Engagement on the approach to developing the federal Grizzly Bear Management Plan

[IronNoggin]

Subject: Early engagement on the approach to developing the federal Grizzly Bear Management Plan

Good Day,

As you may know, the Grizzly Bear was listed as a species of special concern under the federal Species at Risk Act (SARA) in June 2018. Grizzly Bear was assessed by the Committee on the Status of Endangered Wildlife in Canada (COSEWIC) as special concern in 2012 due to international and regional population declines and pre-listing consultations were undertaken in 2013. This means that, as the next step, Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) must prepare a Management Plan for Grizzly Bear and its habitat in Canada.

We are reaching out to let you know that we are beginning the early engagement process to develop the approach that we will use to prepare this Management Plan. We would like your feedback on if and how you would like to be engaged.

The purpose of a Management Plan is to prevent species of special concern from becoming threatened or endangered. The Management Plan for Grizzly Bear in Canada will be an overarching federal document that describes voluntary management practices, broad strategies and conservation measures for this species across its range in Canada. The federal Management Plan will also include a description of the needs of, and threats to, Grizzly Bears as well as the species’ background and steps to measure overall progress in addressing the threats to the species.

The Grizzly Bear Management Plan will be developed in close collaboration with the appropriate provinces, territories, and Indigenous organizations.

ECCC recognizes the cultural, ecological, and economic significance of Grizzly Bears for Indigenous people and other Canadians and understands the importance of working together in an effort to safeguard this iconic species’ well-being. The intent is for the Grizzly Bear Management Plan to reflect well-established Indigenous, provincial, and territorial conservation and management approaches and plans.

We would appreciate your response, letting us know if you would like to provide input and be involved as the work progresses. We also invite you to share with us any related information or concerns you may have with respect to the conservation of Grizzly Bears across the country. We encourage you to connect with us as soon as possible as we develop the approaches that will be used for the advancement of this Management Plan.

Please contact Undiné Thompson at undine.thompson@canada.ca at your convenience, if possible prior to July 19th, 2019.

Respectfully,
Blair Hammond
Regional Director, Pacific Region, Canadian Wildlife Service
Environment and Climate Change Canada | Government of Canada
Blair.Hammond@canada.ca | Tel: 604-350-1958