Polar Bear Conservation & Management in Canada: 2013-2015 Update

Meeting of the Parties to the Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears Sept 1-3, 2015

Outline 1. Context 2. Monitoring 3. Traditional Knowledge 4. Provincial/territorial and federal updates 5. National Management plan 6. Harvest 7. Other Economic development factors 8. Enforcement 9. Human-polar bear conflict 10.Conclusions

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1. Context • Canada has a large land mass with diverse conditions • Federal system that aims at having decisions made at

• • • •

relevant levels (not centralized) Land Claims Agreements (Constitutionally protected): comanagement between governments and Aboriginal groups, including Wildlife Management Boards. Nine of Canada’s 13 polar bear subpopulations are shared nationally or internationally. The changing Arctic environment has implications for management actions; systems must be reactive and responsive to changing pressures. What may look like a complex jurisdictional environment is in fact an effective, dynamic and robust system. 3

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1. Context: Key instrument for coordination • Polar Bear Technical Committee – Feb 2014 and 2015

• Polar Bear Administrative Committee – May 2014 and 2015

• User to User meetings – Davis Strait, May 2015 – Allocation of harvest – Southern Hudson Bay, Sept 2014 – Harvest & Allocation

• International Engagement – – – –

CMS: CoP - November 2014, Science Council - July 2014 Southern Beaufort Sea meeting: December 2014 Canada/US polar bear NGO forum: June 2015 Range States CAP drafting meeting: March 2015, Nov 2014, May 2014 – European Union: May 2014 – US Conservtion an management plan drafting: Feb 2014 5

2. Monitoring • Building on a solid base: – 40 yeas of monitoring – on average Canada invested an average of CAD1.5M/yr over the past 19 years

• Risk-based approach: – More frequent inventories for subpopulations with concerns and pressures

• A 15-year inventory schedule to plan and track survey efforts: – The plan represents an increased investment in order to implement a more intensive monitoring schedule

• Development of alternative/new methods: – – – –

Cost effectiveness Increase speed or frequency of inventories Addressing concerns over the handling of bears Meeting information needs for conservation and management

• Providing a comprehensive base for enforcement and trade control (e.g. genetic identification of bears).

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2. Monitoring: Planning at 3 levels • Regional – Monitoring requirements incorporated into regulations & management plans in some jurisdictions – Input from local communities, traditional knowledge & science to establish priorities

• National – PBTC (technical advice) and PBAC (management coordination) – National Polar Bear Conservation Strategy for Canada (2011): Annex 1 – National population inventory schedule

• International – Circumpolar Action Plan – Bilateral agreements: Canada-Nunavut-Greenland, US-Canada 7

2. Monitoring: Completed Inventoried within last:

5 years 10 years 20 years >20 years

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2. Monitoring: In progress & Planned Inventoried within last:

5 years 10 years 20 years In-progress:

within

1-3

years Planned:

within 5 years 9

2. Monitoring: Conclusions • Baseline monitoring of polar bears in Canada is extensive • • • •

& coordinated at all levels. Most populations in Canada have been subject to recent inventories. Those remaining are scheduled for inventory in the near future. Significant investments in alternative monitoring methodologies have increased the versatility and responsiveness of Canada’s monitoring scheme. All methods have differing assumptions and biases. The combination of monitoring and research provides a solid foundation for conservation and fast, adaptive responses. 10

3. Traditional Knowledge (TK) • Moving to systematic documentation and validation of TK for each region: – Inuvialuit Settlement Region ▪ published 2015

– Nunavik interviews underway ▪ publication expected in 2015/2016

– Nunavut ▪ Baffin Bay TK study

– Nunatsiavut ▪ Torngat TK study

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5. National Management Plan Special Concern

SARA

Threatened

Endangered

Range State Action Plan Roles and responsibilities

SARA Management Plan

Coordination of processes

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Newfoundland and Labrador

Quebec

Nunavut

Ontario

Manitoba

Territories & Yukon

Northwest

Norway

Russia

US

Greenland

Conservation Strategy

Jurisdictional Plans • Codify system • Do’s and Don’ts • Deliverables and schedules • Set timeline.

6. Harvest Key management decisions (2013-2015) • M’Clintock Channel – –

Public hearing held in June 2014 Decision made

• Southern Hudson Bay – – –

September 2014 Voluntary Agreement for TAH signed by Parties February 2014 Public Hearing held by NMRWB Decision expected: Fall 2015

• Western Hudson Bay –

Decision currently with NWMB

• Foxe Basin -

Board had a hearing December 2013 Decision made

• Davis Strait – – – –

With Nunavik’s desire to have an official TAH for DS the jurisdictions are currently undergoing new discussions User-to-User Meeting May 2015 (discussed notional allocation) Board hearings to take place in fall of 2015 (harvest level to be recommended) Decision expected winter 2015/2016 13

6. Harvest & Quota

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6. Harvest and Export

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6. Recent Export data

Number of hide sold at Fur Auction House

6. Harvest Management • Harvest – Continue with existing system of adaptive co-management – All human-caused mortality is applied to established quotas (subsistence harvest, defense of life or property kills, nonresident hunt) – Quotas are set according to the status of a subpopulation and are reviewed regularly

• Ensure Aboriginal communities realize full social/economic and livelihood benefits

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7. Other Economic Development Factor • Opportunities for economic development in the Canadian Arctic – Resource extraction (mining, oil and gas, etc.). – Arctic shipping.

• Eco-tourism: growing interest in opportunities for the public to view polar bears in nature – In Manitoba - Licensing and regulation of eco-tourism operators under The Resource Tourism Operators Act

• Provides both opportunities and pressures

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8. Enforcement • Domestic – Poaching and illegal trade continues to be very low in Canada ▪ User engagement is key

– Strengthening our national system ▪ Implementing RFID tag & a genetic database ▪ Centralization of permitting and reporting ▪ Continuous improvement in database: one of the best harvest/trade data sources worldwide

– Objective for the next several years ▪ Implementation of CITES electronic permitting (2016)

• International

– Canada supports international efforts to oppose illegal take and trade of any species ▪ Leadership at Interpol ▪ Co-sponsorship of UNGA resolution on illegal wildlife trade ▪ Direct investment in Kenya Canada (via Interpol) provided training for African Nation wildlife enforcement 19

9. Human-Polar Bear Conflicts • Increasing in some regions of

• •

•

Canada Concern for residents and bears in communities Manitoba – a world leader – Polar Bear Alert Program Other deterrent programs in various stages of development

Minister of Conservation/Polar Bear Management in Manitoba

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10. Conclusion Focus over short-term • Focus on having a comprehensive management system in place. – Territorial/provincial systems largely in place. Focus now on addressing gaps mostly at the inter-jurisdictional level and regarding long-term planning; – Monitoring coordination and planning ; – Management plans (Provincial/Territorial & National); – Up-to-date subpopulation estimates and careful management of resources ; – Cooperation and collaboration.

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10. Conclusions • Canada continues to place priority on conservation and •

management actions for polar bear Ensuring effective and comprehensive systems are in place to: ▪ Provide best information to managers; ▪ Engage communities and their leaders; ▪ Conduct the necessary science and traditional knowledge studies to inform conservation and management actions; ▪ Strengthen harvest management systems, and coordination between jurisdictions, where appropriate.

• Canada continues to support a balanced approach to conservation that maintains cultural traditions, and provides opportunities for cultural social and livelihood development in communities that live within the polar bear range. 22

Thank you ᖁᔭᓐᓇᒦᒃ

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