The Government of Yukon and the Yukon Fish and Wildlife Management Board recently released the conservation plan for grizzly bears in Yukon. The plan will help guide decisions related to grizzlies in the territory by ensuring they remain healthy in their habitat and that their population is sustainable.
Goals of the plan include minimizing human-grizzly conflicts and taking care of the land and other species that grizzly bears rely on. The plan was finalized following government-to-government consultation with First Nations, Inuvialuit and transboundary Indigenous groups.
“Grizzly bears are important to Yukon’s ecosystem and offer valuable opportunities for tourism and sustainable hunting,” said Yukon Minister of Environment Pauline Frost. “I would like to thank everybody who provided input and helped develop this plan. Wildlife management is a collaborative process and we are pleased that this plan reflects local, scientific and traditional knowledge.”
Yukon is the habitat for an estimated 6,000 to 7,000 grizzly bears. In June 2018, grizzly bears were formally listed as a species of concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act, which requires development of a national management plan within three years. Yukon’s grizzly bear plan will directly inform the Yukon portion of the federal management plan.
This plan is designed to reflect the knowledge and values Yukoners have about grizzly bears. It’s expected to better enable partnerships and decision-making that will result in grizzly bear conservation and habitat protection for future generations.
For further information on this plan, click here.
