BearWatch

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.

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.