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BC’s Approach To Grizzly Bear
Conservation, by Joyce Murray, Minister of Water, Land and Air Protection
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Joyce Murray says decision to lift
the grizzly hunting moratorium is "based on science" |
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Wildlife in British Columbia are part of our heritage, our history,
and for many of us, our way of life. It is for that reason that conservation
is the first priority in all of this government’s decisions on wildlife
management. These are decisions that take into account the values
of all British Columbians and are based on principled, peer reviewed
science.
In 2001, the NDP decided to put in place a blanket moratorium on grizzly bear hunting in this province, effectively ending a way of life that many British Columbians have practiced for generations. This was not a decision based on science, but it was instead a politically motivated decision and an attempt to impose their values on people across the province.
When this government took office we elected to lift that blanket moratorium and instead put in place local moratoriums wherever the population is threatened. Currently, there are eleven local moratoriums in place in B.C. Where grizzly populations are healthy and flourishing, we allow limited hunting opportunities.
At the same time that we moved to protect local grizzly populations, we appointed an independent panel of experts to study B.C.’s grizzly management practices. The six members of this panel are all highly respected, internationally recognized experts in bear biology and conservation. All were recommended by the International Association for Bear Research and Management (IBA), a non-profit volunteer organization dedicated to the conservation of all species of bears.
My ministry received the panel’s report in January and the results are encouraging. In short, the panel has concluded that we are on the right track with our management policies and that our approach ensures the protection and preservation of the grizzly population.
Further, the panel has endorsed our population estimate of at least 13,800 and has described estimates of 6,000 or fewer as "unreliable" and "biologically unrealistic." According to panel chair, Dr. James Peek, B.C.’s grizzly bear management practices are among the best in North America.
In coming to its conclusions British Columbia is recognized around the world for its exceptional wildlife. Ens-uring good conservation and management of our wild animals is a priority.
Recently, an international panel of experts reviewed our management of grizzly bears and it found that we are on the right track. This is good news for both the ministry and for British Columbians.
The report of the Grizzly Bear Scientific Panel endorsed the province’s approach to grizzly bear conservation. It concluded that our estimate of at least 13,800 bears is far more accurate than those suggested by some advocacy groups. The report strongly refutes population estimates of 6,000 or fewer bears, calling them "unreliable" and "biologically unrealistic."
The panel praised B.C. government biologists and their innovative techniques to estimate grizzly bear populations. According to panel chair, Dr. James Peek, B.C.’s grizzly bear management practices are among the best in North America.
The panel reviewed more than 200 documents, received submissions from wildlife biologists and scientists and, heard from numerousa number of individuals and organizations. The panel has demonstrated an unbiased approach in their review and the report stands up to close scrutiny.
The results from the panel report do not stop there. We are the first to acknowledge that the panel has recommended ways that we can improve our management techniques and further strengthen the grizzly population in B.C. As a result we are keeping in place the eleven local moratoriums and we are dropping the maximum allowable human-caused grizzly mortality rate from six per cent to five per cent in time for the spring 2004 hunting season.
We have been very clear that science and conservation are the cornerstones of our wildlife management strategy and we will act wherever grizzly populations are threatened. The panel concluded that current protective measures, combined with additional recommended measures, such as those described above, offer a "robust conservation strategy for grizzly bears."The panel members were objective and based their recommendations on sound science.
In order to ensure continued sustainability, the ministry is creating a public advisory committee to advise us on ways to update our Grizzly Bear Conservation Strategy. It will include First Nations, conservationists, outdoor recreation users, hunters, guide outfitters, industry, naturalists, and local government. This committee will address habitat issues, maintenance of grizzly bear populations and establishment of grizzly bear management areas.
Science, not opinion polls or political pressure, would be the key in helping guide decision making on wildlife management such as grizzly bear.
The decision to hunt, or not, is a personal one, based on values, heritage and culture. Government’s role is not to try and impose one set of values on the residents of this province. When it comes to grizzly bears, or any other wildlife for that matter, our job is to protect and preserve the species. The panel report confirms that we have and will continue to do so.
I encourage your readers to review the scientific panel report which
is available at http://wlapwww.gov.bc.ca/wld/grzz/
on our ministry’s website.
Related stories:
April 2003: Why the BC Grizzly Bear
Hunt Should End
December
2002 Government hiding data on grizzly killings
January 2003 Letters to the
editor - "Barely speaking"
Links to local,
provincial, and federal government
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