Grizzly bears seen starving in the rainforests of British ColumbiaB次元官网网址檚 south coast because there isnB次元官网网址檛 enough salmon to sustain them raises alarm bells for wildlife biologist Wayne McCrory, whoB次元官网网址檚 known as a leading bear expert in Canada.
The science is B次元官网网址渃rying outB次元官网网址� for greater habitat protections for the iconic species as industrial activities eat away at the landscapes the bears depend on, he said.
B次元官网网址淭hereB次元官网网址檚 a huge amount of protection work that needs to be done that isnB次元官网网址檛 happening, so you can say itB次元官网网址檚 in a crisis mode,B次元官网网址� he said in an interview.
McCrory said the provinceB次元官网网址檚 draft plan to adjust grizzly management doesnB次元官网网址檛 meaningfully address habitat loss and could prove B次元官网网址渄isastrousB次元官网网址� for the bears.
He is among the signatories of an open letter sent to provincial officials last week as public engagement closed for the draft grizzly stewardship framework.
The letter published by Pacific Wild and signed by more than 50 scientists, advocates and conservation groups says the proposed plan minimizes the threats posed by the B次元官网网址渟evere fragmentationB次元官网网址� of grizzly habitat in B.C. by logging, road building and other industrial activities against the backdrop of climate change.
B次元官网网址淚n order to mitigate the massive loss of biodiversity, the B.C. government must also shift from profit-first exploitation of wildlife habitat to the protection of our last remaining intact natural areas,B次元官网网址� the letter says.
The federal government listed the grizzly bear under the Species at Risk Act in 2018, classifying the bears as B次元官网网址渟pecial concernB次元官网网址� following a recommendation by theCommittee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada six years earlier.
The committeeB次元官网网址檚 report said grizzlies are B次元官网网址渉ighly sensitive to human disturbanceB次元官网网址� and concluded that concern would grow without a reversal of the B次元官网网址渋ncreasing pressures of resource extraction and cumulative impactsB次元官网网址� on their habitat.
The listing is meant to trigger a requirement for governments to produce plans aimed at minimizing the likelihood of the species becoming endangered.
But McCrory said such a plan has not yet materialized for grizzlies in B.C.
He said the new draft framework repeats much of whatB次元官网网址檚 already known about grizzly management in the province but lacks whatB次元官网网址檚 really needed B次元官网网址� actions to ensure healthy grizzly populations roam B.C.B次元官网网址檚 landscape for decades to come.
The plan is B次元官网网址渇uzzy around the edges, without any way of really moving forward to get the on-the-ground habitat protection changes that grizzly bears need today if weB次元官网网址檙e going to have them around 50 or 100 years from now,B次元官网网址� he said.
A statement from the Forests Ministry said the framework was developed with input from approximately 85 Indigenous governments and groups.
B次元官网网址淎 key learning from that process was the different First Nations have different approaches to grizzly bear stewardship. Regionally based planning recognizes and honours this reality,B次元官网网址� it said.
The stewardship framework is what would previously have been referred to as a management plan, the ministry added.
B次元官网网址淭he purpose of the framework and strategy is to engage with First Nations, scientists and the public on supporting grizzly bears and their habitat, to ensure we continue to have a thriving population for years to come,B次元官网网址� said a statement attributed to Forests Minister Bruce Ralston.
In addition to larger protected areas, McCrory said the roughly 15,000 grizzlies in B.C. need a B次元官网网址渕osaicB次元官网网址� of smaller yet continuous habitats that connect salmon streams to healthy forests, to berry patches and denning spots in the mountains.
B.C.B次元官网网址檚 auditor general delivered what McCrory described as a B次元官网网址渟cathingB次元官网网址� review of grizzly bear management in 2017, finding the greatest threat to the bears was human activity that degrades their habitat, not hunting thatB次元官网网址檚 since been banned.
The B.C. government announced the end of grizzly hunting in December 2017, with some exceptions for First Nations, and pledged to work on B次元官网网址渞enewedB次元官网网址� strategy.
The draft stewardship framework released earlier this year says there is no B次元官网网址渙ne size fits allB次元官网网址� approach that works across B.C. and encourages the development of local plans to be initiated by provincial wildlife staff as well as First Nations.
Those plans may then be shaped by local advisory teams consisting of relevant B.C. government staff and B次元官网网址渋nterested parties such as industry, environmental organizations, independent biologists, and other stakeholders,B次元官网网址� the document says.
McCrory said heB次元官网网址檚 worried the local teams will open decision-making tables to hunting interests and B次元官网网址渕uddy the watersB次元官网网址� around what really needs to be done.
B次元官网网址淵ouB次元官网网址檙e not going to end up with sound, science-based plans. YouB次元官网网址檙e going to end up with, you know, whoever dukes it out and comes out on top,B次元官网网址� he said of the teams.
B次元官网网址淚 grew up in the Slocan Valley and IB次元官网网址檝e worked with many wildlife and conservation groups throughout B.C. and I just know how the backwoods politics works when it comes to conflicts and the grizzly bear trophy hunting,B次元官网网址� he added.
In his statement, Ralston said the province is not looking at lifting the ban at this time, adding members of First Nations continue to have the constitutional right to hunt the bears for food, social, and ceremonial purposes.
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