Polar Bear Management in Manitoba Flashcards
How is the management of polar bears guided in Manitoba?
By the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and their Habitats (1973)
What does the International Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears and their Habitats do?
Establishes an action plan for polar bear management
What is the IUCN PBSG?
The International Union for the Conservation of Natures Polar Bear Specialist Group
When was the PBSG established within the IUCN?
1968, in the Species Survival Commission
What does the work of the PBSG do?
It provided the basis for the 1973 agreement and the group continues to provide informed advice on polar bear management.
How many members are in the PBSG?
35
What was the main intent of the PBSG?
It set the framework for managing polar bears sustainability and their habitat.
Which appendix do polar bears sit?
Appendix 2
What is the classification of Appendix 2 in CITES?
“all species which although not necessarily now threatened with extinction, may become so unless trade in specimens of such species is subject to strict regulation to avoid utilization incompatible with their survival”
When did the federal government start keeping a permanent record of polar bear information?
1975
Who proposed that polar bears be moved from appendix 2 to appendix 1?
The US
What would have happened if the US’s proposal of moving polar bears from appendix 2 to appendix 1 status?
Approval of the proposal would have effectively banned all commercial trade in polar bear parts.
What act strictly regulates the possession, import and export of lawfully harvested polar bears in MB?
The Wildlife Act
What is the majority of Polar Bear trade in MB for?
The commercial processing of the hides and skulls of polar bears lawfully harvested in Nunavut (NU) and Northwest Territories (NWT)
What is Canada responsible for, as a signatory of CITES?
Canada is required to produce a non-detriment finding for polar bear which examines the effect of trade on wild populations.
What is a NDF?
A collaborative report involving all jurisdictions in Canada having polar bear populations.
Which population of Polar Bears were over harvested from 2010-2017?
Baffin Bay
True or False: In the most recent non-detriment finding, harvest of bears and trade in parts from all Canadian populations is deemed non-detrimental to the well being of the population.
True.
What was COSEWICs first designation of Polar bears?
“Not at Risk”
When did COSEWIC list polar bear as a vulnerable species?
1991
What is COSEWICs current listing of polar bears?
Special Concern
Why are polar bears listed as special concern?
Because they have characteristics that make them particularly sensitive to human activities or natural events that could lead to endangerment.
When was the most recent reassessment of polar bears by COSEWIC?
2018
How did the federal Department of the Environment determine if COSEWICs designation of species be listed under SARA?
Through public consultations in all provinces and territories with polar bears to determine if polar bears should be listed under SARA
What schedule of SARA are polar bears listed under?
Schedule 1
Listing a species as Special Concern triggers a requirement to develop a ______________ within three years.
management plan
What is the WMCC?
Wildlife Ministers Council of Canada
Who coordinated development of the National Polar Bear Conservation Strategy?
Environment Canada, on behalf o the federal, provincial, and territorial Polar Bear Administrative Council.
What does the Polar Bear Conservation Strategy do?
- The Strategy establishes the roles of the various entities involved in polar bear management and formalizes a commitment for joint decision-making where appropriate.
- The Strategy also formalizes commitments with respect to monitoring and the reporting of information that in the past have been voluntary.
What are polar bears listed under the MESEA?
Threatened
Why are polar bears listed as threatened under the ESEA?
To prevent sport harvesting.
In MB, polar bear received _________ protection.
Triple
What is happens with Indigenous harvesting rights and the banning of shooting polar bears?
Indigenous groups have chosen to not exercise this right to harvest polar bears.
What is the PBTC?
Federal / provincial Polar Bear Technical Committee
Who makes up the PBTC?
Biologists and wildlife managers
Who makes up PBAC?
Directors and senior managers
What does the Polar Bear Alert Program do?
- Ensure the safety of people and the protection of property from damage by polar bears.
- Ensure that bears are not unnecessarily harassed or killed
- Prevent polar bears in the Churchill area from becoming conditioned to scavenge for food.
Is the Polar Bear Alert Program reactive or preventative?
Preventative
How is the PBAP preventative?
By minimizing the possibilities of unsafe or unexpected interactions between people and polar bears.
How do community members who reside in the region of the PBAP notify sightings?
24-hour hotline
What is the process of a bear sighting for the Polar Bear Alert staff?
- To try to move the bear out of the area, usually with scaring devices. In situations where the bear presents an immediate threat, polar bears are immobilized with a dart gun on the site.
- When a bear is immobilized or captured by trap, it is moved into the Polar Bear Holding Facility. The majority of the bears that end up in the holding facility are caught in live traps
Where are polar bears transported once they’ve had their 30 days in the holding compound?
Churchill
True or False: the majority of the maternity denning habitat in MB is now protected by Parks Canada.
True
What is a WMA?
Wildlife Management Area
Where do most denning habitats reside in MB?
Wapusk and Kasgatamagan areas.
When was the hunting of polar bears prohibited?
1949***
When was the Polar Bear Protection Act given royal assent?
2002
What is one of the main goals to he Polar Bear Protection Act?
To allow bears to go to a zoo as opposed to euthanasia.
What event encouraged the creation of the Polar Bear Protection Act?
Came about after the Manitoban polar bears ending up in Mexican circuses. In following up with the zoos that received Manitoban bears, none of them were from Manitoba, this was determined by the lack of lip tattoos (All MB bears have ear tags and lip tattoos).
What does the Polar Bear Protection Act do?
- Establishes the grounds under which a live polar bear may be procured or considered for placement in a captive situation, (educational, scientific or other purpose deemed to be in the public interest)
- The prioritization for such placement (provincial, national or international); establishes prohibitions, to the extent that a provincial authority is empowered to regulate such matters, respecting off-shore issues such as use of a live polar bear in contravention of MB policies or laws;
- Establishes provision for regulations by the minister respecting matters such as permit eligibility and facility and care standards that must be met by any agency in order to be eligible to receive a polar bear.
