghai University's Center for Tropical Ecology and Biodiversity, all warned that people should not feed the bears, as this could lead to dependence and increase the likelihood of them venturing into inhabited areas.