brown bear, is now extinct in the Pyrenees; the last Cantabrian brown bear was shot in 2004. The Cantabrian brown bear now survives further west in the Cantabrian Mountains. Starting in 1996, the French government reintroduced Eurasian brown bears from Slovenia to the French Pyrenees. As of 2019, there were 40 to 50 brown bears in the Pyrenees. The Pyrenean ibex (Capra pyrenaica pyrenaica) went extinct in 2000. In 2014 a small number of Western Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica victoriae) were introduced to Pyrenees National Park. By 2020 the population had increased to 400 individuals in the national park and neighboring Ariège Regional Park. The Pyrenees are home to 120 species of birds, including limited populations of lammergeier (Gypaetus barbatus), Pyrenean capercaillie (Tetrao urogallus aquitanicus) and rock ptarmigan (Lagopus muta). Protected areas 3,863 km2, or 10%, of the ecoregion is in protected areas. Only 1% of the unprotected area is still covered with natural forest. Protected areas include Valles Occidentales Natural Park, Ordesa y Monte Perdido National Park, and Posets-Maladeta Natural Park in Aragon, Aigüestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici National Park, Alt Pirineu Natural Park, and Cadí-Moixeró Natural Park in Catalonia, and Pyrénées National Park, Pyrénées ariégeoises Regional Natural Park, and Pyrénées catalanes Regional Natural Park in France. External links References Biota of the Pyrenees Ecology of the Pyrenees Ecoregions of France Ecoregions of Spain Geography of Andorra Natural history of Andorra Montane forests Palearctic ecoregions Temperate broadleaf and mixed forests