European Brown Bear Expert Team Co-Chair

Jon is originally from Montana, USA, where he received his university education and worked as a wildlife management biologist for the Montana Department of Fish, Wildlife and Parks for 10 years. In this job, he worked on management issues concerning both American black and grizzly bears. He has been the leader of the Scandinavian Brown Bear Research Project since 1991. In addition, he has contributed expertise to managers, researchers and governments on bear management and research in Austria, Bulgaria, France, Republic of Georgia, Italy, Japan, Pakistan, Poland, Slovenia, Spain, and Sri Lanka, and his students have worked on bear projects in Bolivia and Indonesia. The BSG has been important for the successful management and conservation of North American bear populations. He is strongly committed to science-based conservation and management of bears worldwide and has served organizations such as the International Association for Bear Research and Management as an active Council member and Vice-President for Eurasia.