Fwd: Alberta takes important first step in grizzly conservation, but more work to be done

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March 15, 2006

 

Alberta takes important first step in grizzly

conservation:

More work to be done

 

On Friday, March 3, the Alberta government announced

it will suspend the spring grizzly bear hunt while DNA

census data is collected throughout the province,

which is expected to continue over the next few years.

In addition to suspending the hunt, the government has

committed to completing the population studies,

reducing the number of human-bear conflicts through

public education and regulations, and has requested

the assistance of several widely-known grizzly experts

to provide scientific peer review on the current draft

grizzly bear recovery plan.

 

While the announcement is an excellent and commendable

step towards sustainable grizzly bear management,

there are several more important actions that need to

be taken to ensure that grizzly bears, and a wide

range of other species, are conserved on the Alberta

landscape.

 

It is important that the government acknowledge the

precarious position of the grizzly bear in Alberta and

designate it as a 'threatened' species, begin

immediately to deal with access management and ensure

that key remaining habitat is not degraded.

 

Learn more at CPAWS.org, and send a letter to

Honourable David Coutts, Minister of Sustainable

Resource Development to congratulate him on the

government's decision and to encourage the ministry to

continue to take progressive, proactive actions for

the conservation of Alberta's grizzlies.

 

 

It is estimated that 6000 grizzly bears once lived

throughout Alberta. Due to industrial development, the

grizzly bear population has declined by 90%. Today

there are estimated to be only about 700 grizzlies

remaining in the province, mostly restricted to the

mountains and foothills.

 

If you'd like to learn more

about CPAWS and the chapter nearest you, please visit

www.cpaws.org, or contact us at 1-800-333-9453 (WILD).

 

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