The Fundación Oso Pardo (FOP) --Brown Bear Foundation-- is a conservation NGO created in 1992 to contribute to the study and conservation of the brown bear, its habitat and environment. It is based in the Cantabrian Mountains and the Pyrenees and its scope includes conservation and restoration of high-interest habitats for the species, monitoring bear populations, applying conversation research, fighting poaching, providing environmental education and preventing bear-human conflicts. The brown bear is an element of rural development and a symbol of well-conserved nature.