A new report by the Grizzly Bear Foundation is calling on B.C. communities such as Squamish to take further action to preserve the species.
While the provincial population has been staying relatively stable at about 15,000 in recent years, the foundation believes this could be a tipping point in the bears’ future.
“If we don’t take more proactive measures now, we could see drastic drops in the population,” said Rachel Forbes, the foundation’s executive director.
“We think they’re quite vulnerable now.”
Forbes said the organization is particularly concerned with the combined effect of global warming, the grizzly hunt, habitat destruction and human contact, among other things.
While the number of grizzly bears in the Squamish-Lillooet region has slightly increased to about 59, they are considered threatened in the area because the population is small relative to the size of the territory.
“That’s actually not a sustainable number for them to reproduce on a rate where we can rely on their population staying stable or increasing,” said Forbes.
Squamish has succeeded in implementing bear-friendly policies, prompting the province to recognize the town as a “Bear Smart” community.
Achieving this designation was one of the key recommendations set out in the Grizzly Bear Foundation report, but while getting the title is a step in the right direction, maintaining it will be the real challenge.
This will be increasingly difficult, considering Squamish’s population is growing quickly, said Forbes.
Furthermore, a steady flow of tourists will add to the challenge of co-existing peacefully with the bears.
“[Squamish-Lillooet is] an area where there’s a drastically increasing amount of potential human-grizzly conflict, whether that’s just increasing population generally or recreational use of the backcountry,” Forbes said.
And while local communities must do their part, the report is also calling on the provincial government to step in and end the grizzly hunt.
The foundation said during the last four years, the province has allowed up to 573 grizzlies to be killed each year, about nearly four per cent of B.C.’s grizzly population.
The report anticipates the government will allow up to 577 grizzlies to be hunted each year from 2017 to 2021. “The inquiry’s members wonder whether the pain and suffering that the bears experience is worth it, especially in terms of the relatively modest revenue that the hunt generates when compared to the growing interest in grizzly-viewing tourism,” the foundation said in a written statement.
However, the province said the annual hunt will not hurt the bear population.
“In B.C., the grizzly bear hunt is based on the best available science,” said Forests Minister Steve Thomson in a written statement provided to The Chief.
He said one study reported “adequate safeguards have been established to ensure, with a high degree of confidence, the sustainability of this harvest.”
Among the other recommendations listed in the Grizzly Bear Foundation report is the regulation of the bear-viewing industry, the strengthening of wildlife law enforcement and the institution of measures to reduce bear attractants such as garbage.
The province said it will be reviewing the report in detail and continuing discussions on the topic.
