They're known as '
spirit bears.' These supernaturally-white bears live along the coast of British Columbia, in the Great Bear Rainforest. These incredible bears are so rare, experts say that only around 50 to 100 live in this Canadian rainforest.
And they're facing an uphill battle for survival. With wild salmon populations dropping as climate change and drought interrupt ecosystems and food chains, the bears are facing stiff competition for survival.
Sign the petition to urge the Canadian government to implement a thorough conservation plan, including by addressing climate change, and to do so by working collaboratively with First Nations communities!Spirit bears are actually a subset of black bears, but they're born when both parents carry a special recessive gene, which results in their ghostly appearance. Evidence shows that the bears and First Nations indigenous communities have coexisted for thousands of years.
First Nations communities have fought hard for conservation and environmental protection, winning multiple incredible victories within the Canadian government. They helped create a ban on humans trophy hunting bears in the Great Bear Rainforest, and then helped that expand to create a ban on all hunts of grizzly bears in wider British Columbia. They've also helped implement conservation projects to protect wild fish.
Their stewardship has been key to protecting not only the spirit bears, but the larger environment that these bears rely on. If we want to ensure spirit bears continue to survive - which includes by fighting climate change - then the Canadian government must work collaboratively with First Nations peoples.
Sign the petition to demand that the Canadian government honor these communities' millennia of wisdom by working together with First Nations leaders to develop, implement, and enforce a conservation plan!