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集中体现在标志性灰熊的逐渐灭绝上。 曾经是分布在非洲大陆西半部大部分地区的草原物种，现在其分布范围仅限于美国北部和加拿大一些偏远山区的几个小块地区。 在过去的200年里，数十个正在消退的亚种群在与邻近种群隔离后眨眼间就消失了。 这种模式可能发生在班夫国家公园和幽鹤国家公园，那里的灰熊的种群密度、体重和繁殖率都是北美最低的。 尽管受到狩猎和道路死亡率的保护，该地区的熊仍面临栖息地生产力低下以及最近加拿大太平洋铁路（CPR）维护的火车轨道上死亡率高的挑战。 2011 年，研究地区有四只灰熊被杀死，这是该地区经历的单次铁路和公路死亡人数最高的一年，2012 年又有两只灰熊被杀。熊死亡率急剧上升和持续死亡的原因尚不清楚，但不可避免地涉及众多相互作用的生物、地理和社会因素。 我们提出了一个为期 4 年的综合研究项目，该项目将实现 CPR 灰熊保护倡议主办的相关倡议的主要目标：(1) 确定 CPR 轨道上熊死亡的根本原因，以及 (2) 确定预防未来死亡的有效方法。 我们将通过创新方法来实现这些目标，以量化不同的环境因素和熊行为的详细方面，然后整合这些措施来确定和测试最有效的缓解技术。 此外，我们将支持 CPR 和加拿大公园管理局 (PCA) 的沟通工作，通过科学和公共渠道积极吸引全球公众参与以解决方案为导向的保护行动。