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Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy
A Future for the Grizzly:
British Columbia Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy
Province of British Columbia
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks
June 1995
The Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks has also
published Conservation of Grizzly Bears in British Columbia:
A Background Report, available from:
Ministry of Environment
PO Box 9374 Stn Prov Gov
Victoria, BC V8W 9M4
Toll Free Outside of Victoria - 1-800-663-7867
© Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, 1995
Canadian Cataloguing-in-Publication Data
Main entry under title: A future for the grizzly
Includes bibliographical references: p. 14
ISBN 07726-2537-9
1. Grizzly bear - British Columbia. 2. Wildlife conservation
- British Columbia. I. British Columbia.
Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks
1L737.C27F87 1995 639.9'7974446 C95-960252-6
Table of Contents
Executive Summary
Introduction
The British Columbia Grizzly
Bear Conservation Strategy
Conclusion
Suggested Reading
Executive Summary
Grizzly bears were once the most widespread bear species
in the world. They were found in Europe, Asia, North
Africa and throughout the western half of North America
from the Arctic to central Mexico. Today's Grizzly Bears
are confined to sparsely inhabited regions of central
Europe, Russia and North America.
In North America, Grizzly Bears are now found mainly
in British Columbia, the Yukon, Northwest Territories,
Alberta, Alaska and in a few areas within the lower
48 states of the United States. A 1990 assessment of
Grizzly Bears in Canada suggests that Canada is home
to one half of North America's Grizzly Bears. British
Columbia is estimated to have between 10,000 and 13,000
Grizzly Bears, or nearly half of the remaining Canadian
population.
A background report Conservation of Grizzly Bears in
British Columbia has been published by the Ministry
of Environment, Lands and Parks. The report demonstrates
that British Columbia is one of the last remaining places
on the planet where Grizzly Bears can still be found
in relative abundance. However, Grizzly Bears are being
adversely affected by our rapidly rising population,
urban development, land use and other human activities.
The report suggests that unless steps are taken now
to conserve Grizzly Bear populations in British Columbia,
this animal could disappear from our landscape forever.
The government of British Columbia has developed this
Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy. The mandate of the
strategy is to ensure the continued existence of Grizzly Bears and their habitats for future generations. The
Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy has four goals:
- To maintain in perpetuity the diversity and abundance
of Grizzly Bears and the ecosystems on which they
depend throughout British Columbia.
- To improve the management of Grizzly Bears and their
interactions with humans.
- To increase public knowledge and involvement in
Grizzly Bear management.
- To increase international cooperation in management
and research of Grizzly Bears.
The main points of the strategy are:
Grizzly Bear Management Areas: Government will
identify a number of key Grizzly Bear habitats for possible
designation as special Grizzly Bear Management Areas.
This designation will prohibit grizzly hunting, but
will not necessarily prohibit resource extraction; however,
the designation will ensure that the areas are managed
to secure the long-term survival of Grizzly Bear populations.
Grizzly Bear Management Areas will be identified through
existing land-use planning processes such as Land and
Resource Management Plans (LRMPs) and the Protected
Areas Strategy (PAS).
Grizzly Bear Scientific Advisory Committee:
An independent Grizzly Bear Scientific Advisory Committee
will be established to provide advice to government
on the conservation needs of Grizzly Bears. The Committee
will be made up of respected Grizzly Bear experts, and
will seek input from a public interest committee made
up of representatives from key stakeholder groups around
British Columbia.
Increased Research: Government will increase
its research on Grizzly Bear ecosystems, including a
province-wide inventory and assessment of Grizzly Bears
and Grizzly Bear habitats.
Changes to Hunting Regulations: By fall 1996,
all areas of the province still open to Grizzly Bear
hunting have been placed on Limited Entry Harvest, the
province's lottery system for the allocation of limited
hunting opportunities. Quotas and administrative guidelines
are being put in place in areas where Grizzly Bear hunting
is allowed. In addition, all bear hunting licenses will
include a surcharge for the Habitat Conservation Fund
that will help pay for Grizzly Bear population and habitat
research throughout the province.
Increased Enforcement: Government will step
up enforcement to deal with poaching, illegal trade
in bear parts and other violations of the British Columbia
Wildlife Act.
Increased Penalties: Penalties for poaching
Grizzly Bears will be increased substantially: First
offence fines will be raised from a minimum of $200
and a maximum of $10,000 to a minimum of $1,000 and
a maximum of $25,000. Fines for second and subsequent
offences will be raised from a minimum of $1,000 and
a maximum of $25,000 to a minimum of $6,000 and a maximum
of $50,000.
Education: A comprehensive environmental education
program for the intermediate and senior secondary school
levels will be developed by government. In addition,
an information program targeting both specific groups
and the general public will be developed to increase
public awareness about Grizzly Bears, bear safety and
ways to avoid bear/people conflicts.
Preventing "Problem" Bears: Government
is developing policies to minimize conflicts between
people and Grizzly Bears. New policies are being developed
to regulate garbage and waste disposal, and to deal
with other food sources that attract Grizzly Bears,
such as orchards, compost heaps and home waste. Government
will provide funding and support to communities to improve
waste management facilities, including fencing dumps
and removing or rebuilding poorly constructed waste
management facilities.
Partnerships with the Private Sector: The National
Basketball Association's Vancouver Grizzlies, as part
of their commitment to the community, have become a
major partner in the Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy,
to help promote the conservtion needs of Grizzly Bears,
The provincial government will join forces with the
Grizzlies to form partnerships with other organizations
and the private sector to help raise funds for more
education and research.
The Grizzly Bear is perhaps the greatest symbol of
wilderness. Its survival will be the greatest testimony
to our environmental commitment. The British Columbia
Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy will leave a
permanent legacy for our children: A Future for the
Grizzly.
Introduction
Why Do We Need A Grizzly Bear Conservation
Strategy?
Once, over 100,000 Grizzly Bears roamed the western
half of North America from the barren grounds of the
Arctic to the mountains and high plateaus of central
Mexico, and from the Pacific Ocean across the prairies
to Hudson Bay and down through the woodlands of the
Mississippi River (Figure 1). Before European settlement
and exploration, British Columbia contained at least
a quarter of those. Today, however, like so much of
that original wilderness, grizzlies are disappearing.
The number of Grizzly Bears on the continent has declined
to the point where the species is extinct in the southern
and eastern segments of its range and is considered
vulnerable or threatened in much of its remaining range.
Only in British Columbia, the Yukon, Northwest Territories,
Alberta, Alaska and a few pockets in the northwestern
United States can we find the remaining North American
Grizzly Bears. In fact, our province contains the heart
of the remaining range where Grizzly Bears are found
on the continent.
British Columbia is home to between 10,000 and 13,000
Grizzly Bears, about half of all grizzlies in Canada.
Of existing Grizzly Bear habitat, however, much is considered
threatened and nearly all Grizzly Bear ecosystems in
British Columbia are at risk under current land use
activities. Our increasing population and growing demands
for land and resources continue to threaten Grizzly Bears and their habitats.
We have the opportunity - and the global responsibility
- to protect British Columbia's remaining Grizzly Bears.
We owe it to ourselves, to our descendants and to the
Grizzly Bears to implement a strategy for the survival
of this majestic creature.
The Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy is designed
to help reverse the loss of Grizzly Bears in British
Columbia and to ensure that this species is allowed
to survive.
The British Columbia Grizzly
Bear Conservation Strategy
No other creature better represents the wilderness
in British Columbia than the Grizzly Bear; nothing is
a better measure of our success in maintaining biodiversity
than the survival of this species.
The mandate of this Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy
is to ensure the continued existence of Grizzly Bears
and their habitats for future generations.
Goals and Objectives
The goals and objectives of this strategy address three
major issues:
- loss and alienation of Grizzly Bear habitat
- interactions with humans, and
- international considerations.
Goal 1
To maintain in perpetuity the diversity and abundance
of Grizzly Bears and the ecosystems on which they depend
throughout British Columbia
- Increase the scientific knowledge base of Grizzly Bears and their habitat needs
- Maintain the genetic diversity of Grizzly Bears
in British Columbia
Goal 2
To improve the management of Grizzly Bears and their
interactions with humans
- Modify incompatible human activities
- Improve the management and regulation of hunting
Goal 3
To increase public knowledge and involvement
- Increase public knowledge of Grizzly Bears and their
requirements
- Increase public involvement in appropriate Grizzly Bear management
Goal 4
To increase international cooperation in management
and research
- Take a leading role in management and research of
Grizzly Bears
Conservation of Grizzly Bear Habitat
Grizzly bear populations require vast amounts of land
in which to live. Over its lifetime, a single Grizzly Bear will require a home range between 50 and 100 square
kilometres, and - in some cases - up to thousands of
square kilometres.
The greatest single cause of declining Grizzly Bear
populations is loss of habitat. Our rapidly growing
population's increasing demands upon the land and its
resources, and human intolerance of grizzlies, are the
greatest cause of habitat loss or alienation.
Habitat loss occurs because of permanent changes, such
as the development of a human settlement, flooding for
a reservoir, or other irreversible changes to the land.
Habitat alienation occurs when Grizzly Bear habitat
is used by people in ways that prevent grizzlies from
using it, such as during logging or mining operations,
use of rural airstrips or clearing areas for agricultural
use. The issue of land use in British Columbia is a
critical component in a strategy to protect Grizzly Bears.
Grizzly Bear Management Areas
One of the primary means of reducing the loss of key
grizzly habitat is to preserve a network of Grizzly Bear ecosystems as management areas. By establishing
specific Grizzly Bear management areas, we can protect
Grizzly Bear populations by ensuring that activities
that are not compatible with Grizzly Bears are carefully
controlled or not allowed.
The provincial government will identify key habitats
throughout the province for consideration for management
area designation.
Management areas will:
- contain high quality Grizzly Bear habitat,
- be closed to hunting of Grizzly Bears,
- control other recreational activities that might
be detrimental to Grizzly Bear habitats (such as off-road
vehicle use, biking, camping, etc.),
- be managed to secure the long-term survival of Grizzly Bear populations, and
- wherever possible, be connected by linking corridors
that contain the habitat requirements for Grizzly Bears to travel between management areas.
Management areas to be considered will be identified
and prioritized according to criteria such as:
- habitat suitability,
- proximity to existing and proposed protected areas,
and
- level of threat to Grizzly Bear populations.
The Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy will not impose
new land use processes or new demands on the land base
over and above those already sanctioned by government.
Instead, it will utilize the opportunities provided
by existing land use initiatives, such as Land and Resource
Management Plans (LRMPs), the Protected Areas Strategy
(PAS) and the Commission on Resources and Environment
(CORE). If there is a need for withdrawals from the
land base to protect Grizzly Bears, those decisions
will be made through these existing processes and will
be subject to the local consensus or joint sign-off
that these initiatives require. The only unilateral
decision the Wildlife Branch might make for Grizzly Bear conservation would be to close areas to hunting,
and even this measure would be subject to consultation.
Any designation of Grizzly Bear management areas could
only proceed as follows:
- In those areas where CORE, PAS or LRMP processes
are under way or proposed, staff of the Wildlife Branch
would provide input and make recommendations for the
establishment of Grizzly Bear management areas. The
decision as to whether such an area is recommended
for designation would be the decision of the LRMP
or CORE table itself, not the Wildlife Branch.
- In areas where there are no CORE, PAS or LRMP processes,
the Wildlife Branch could suggest no-hunting areas
following consultation with local interest groups.
These would simply be no-hunting areas under the British
Columbia Wildlife Act and would not restrict extractive
or industrial activities. No-hunting areas would not
be protected areas.
The creation of Grizzly Bear management areas will
require consultation with the public. Representatives
of First Nations and stakeholder groups such as the
BC Wildlife Federation, the Guide Outfitters Association
of BC, Federation of BC Naturalists, Canadian Parks
& Wilderness Society and the Outdoor Recreation
Council of BC will be included in the consultation process
before new management areas are established.
Although creating Grizzly Bear management areas will
be a key component to the Grizzly Bear Conservation
Strategy, other management processes will be required
in order to fully protect Grizzly Bears. For example,
a separate Forest Practices Code field guide for Grizzly Bears will ensure that, as much as possible, logging
on the majority of the land base outside of protected
areas does not adversely affect key Grizzly Bear habitat.
In addition, Grizzly Bear habitat could be protected
through the designation of special management resource
zones identified through provincial land-use planning.
Grizzly Bear Scientific Advisory
Committee
An independent Grizzly Bear Scientific Advisory Committee
will be established to advise government on the conservation
needs of Grizzly Bears. The Committee will be made up
of respected provincial, national and international
Grizzly Bear experts, as well as First Nations representatives.
The Committee will advise government on such issues
as:
- research priorities,
- inventory priorities,
- public safety issues related to bears,
- hunting regulations,
- bear population status and trends,
- new biological and ecological information, and
- international considerations.
The Scientific Advisory Committee will seek input from
a public interest committee made up of representatives
from key stakeholder groups.
The Grizzly Bear Scientific Advisory Committee will
meet regularly and report to the Minister of Environment,
Lands and Parks.
Research and Inventory
We still have many questions about Grizzly Bears in
British Columbia that need answers in order to determine
how best to manage this species. The government will
be increasing and intensifying its research efforts
around the Grizzly Bear in order to fill important gaps
in our knowledge.
Government will:
- Revise estimates of Grizzly Bear populations in
British Columbia, based on a province-wide inventory
and assessment of Grizzly Bears, including available
habitats and Grizzly Bear genetics and behaviour.
- Host a provincial workshop to examine methods of
determining population estimates of Grizzly Bears.
- Identify potential Grizzly Bear ecosystems within
each ecoprovince at small and medium map scales.
- Determine the extent of population variability,
especially in small, potentially isolated populations.
- Conduct genetic analyses to determine gene flow
and isolation of Grizzly Bear populations across British
Columbia.
- Conduct studies to determine the habitat and dietary
overlap of grizzly and black bears.
- Conduct more research into safety aspects of human/bear
interaction.
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