The B.E.A.R.S. Essentials

With your help, Action Grizzly Bear is calling on the Alberta government to immediately implement five fundamentals known as the B.E.A.R.S. Essentials for Recovery. Equivalent US strategies have shown marked gains towards recovery in the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem and the Northern Divide Ecosystem.

• The Northern Divide Ecosystem (31 564km²) has an estimated 765 grizzly bears. This is more than twice as many researchers expected to find. The data was gathered using a similar DNA based study as the one recently used in Alberta.

• The Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem (76 890 km²) has an estimated 600 grizzly bears. This is triple the number estimated in 1983.

These findings provide Alberta with an indication of what is possible given The B.E.A.R.S. Essentials for Recovery

Budget dedicated for recovery
Endangered species legislation listing
Action on habitat
Reduce conflict and human caused mortalities
Science based recovery team

Budget Dedicated for Recovery

Fact: There is no dedicated budget for grizzly bear recovery in Alberta. Although the government has funded very valuable research, including a multi-year DNA-based population estimate, counting them does not mean conserving them. Until recovery is written into the provincial budget, all funding will remain discretionary and thus, there is no guarantee that recovery actions will have the funding needed to proceed.  The $2.8 million the recovery plan recommended for implementation over the first three years (commencing in 2008) has yet to be provided – an amount that is pocket change in Alberta’s economy.

Endangered Species Legislation Listing

Fact: With fewer than 700 grizzlies left in Alberta, they’re Threatened or worse. The updated Grizzly Bear Status Report (2010) estimates fewer than 700 grizzly bears remain in Alberta. Of that, fewer than 360 individuals are considered mature breeding individuals. Twice in less than a decade, the Alberta government’s Endangered Species Conservation Committee recommended listing the bears as Threatened in the Alberta Wildlife Act. The Government has yet to list the great bears. Thus, they and industry are under no formal obligation to act on recovery.

In 1984, the Government committed to maintaining at least 1,000 grizzly bears.  There were an estimated 6,000 in the 1800s.  Now DNA census techniques estimate fewer than 700 bears, including juveniles remain. Internationally accepted guidelines (IUCN) are that they be listed as Threatened when there are 1,000 or fewer adults and Endangered when there are 250.  With today’s pace of development, habitat loss and even lower numbers, they should be immediately listed as Threatened.

Action on Habitat

John E. Marriott

Fact: 89% of human caused grizzly bear mortalities occur within 500m of a road. For grizzly bears, the road to recovery is not a road… or a railway, seismic line or any other linear disturbance that fragments the landscape and facilitates human activity in prime bear habitat. Habitat fragmentation and access are considered one of the main threats to grizzly bear persistence in Alberta and must be curbed by reducing road densities.

Establishing parks and other such legislated protected areas is also key for protecting habitat, and has indeed already been recommended by hearings or other processes for some specific areas of prime habitat. The majority of the bears’ range in Alberta is within the Foothills Natural Region.  The few protected areas in this region lack the size and connectivity between them to offer any significant refuge for grizzly bears. Prime grizzly bear habitat has been mapped and candidate areas have already been identified and proposed for protection. The government must now take action to preserve this land and reduce road densities in surrounding habitat.

Reduce Conflict and Human Caused Mortality

Fact: Humans account for over 90% of known grizzly bear deaths in Alberta. Grizzlies die by human hands even under the best of conditions, including a closure of sport hunting. Scientists estimate we would require over 1000 grizzlies in the province to have a sustainable population. With fewer than half that number in the province today, every death takes a significant toll on the future of Alberta’s grizzly bear population. Even bear relocations have an adverse effect, as many don’t survive.

Programs designed to reduce human bear conflict, such as BearSmart, have great potential but must be fully staffed and funded if they are to be effective.  For example, Alberta spends approximately $150 000 annually on BearSmart compared to the $4.5 million spent by Ontario on its Bear Wise program. The year to year hunting moratorium is a commendable move by the Alberta government and substantially reduced bear mortalities but the hunt may be reinstated at the government's descretion.

Science Based Recovery Team

Fact: Alberta has no grizzly bear recovery team. In 2003, a Grizzly Bear Recovery Team was formed to draft a recovery plan. After the draft was submitted, it was three years before the government reviewed the plan and released it to the public. Then, only three months later, to the surprise of team members and conservation community, the recovery team was disbanded by the Minister for Sustainable Resource Development.  This despite their role to monitor progress on recovery and adjust the recovery plan where needed in order to meet recovery objectives. At such a critical time for grizzly bears, a science-based recovery team is crucial to monitor, evaluate and provide expert direction for recovery.