in the Canadian
Rockies
Bears and
Habitat
Bears and
Roads
Bears and
Science
Conserving
Bears:
a Future
for Bears and People
Bears and
Science
The bulk of research and discussion about bear conservation in the Canadian Rockies deals with grizzly bears. The primary reason for this discrepancy is that black bear populations in the Canadian Rockies are, by and large, not considered to be at risk (a notable exception are black bears in the Bow River Valley of Banff National Park). Factors influencing their more secure status include the following characteristics:
-
black bears are generally thought to be both more tolerant of and more tolerated by humans and their activities than are grizzly bears
-
black bears have smaller home range requirements than grizzly bears
-
black bears have a larger reproductive capability, and therefore, greater “demographic resilience” than grizzly bears. That is, all other factors being equal, black bear populations can recover more rapidly than can grizzly bears
Though many of the factors that influence bear conservation are shared by both species, for the reasons stated above there is a much greater sense of urgency regarding grizzly bears and the challenges to their short- and long-term survival.
Setting conservation goals: ecological
issues
Mattson
et al have summarized the debate over grizzly bear conservation goals and
associated strategies:
-
"…there is major disagreement over the protection grizzly bears will need for long-term survival in parts of their range that are more heavily impacted by humans. The debate has focused on the size and distribution of populations, the level and effectiveness of protection accorded bears within their occupied range, and the associated need for connectivity among populations. In other words, how may bears, distributed over how large an area, with what level of interchange among ‘populations’, and exhibiting what level of long-term fluctuations in growth, do humans want?” 6
Each of these questions is extremely complex, and is made more so by ecological or biological factors that are not currently well understood. This is why research is fundamental to conservation and management.
For example, genetic diversity is “generally regarded as important in maintaining high levels of fitness and allows for adaptation to a changing environment.” 7 Global warming is generally regarded as a reality, however, the quality and extent of changes to grizzly bear habitat resulting from global warming is not known. Given this uncertainty scientists, managers and the public are faced with a dilemma when it comes to making decisions about the types of strategies that will best serve the goal of grizzly bear conservation:
“The long-term success of our grizzly bear management program may not be determined by how many bears we have at any one time so much as by how much of the diversity in the grizzly’s genetic make-up we have been able to conserve.” 8
A future for bears and people:
social issues
Human factors in bear conservation
The future of the grizzly bear, and to a certain
extent the black bear, will depend on a variety of human factors
including:
-
population growth and distribution
-
use of resources and the value placed on them
-
conservation ethics
-
tolerance to crowding
(Ministry of Environment, Lands and Parks, British Columbia 1995)
Mattson et al also emphasize the fundamental importance of human values in determining the fate of grizzly bears, stating that “humans inescapably define the benefits and opportunity costs of saving grizzly bears and, thus, the risks we are willing to take with this species.” 9
Perceptions of rights
Biologist Dr. Bruce McLellan notes that
grizzly bear conservation is also tied to perceptions of rights, and that
changing perceptions about the rights of individuals will be a huge
challenge to conservation:
-
“In the past, brown bear managers pressured industries such as forestry and mining to modify their behaviour; behaviours that were recently thought to be their rights. With the increasing number of people wanting to live, recreate, and otherwise develop brown bear range, individuals are also going to have to modify their behaviour and lose more of their rights. Changing the rights of individuals may be more difficult than changing the rights of industries.” 10
Making choices
Where
human socio-economic values and circumstances conflict with bear
conservation requirements, what trade-offs will be made? If we
decide that keeping grizzly bears around is important what must we, as
individuals, do to make this happen?
-
“The conservation of grizzly bears, and the ecosystems and habitats they need for survival, demands commitment from all of us. We will need to change our attitudes and recognize that grizzly bears are an important part of our heritage. We may need to sacrifice the privilege to hunt, ski, hike, or fish in some locales in order to give some space to the grizzly bear. Are we prepared to do this?” 11