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Facial Recognition for Bear Tracking in Pyrenees Using AI

Rural Agents are deploying an artificial intelligence tool for individualized bear tracking through cameras and DNA analysis.

Close-up of a brown bear's face in the Catalan Pyrenees.
IA

Close-up of a brown bear's face in the Catalan Pyrenees.

Rural Agents have begun deploying a new artificial intelligence tool in the Catalan Pyrenees for the individualized tracking of bears, using facial recognition and DNA analysis.

The Rural Agents corps is undergoing a digitalization process, as outlined in its 2026-2030 Strategic Plan. One of the first initiatives launched in the Pyrenees involves an artificial intelligence tool designed for personalized bear tracking. This technology combines facial recognition of the animals, captured by the camera trap network, with the analysis of epithelial DNA from remains found by agents.
According to Antoni Mur, chief inspector of the Rural Agents, significant knowledge and software for facial recognition already exist, with previous experiences like the BearID Project. "This allows for individualized tracking of each specimen," Mur stated. The strategic plan also includes improvements in remote sensing, an area in which they already operate.
Concurrently, the Generalitat plans a substantial expansion of the Rural Agents' workforce in the Ponent region, adding 170 new members by 2030, thereby tripling the current staff (80 agents). This measure is part of the Corps' Strategic Plan, presented in Lleida by the entity's director general, Elisenda Pérez, and chief inspector Antoni Mur.
Mur indicated that needs are constantly assessed, with plans to open 120 new positions annually across Catalonia, aiming to increase the total workforce from 790 to 1,300 agents within four years. Director General Elisenda Pérez highlighted that 40% of the new positions will be reserved for women.
Last year, Rural Agents conducted 24,600 operations in Ponent, approximately one-sixth of the national total (141,000), and issued 916 fines for environmental violations. These figures emerge amidst increased human presence in natural areas, a higher density of ungulates, and a rise in risk situations, exacerbated by climate change.
New provisions for the corps include the establishment of a night shift and equipping agents with extendable batons for protection. The possibility of carrying sidearms, a long-standing demand intensified after the shooting deaths of two agents in 2017, "is on the table," according to Pérez.
The 2026-2030 Strategic Plan also envisages the creation of four new headquarters: the first in Balaguer, with construction expected to start this month and completion by June 2027. For the Sort headquarters (planned opening mid-2028), a plot of land has not yet been secured. Land is also unavailable for the new facilities in the regional area of Lleida, projected for completion by the end of 2034. The Lleida and Balaguer sites will include a warehouse, classroom, and training tatami.

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