‘It’s more than we thought but it’s still not enough’ says conservationist
Conservationists are calling on the province to designate the grizzly bear as a threatened species in the wake of a long-awaited study that counted 581 of the animals in Alberta.
On the plus side that number exceeds previous estimates by conservationists of less than 500 grizzlies province-wide. “We’re not in as much trouble as we thought” says Sarah Elmeligi senior conservation planner with the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society. However she adds that the numbers show the grizzly is still threatened. “It’s more than we thought but it’s still not enough.”
The government arrived at the 581 stat after five years of study. (That number accounts for most of but not all of the province.) “Right now we have areas of the province that have fairly healthy grizzly bear populations” says Elmeligi. “We know what it takes to restore grizzly bear populations in other parts of the province. So we have this opportunity now to make sure that we do that and that we restore Alberta’s grizzly bear populations to viable levels that are sustainable over the long term.”
In 2002 a government committee advised the province to designate the animal as threatened but the government didn’t follow the recommendation. That same committee will review the latest population data and is expected to submit their recommendations to Sustainable Resource Development Minister Ted Morton early next year says department spokesperson Dave Ealey.
Elmeligi says it’s important that the government acts quickly. “If we don’t take this opportunity right now worst-case scenario is that we lose our grizzly bears. If we do nothing for long enough it will be too late.”
