Grizzlies and climate change

Researchers are already noticing changes in bear hibernation patterns, whereby they are entering their dens later in the year and emerging earlier. “We are getting shorter periods of denning,” notes Grant MacHutchon. “For example, if the ground is not frozen and there is no snow, the bears may still be able to dig nutritious plant roots later in the season.” It is also likely that a warming climate may contribute to a longer growing season for plants at high altitude and improve bear habitat in the north, allowing the species to expand its range, for example, into the Canadian Arctic Archipelago.

In a recently published study, a team of researchers led by Douglas Clark, a conservation scientist at the University of Saskatchewan, has for the first time documented the presence of polar bears, black bears and grizzlies in the same area. Their study was based at Wapusk National Park, on the west coast of Hudson Bay, in northern Manitoba. These observations, made between 2011 and 2017, add to the growing evidence that grizzlies are increasing their range in northern Canada in response to climate change.