**6. Acknowledgements**

324 Modern Telemetry

1. the topography of our study area allows bears to approach and use sectors in the immediate vicinity of the highway under construction in order to move towards other important sectors such as denning areas, high food availability areas etc. We have to bear in mind that this is a fraction of the whole picture, as at a wider scale (including our study areas) there might be bears avoiding completely the highway sector or

2. More frequent bear occurrence and use of pixels in the vicinity of the highway maybe related to the fact that bears do valorize small surface habitat units due to the fact that they still remain attractive. It is also likely that bears are waiting for the appropriate moment to cross the highway and therefore are attempting to locate more appropriate crossing points.(Mace κ.α., 1996). The highway as an artificial barrier is a stress factor and is likely to induce a certain modification in bears spatial behavior exposing a limitation of movements combined to an opportunistic mobility related to the most

The **CRT analysis** showed also that the variable "distance from highway" was used to separate two central "branches" of the classification tree in the early analysis stages. Two differentiated branches are defined according to a limit value of 4.996 m of distance from the highway. When this distance is <4.996 m then a combination of topographic characteristics in relation to high

In the second case d > 4.996 m, vegetation types but also certain combinations of topographic characteristics define the habitat use patterns in each pixel. It also came out from this analysis that pixels at a distance > 8.434m have lower use frequencies by the

A general conclusion would be that the presence of the highway under construction and the distance from it in relation to bear presence, abundance and activity is an interrelated and dynamic system in which telemetry is the most appropriate technique to approach and

The following behavioral patterns in relation to bear activity, movements and habitat use

• High in number and small surfaced clusters of bear activity and movements appear when the animals are located at close distance from the highway, whereas less clusters in number and on larger surfaces appear when the animals are located at a longer

• This differentiation which in the first case appears fragmented in time and space and in the second case continuous and more expanded maybe related to the disturbance factor of the highway under construction upon bears activity and spatial behavior or in a more pronounced habitat fragmentation problem close to the highway due to its

• For male individuals which yielded a larger data set, we have observed that the number of activity and habitat use clusters increases with the fragmentation degree of the larger zones of used habitat. Therefore we may conclude that it is not some different habitat features that hinder bear habitat use when close to the highway but more the fact of a quantitative and qualitative reduction and fragmentation of the habitat units in most

slope values and medium altitude values are characterizing the pixels used by bears.

moving at longer distances.

sampled bears.

understand it.

have been identified:

**5. Conclusions-discussion** 

distance from the highway.

degradation because of the construction woks.

probably relation to highway construction.

favorable low disturbance conditions.

Telemetry research was possible in the framework of the two "Monitoring projects on impact evaluation of Egnatia highway construction (stretch 4.1 "Panagia-Grevena" and stretch "Panagia-Metsovo") on large mammals in the area of Grevena-Ioannina and Trikala (2006-2009). This project was co-funded by EGNATIA ODOS SA, Hellenic Ministry of Environment, Planning & Public Works and the EU (DG Regio). We thank the Forestry Services of Kastoria, Grevena & Kalambaka for forestry data provision and the NGO CALLISTO field team : Sp. Galinos, M.Petridou, H. Pilidis, Y. Tsaknakis and local assistant Y.Lazarou for their precious help. Special thanks go also to Dr. John Beecham, from Idaho Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S and to Yorgos Iliopoulos for their help and advice.
