Bear conservation
Encyclopedia
Bear conservation refers to the management of bears and their habitat
with a view to preventing their extinction
.
Bears face serious threats on many fronts, most of which are due to human activity. Whether indirect, as in human encroachment on their natural habitats due to crop cultivation, deforestation
or timber harvest, or directly from their killing for protection of property or for unregulated or sport hunting, or for their use in primitive medicines and aphrodisiacs.
’s Eighth International Conference on Bear Research and Management, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in 1989, Christopher Servheen, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, stated that
Likewise, successful international co-operation in conservation and management is exemplified by the work done on the polar bear in the Arctic. Several other species also need international cooperation to if they are to survive.
(Ursus maritimus) and the American black bear
(U. americanus), the other six, that is,
face varying degrees of vulnerability. The 2007 IUCN Red List
, published on 12 September 2007, includes two species, the Giant panda and the Sun bear as threatened with extinction, and even "least concern" species such as the brown bear, although not considered to be at risk in North America and parts of Europe and the former Soviet Union, are at risk of extirpation
in certain countries or regions.
The process of decline and/or extinction of the brown bear in Europe is well documented. Starting with their extinction in Denmark around 3000 B.C., in Great Britain during the 10th century, in eastern Germany in 1770, in Bavaria in 1836, in Switzerland in 1904, and in the French Alps in 1937.
on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species refers to their global population, the fact is that local populations are increasingly becoming scarcer. And as the IUCN itself adds
Such regional variations are most obvious in Spain where the only remaining bear, the Cantabrian brown bear
is under threat.
According to an article published December 2007 in the Spanish national daily El País, 8 brown bears had been killed, either by poisoned bait or illegal hunting, in the Cantabrian Mountains
since the year 2000. The Cantabrian Brown Bear population is currently (2007) estimated at around 170, divided between the 140 in the Western section and 25-30 in the Eastern. Leading Spanish experts have warned that the bear population will not be viable until there are "several hundred". One way forward is to reverse the fragmentation of the bears' habitat by creating "corridors". However, their viability is compromised by the regional authorities' keenness to allow construction of a ski resort at San Glorio
, a project which has met strong opposition from many sectors, as well as that of the central government.
Habitat
* Habitat , a place where a species lives and grows*Human habitat, a place where humans live, work or play** Space habitat, a space station intended as a permanent settlement...
with a view to preventing their extinction
Extinction
In biology and ecology, extinction is the end of an organism or of a group of organisms , normally a species. The moment of extinction is generally considered to be the death of the last individual of the species, although the capacity to breed and recover may have been lost before this point...
.
Bears face serious threats on many fronts, most of which are due to human activity. Whether indirect, as in human encroachment on their natural habitats due to crop cultivation, deforestation
Deforestation
Deforestation is the removal of a forest or stand of trees where the land is thereafter converted to a nonforest use. Examples of deforestation include conversion of forestland to farms, ranches, or urban use....
or timber harvest, or directly from their killing for protection of property or for unregulated or sport hunting, or for their use in primitive medicines and aphrodisiacs.
Management
In a paper presented at the International Bear AssociationInternational Bear Association
The International Association for Bear Research and Management , also known as the International Bear Association, is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization open to professional biologists, wildlife managers and others dedicated to the conservation of the world’s eight bear species.With over 550...
’s Eighth International Conference on Bear Research and Management, Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in 1989, Christopher Servheen, of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, stated that
Conservation efforts on bears must be based on accurate biological information and knowledge of the habitat requirements of the species. Even when required biological data are available, implementation of conservation efforts requires an effective governmental commitment and incorporation of the needs of the local people into bear conservation. Management implementation and public education remain the greatest challenges in bear conservation.
International co-operation
According to Servheen, bear conservation efforts vary from the intensive and highly organized management of the grizzly bear in the United States to little or no management of most Asian species.Likewise, successful international co-operation in conservation and management is exemplified by the work done on the polar bear in the Arctic. Several other species also need international cooperation to if they are to survive.
IUCN Red List
Of the world’s eight existing bear species, except for the Polar bearPolar Bear
The polar bear is a bear native largely within the Arctic Circle encompassing the Arctic Ocean, its surrounding seas and surrounding land masses. It is the world's largest land carnivore and also the largest bear, together with the omnivorous Kodiak Bear, which is approximately the same size...
(Ursus maritimus) and the American black bear
American black bear
The American black bear is a medium-sized bear native to North America. It is the continent's smallest and most common bear species. Black bears are omnivores, with their diets varying greatly depending on season and location. They typically live in largely forested areas, but do leave forests in...
(U. americanus), the other six, that is,
- the Giant pandaGiant PandaThe giant panda, or panda is a bear native to central-western and south western China. It is easily recognized by its large, distinctive black patches around the eyes, over the ears, and across its round body. Though it belongs to the order Carnivora, the panda's diet is 99% bamboo...
(Ailuropoda melanoleuca) - the Brown bearBrown BearThe brown bear is a large bear distributed across much of northern Eurasia and North America. It can weigh from and its largest subspecies, the Kodiak Bear, rivals the polar bear as the largest member of the bear family and as the largest land-based predator.There are several recognized...
(U. arctos) - the Spectacled bearSpectacled BearThe spectacled bear , also known as the Andean bear and locally as ukuko, jukumari or ucumari, is the last remaining short-faced bear and the closest living relative to the Florida spectacled bear and short-faced bears of the Middle Pleistocene to Late Pleistocene age.The spectacled bear is a...
(Tremarctos ornatus) - the Asiatic black bearAsiatic Black BearThe Asian black bear , also known as the moon bear or white-chested bear is a medium-sized species of bear, largely adapted for arboreal life, which occurs through much of southern Asia, Korea, northeastern China, the Russian far east and Honshū and Shikoku islands of Japan...
(U. thibetanus) - the Sloth bearSloth BearThe sloth bear , also known as the labiated bear, is a nocturnal insectivorous species of bear found wild within the Indian subcontinent. The sloth bear evolved from ancestral brown bears during the Pleistocene and shares features found in insect-eating mammals through convergent evolution...
(Melursus ursinus) - the Sun bearSun BearThe sun bear , sometimes known as the honey bear, is a bear found primarily in the tropical rainforests of Southeast Asia; North-East India, Bangladesh, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos, Cambodia, Vietnam, Southern China, Peninsular Malaysia, and the islands of Sumatra and Borneo.-Description:The sun bear...
(Helarctos malayanus)
face varying degrees of vulnerability. The 2007 IUCN Red List
IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species , founded in 1963, is the world's most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature is the world's main authority on the conservation status of species...
, published on 12 September 2007, includes two species, the Giant panda and the Sun bear as threatened with extinction, and even "least concern" species such as the brown bear, although not considered to be at risk in North America and parts of Europe and the former Soviet Union, are at risk of extirpation
Local extinction
Local extinction, also known as extirpation, is the condition of a species which ceases to exist in the chosen geographic area of study, though it still exists elsewhere...
in certain countries or regions.
The process of decline and/or extinction of the brown bear in Europe is well documented. Starting with their extinction in Denmark around 3000 B.C., in Great Britain during the 10th century, in eastern Germany in 1770, in Bavaria in 1836, in Switzerland in 1904, and in the French Alps in 1937.
Regional variations
Although the inclusion of the brown bear as of Least ConcernLeast Concern
Least Concern is an IUCN category assigned to extant taxon or lower taxa which have been evaluated but do not qualify for any other category. As such they do not qualify as threatened, Near Threatened, or Conservation Dependent...
on the 2006 IUCN Red List of Threatened Species refers to their global population, the fact is that local populations are increasingly becoming scarcer. And as the IUCN itself adds
Least Concern does not always mean that species are not at risk. There are declining species that are evaluated as Least Concern.
Such regional variations are most obvious in Spain where the only remaining bear, the Cantabrian brown bear
Cantabrian brown bear
Cantabrian brown bear refers to a population of Eurasian brown bears living in the Cantabrian Mountains of Spain. Females weigh, on average, 85kg but can reach a weight of 150kg. Males average 115kg though can weigh as much as 200kg. The bear measures between 1.6 – 2m in length and between 0.90...
is under threat.
Spain
Spain’s ministry of the environment, in its Catálogo Nacional de Especies Amenazadas lists the brown bear as in danger of extinction in Spain.According to an article published December 2007 in the Spanish national daily El País, 8 brown bears had been killed, either by poisoned bait or illegal hunting, in the Cantabrian Mountains
Cantabrian Mountains
The Cantabrian Mountains or Cantabrian Range are one of the main systems of mountain ranges in Spain.They extend for more than approximately 180 miles across northern Spain, from the western limit of the Pyrenees to the edges of the Galician Massif close to Galicia, along the coast of the...
since the year 2000. The Cantabrian Brown Bear population is currently (2007) estimated at around 170, divided between the 140 in the Western section and 25-30 in the Eastern. Leading Spanish experts have warned that the bear population will not be viable until there are "several hundred". One way forward is to reverse the fragmentation of the bears' habitat by creating "corridors". However, their viability is compromised by the regional authorities' keenness to allow construction of a ski resort at San Glorio
San Glorio
San Glorio is a mountain pass in the Cantabrian Mountains of Northern Spain. The pass reaches an altitude of 1609 metres along the national highway N621 which connects the city of León with Cantabria and which passes through Asturias....
, a project which has met strong opposition from many sectors, as well as that of the central government.
See also
- European Brown Bear
- International Bear AssociationInternational Bear AssociationThe International Association for Bear Research and Management , also known as the International Bear Association, is a non-profit, tax-exempt organization open to professional biologists, wildlife managers and others dedicated to the conservation of the world’s eight bear species.With over 550...
- IUCN Red List of Threatened Species
- Threatened speciesThreatened speciesThreatened species are any speciesg animals, plants, fungi, etc.) which are vulnerable to endangerment in the near future.The World Conservation Union is the foremost authority on threatened species, and treats threatened species not as a single category, but as a group of three categories,...