YT Government: Draft grizzly bear conservation plan released

A conservation plan for grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) in Yukon

The draft plan was developed after public engagement in 2014 led the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board to recommend a plan be developed for grizzly bears in the territory.

Seven goals have been identified in order to achieve a 25-year vision for grizzly bears in Yukon, where healthy and viable grizzly bear populations remain throughout their natural range in Yukon, for future generations of people and bears. The goals are to:

• foster a cultural connection to, and increased respect for, grizzly bears;
• take care of the land that grizzly bears require;
• minimize human-grizzly bear conflicts;
• ensure grizzly bear harvest is sustainable and respectful;
• foster respectful grizzly bear viewing;
• improve decision-making by acquiring better knowledge about grizzly bears; and
• better understand human dimensions of grizzly bear conservation.

To achieve these seven goals, the draft plan identifies 33 actions. The implementation of these actions will be flexible and adaptive to the values, needs, and resources of each community in Yukon, and further discussion regarding these actions will occur at the Traditional Territory level.

The draft plan identifies strategies for all governments and organizations involved in grizzly bear management in Yukon to work together to implement these actions, and recommends a review schedule for the plan.

The 2017 public survey was one of the many sources of valuable information and perspectives from Yukoners that the working group considered when putting together the draft plan. The results of this survey are available as a technical report, “Results of a public survey about grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) and their management in Yukon, Canada” (Report MR-18-01), and a summary, on EngageYukon.ca.

The process for developing the draft plan

• In late 2015, the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board and the Government of Yukon were directed to jointly develop a grizzly bear plan following a recommendation by the Board to the Minister of Environment regarding the need for a Yukon-wide perspective on grizzly bear conservation and management.
• The Board initiated this process to fulfill their responsibility established in the Umbrella Final Agreement (16.7.12.2) to “make recommendations to the Minister on the need for and the content and timing of all Yukon Fish and Wildlife management plans for species included in international agreements, threatened species or populations, species or populations declared by the Minister as being of a territorial, national or international interest, and Transplanted Populations and Exotic Species”.
• A Yukon Grizzly Bear Conservation and Management Plan Working Group was developed consisting of 3 members from the Yukon government, and 3 members from the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board.
• The working group developed the draft plan through a process of information gathering and reflection about grizzly bears with First Nations and Inuvialuit in Yukon and in transboundary regions, Renewable Resources Councils, various organizations, wildlife management boards and councils, and the public across the territory.
• Before writing the draft plan, the working group conducted a series of eight regional workshops in communities across Yukon (and one in Fort McPherson, NWT) with First Nations, Inuvialuit, and relevant mandated boards and councils to explore and understand their interests and concerns regarding grizzly bears.
• The working group held a “what we heard” workshop with First Nations, Inuvialuit, and relevant mandated boards and councils in July 2017, prior to beginning to draft the plan.
• In spring 2017, the working group undertook a public survey to solicit the beliefs, perceptions, and support for potential management actions. Close to 1,400 Yukoners and transboundary community members completed the public survey.
• The working group developed the draft plan using multiple sources of available information including scientific, traditional and local knowledge.

Grizzly bear facts

• Globally, grizzly bear populations have declined dramatically in the last 150 or so years, and they now occupy about half their historical range.
• In Canada, they have become extinct in the prairies and are endangered in Alberta.
• Grizzly bears are listed as a species of Special Concern in the (federal) Species at Risk Act.
• Grizzly bears are sensitive to human disturbance. In developed areas where conflicts are common and roads create access, grizzly bear populations are more likely to decline. Once populations drop, they are slow to recover.
• For the most part, grizzly bear populations in Yukon are considered to stable and secure (unlike much of the rest of Canada); however, there are areas in Yukon where conservation concerns exist.

The Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board

The Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board is an advisory body that functions as “the primary instrument of Fish and Wildlife management in the territory” (UFA, 16.7.1). With a mandate to address issues that affect all of Yukon, the Board focuses on policies and legislation for sustainable fish, wildlife, and habitat management. The Board consolidates the best available scientific, traditional, and local knowledge through public participation, to make recommendations on management decisions to First Nations, territorial, and federal governments.

Government of Yukon

The Government of Yukon’s Department of Environment fosters informed, inclusive decision-making, generates and shares knowledge, and guides others to act responsibly and respectfully in their interactions with the environment. We strive to safeguard Yukon’s ecosystems. The Department of Environment is a recognized leader and a trusted partner in environmental stewardship. Our actions support a healthy sustainable and prosperous Yukon now and into the future.