03/03/10
Information will add to grizzly bear management in the province.
Edmonton... A status report on Alberta’s grizzly bear population and habitat, prepared by an independent scientist, is now available online. The status report establishes a new baseline of information using the advanced technique of DNA surveys and other data.
The report estimates 691 grizzly bears ranging in density from five to 18 bears per 1000 square kilometres. Some local populations with significant habitat alteration may be declining, other populations appear stable. The report also suggests that reducing human-caused mortality and motorized access to habitat are important for a self-sustaining grizzly bear population.
“The status report provides an analysis on current and scientifically accurate data in Alberta,” said Mel Knight, Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. “This benchmark information will guide future decisions to ensure grizzly bears remain part of Alberta’s landscape.”
The Endangered Species Conservation Committee (ESCC) will use the status report to help make a recommendation on the designation of grizzly bears in Alberta. The ESCC is a multi-stakeholder committee of researchers, conservation groups, ranchers, industry and government.
A scientific sub-committee of the ESCC reviewed the report and will provide a status evaluation, in accordance with international criteria, to the ESCC for consideration. The ESCC will recommend a designation to the Minister of Sustainable Resource Development. Grizzly bears can be designated as either Not at Risk, Data Deficient, Species of Special Concern, Threatened or Endangered.
Conducting population and habitat assessments were part of Alberta’s Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, accepted in 2007. Other aspects currently underway include public education and the BearSmart program, hiring and training bear management staff including a carnivore specialist, better managing problem grizzly bears, and a suspension of hunting.
“We would like to thank Dr. Marco Festa-Bianchet, a large-mammal expert trained in Alberta, for his thorough work in compiling information on grizzly bear populations and habitat,” said Knight.
For further information, including the status report Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos) in Alberta, Update 2010, visit www.srd.alberta.ca.
