Before European contact, grizzly bears roamed from central Mexico to the shores of the Arctic Ocean. Hunting and habitat fragmentation caused their ranges to radically shrink, pushing them farther north to intact forests. Grizzlies now occupy only 2% of their historical range in the continental United States. The Coast to Cascades region is the frontline of this northward push, with several populations listed as critically endangered by the IUCN.
What happened?
The mountains and forests of the west coast that grizzlies used to call home have been heavily impacted by human presence. Roads, railways, and industrial development have all contributed to breaking up their once-intact habitat into increasingly smaller, disconnected pieces. These groups of bears become increasingly isolated, unable to get from one place to another to find food, new mates, and safe places to roam.
Can we fix it?
We know these grizzlies are in trouble, but they aren’t gone yet. A recovery plan is a proven, science-based tool that governments use to bring back species to healthy, self-sustaining levels. This is the first step. That is why we are calling on the BC government to urgently begin the process of creating and implementing a recovery plan for these threatened populations.
Will you help these bears?
We have the science on our side. First Nations, municipalities and other key stakeholders support recovering these bears. Now, all we need is you.
Will you take action today to support the call for recovering these threatened bears?
We, the undersigned, want the grizzly bear populations of BC’s Coast to Cascades region to be healthy, connected, and resilient.
In order to see this happen, we are calling on the province of BC to:
- Immediately begin planning to recover these threatened grizzly bear populations to self-sustaining levels; and
- Put in place interim measures to safeguard essential habitat and linkage corridors for these populations as the recovery planning process unfolds.
