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Grizzly Bear

Last updated on January 18, 2024

Female grizzly bear, photograph courtesy of Troy Malish

Grizzly bears are an integral part of maintaining healthy ecosystems in B.C. because having a healthy population makes the province better able to sustain many other species. Grizzly bears also play an important role in First Nations culture, as well as many tourism and recreational activities.

The province has made an environmental commitment to sustaining the grizzly bear population and its habitat. A great deal of effort and research is invested in managing the population using scientific information and data.

In 2019 the Provincial grizzly bear biologists worked with the B.C. Conservation Data Centre and NatureServe on a new approach to assessing the conservation rank of grizzly bear populations in the province.

In 2017 the Auditor General of British Columbia completed an independent audit of grizzly bear management. It focused on the Ministry of Environment and the Ministry of Forests, Lands and Natural Resource Operations and their roles in meeting government's objective of ensuring healthy grizzly bear populations throughout B.C. It also looked at government's planning, activities and reporting as to the effectiveness of grizzly bear management.

Strategy

The province’s grizzly bear strategy has evolved over many decades to help ensure that B.C. continues to be home to some of the healthiest grizzly bear populations in the world. A Provincial Grizzly Bear Stewardship Framework is being developed which includes a strategy for managing commercial bear viewing.