Climate change creating grizzly conflicts
Climate change is pushing tundra grizzlies into Arctic communities where they would not normally be seen, raising issues about human safety and conservation of the bears.
Vincent L’Herault, a biologist and PhD student at the University of Quebec in Rimouski, said grizzlies are expanding their range in a northeasterly direction, showing up in communities such as Arviat, Baker Lake, Rankin Inlet and Chesterfield Inlet.
When that happens, the grizzly is usually shot as a safety measure, and also for its valuable hide and meat.
“There is more and more conflict with the local communities,” L’Herault said. “Elders say they never saw grizzlies in their childhood. People are pretty concerned about this new phenomenon.”
L’Herault, who is investigating traditional knowledge related to Arctic predators and climate change, will speak at the eighth annual ArcticNet scientific conference running Dec. 10 to 14 in Vancouver. About 450 participants are expected from Canada, Denmark, England, France, Germany, Norway, the U.S and Russia.
Other topics include the effects of climate change on hydrology and ice, risks associated with resource development, pollution, food security, and Canadian sovereignty.
Unlike polar bears, which are hunted according to community quotas, grizzlies are managed as fur-bearers and are not subject to the same restrictions, L’Herault said.
The federal Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada lists both polar bears and grizzlies as species of special concern.
“It’s a big conflict,” L’Herault said. “There is no quota on the grizzly bears and that is an issue with conservation managers.”
If a community’s polar bear quota is used up, he said, there may be a greater effort to scare one away before shooting — something that tends not to happen with grizzlies. “They are more experienced in dealing with a polar bear conflict than grizzly bear.”
Conflicts develop when grizzlies show up not just in communities, but at remote hunting camps or cabins where they may try to break in to get food, he said.
“The overall comment is: ‘We can’t let them come close. We need to shoot them when they come around. There are security issues with the children, the women, the camp.’ That seems to be the dominant thought.”
Under climate change, grizzlies could spend less time in their dens and have more plants to eat, allowing them to range even farther. Although grizzlies are omnivores, most of their diet is vegetation, including berries.
“I had a dinner with grizzly bear meat,” L’Herault said. “It’s very good. It takes like … herbivores such as caribou and moose.”
His research is part of a five-year collaborative project involving 13 communities, including hunters and trappers, the government of Nunavut, and university researchers.
He noted that it is logistically challenging for scientists to estimate grizzly abundance over time, which is why traditional knowledge is a valid source of information.
“Everyone has their own experience, but we try to take the mean (average) out of that,” he said. “Sometimes traditional ecological knowledge can be more precise than science.”