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Conservation research conducted at UBC’s Okanagan campus indicates that British Columbia needs to improve bear management strategies to reduce harmful human-bear encounters.
According to Leah Parrott, a professor of Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences at UBC Okanagan, although the expansion of urban areas will result in increased human-bear interactions, improved education could reduce conflicts between humans and bears.
“Unless steps are taken to reduce human-bear interactions, we will see an increase in bears that are habituated to humans, leading to property damage, human injuries and more dead bears,” said Parrott.“These situations are unacceptable and sustainable solutions are needed. One approach is to implement education programs that teach humans how to keep their properties attractant-free and how to behave during a bear encounter.”
Working alongside UBC mathematics Associate Professor Rebecca Tyson and student research assistants, Parrott developed a computer model to simulate hundreds of various bear encounter scenarios using different bear-awareness education programs. Training in these programs included learning about proper garbage disposal and deterrent use.
The simulations revealed that the biggest contributing factor to bear status was urban land use, with a one percent increase in urbanization resulting in a 91% increase in the chances of conflict between humans and bears.
However, the results of the simulation also revealed that education targeting residential communities which share border areas with bear habitats could have a massive impact on limiting harmful encounters with bears.
“Our model suggests that bear management strategies involving education programs reduce the number of 'conflict bears,'” said Parrott.
Currently, Parrott’s team is testing some of these solutions in Whistler, B.C.
According to Wildsafe BC, British Columbia has one of the largest populations of black bears in the world, home to between 120,000 and 150,000 animals.
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