University of Alberta grizzly bear research and mitigation project

阿尔伯塔大学灰熊研究和缓解项目

• 批准号: 441928-2012
• 负责人: StClair, ColleenCassady
• 金额: $ 11.88万
• 依托单位: University of Alberta
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Collaborative Research and Development Grants
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2015-01-01 至 2016-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=574571
• 关键词: University; Alberta; grizzly; bear; research

In North America, the conservation conundrum of large carnivores is epitomized by the gradual extirpation of the iconic grizzly bear. Once a prairie species that spread over much of the western half of the continent, its range is now restricted to a few small pockets in remote, mountainous areas of a few northern US and Canada. In the past 200 years, dozens of receding sub-populations have winked out of existence after being isolated from adjacent populations. This pattern could occur in Banff and Yoho National Parks where grizzly bears exhibit some of the lowest population densities, body masses, and reproductive rates in North America. Despite protection from hunting and road mortality, bears in this area are challenged by low habitat productivity and, recently, high mortality on the train tracks maintained by the Canadian Pacific Railway (CPR). Four grizzly bears were killed in the study area in 2011, the highest single rail and road-kill year the area has experienced, and two more were killed in 2012. The reasons for the sharp rise and continuing mortality of bears are not yet understood, but inevitably involve numerous and interacting biological, geographical, and societal factors. We propose a comprehensive, 4-year research project that will address the primary goals of an associated initiative hosted by the CPR Grizzly Bear Conservation Initiative to: (1) determine the root causes of bear mortality on the CPR tracks, and (2) identify effective methods to prevent future mortalities. We will achieve these objectives with innovative methods to quantify diverse environmental factors and detailed aspects of bear behaviour and then integrate these measures to identify and test the most effective mitigation techniques. In addition, we will support communication efforts by both CPR and the Parks Canada Agency (PCA) to proactively engage a global public in solution-oriented conservation action via scientific and public outlets.

在北美，大型食肉动物的保护难题是由于标志性的灰熊的逐渐消除而体现的。 曾经是一个遍布整个大陆西部大部分地区的草原物种，现在仅限于美国北部和加拿大偏远的山区地区的一些小口袋。 在过去的200年中，与相邻人群隔离后，数十个退缩的亚人群已经眨了眨眼。 这种模式可能发生在班夫和Yoho国家公园，那里的灰熊在北美的人口密度，体重和生殖率最低。 尽管保护了狩猎和道路死亡率，但该地区的熊受到栖息地生产率低的挑战，最近，加拿大太平洋铁路（CPR）维持的火车轨道上的高死亡率很高。 2011年，在研究区域中杀死了四只灰熊，这是该地区所经历的最高单轨和公路杀伤年份，在2012年又被杀死。熊急剧上升和持续死亡的原因尚未被理解，但不可避免地涉及许多且相互作用的生物学，地理，地理，地理和社会因素。 我们提出了一个全面的4年研究项目，该项目将解决由CPR灰熊保护计划主持的相关计划的主要目标，即：（1）确定CPR轨道上熊死亡的根本原因，（2）确定有效的方法来防止未来的死亡率。 我们将通过创新方法实现这些目标，以量化各种环境因素和熊行为的详细方面，然后整合这些措施以识别和测试最有效的缓解技术。 此外，我们将支持CPR和加拿大公园局（PCA）的沟通努力，以主动通过科学和公共渠道与全球公众参与面向解决方案的保护行动。