polar bear research in canada: ecology, demography and...

Polar Bear Research in Canada:

Understanding Ecology,

Environmental Change and

Sustainability

Polar Bear Range StatesIlulissat, Greenland

Dr. Evan RichardsonEnvironment Canada

02 September, 2015

© B. Baliko

Polar Bears in Canada

Canada home to about two-thirds of world’s polar bears:

• responsibility to enable sustainable harvest and use within Aboriginal communities

• requires collaborative research and monitoring for informed management

Roles in Canadian Polar

Bear Research

• Territorial and Provincial research

– focus on information required to ensure sustainable harvests: monitoring techniques; population size, status and trends

• Environment Canada’s research

– focus on polar bear ecology and understanding arctic ecosystems

– understanding relationships among polar bears, seals and sea ice

– contributing to assessments of population size and trend

– aspects related to the status of polar bears as a Species of Special Concern under Canada’s Species at Risk Act (SARA)

• University research

– focus on specific questions of population health, population genetics and ecological relationships, e.g. diet and foraging, habitat use, demography and body condition

Canada’s Current Polar Bear

Research Priorities

• Polar Bear Administrative Committee (PBAC) provides national management oversight

• PBAC has identified four research priority areas:

1. Habitat and climate change: Understanding links among changes in climate, sea ice habitat, polar bear activities, body condition and population status

2. Monitoring techniques: Research into less intrusive and more cost-effective monitoring techniques

3. Population delineation: Research into genetic basis of mapping separate Canadian polar bear subpopulations

4. Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge: Assessing ways to better link science and Aboriginal Traditional Knowledge (ATK) on polar bears in support of management decisions

© B. Baliko

Western Hudson Bay Research:

Impacts of Changing Climate

• Capture program (1980-present)

– population demographic response to long-term environmental variation

– climate impacts on life history (e.g. declines ingrowth and reproduction)

– monitoring diet to understand changes in ecosystem function

– changes in habitat availability

– GPS collaring

– tissue collection: contaminants, diet, disease and genetics

(Environment Canada / Manitoba)

© S. Eszterhas

Western Hudson Bay Research:

Key Findings

Reduced sea ice availability

increases mortality rates

Quantitative genetics, mating

systems and heritability of body size

Breeding season movements

influence genetic structure

Long-term declines in body size

related to ice conditions at birth

© J. Lunn

© B. Baliko

Beaufort Sea Research:

Linking Predators and Prey

(Environment Canada / NWT / USGS)

© W. Lynch


– linking polar bear and ringed seal population dynamics

– tissue collection: contaminants, diet, and genetics

– GPS collaring

– polar bear foraging ecology

– sea ice dynamics

– population assessments with USGS (2007 and 2015)

Beaufort Sea Research:

Key Findings

Ringed seal and polar bear

productivity influenced by sea ice

Prey abundance and availability

influence nutritional condition

Mapping of important denning

habitat using TK and science

Regional-scale variation in

responses to changing climate

© I. Stirling

© E. Richardson© E. Richardson

(NWT / Environment Canada)

Viscount Melville Sound:

Multi-year sea-ice?© B. Baliko

• Capture program (2012-2014)

– population assessment in a changing sea-ice environment

– GPS collaring


– community-based hair snagging project

– sampling of grizzly bears and hybrids

– genetics to examine hybridization

Southern Hudson Bay:

Ecology at Southern Limits

(Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources)

• Capture program (2003-2005)

– long-term declines in body condition (1999-present)


• Aerial survey (2011/2012)


– GPS collaring

– tissue collection

– body condition and health assessment

© M. Obbard


Research Priorities







© B. Baliko

• Large investment to increase monitoring frequency and decrease invasiveness

• Multiple partners & contributors

• Population-wide applications– Aerial surveys

– Genetic mark-recaptures

• Research & development– Aerial surveys over sea-ice– Satellite imagery– Photo surveys– Drones (UAV’s)

Development of Alternative Methods to

Monitor Polar Bear Populations

Monitoring Techniques

Monitoring methods used

or in progress (2010-15):

Physical MR

Genetic MR

Aerial Survey

Satellite

Photo Survey

Drone

Comparing Monitoring Approaches

Survey method Population

estimate?

Timeframe

for estimate

Vital Rates &

Life history

Health Cost

Mark Recapture Y 3 years Y Y High

Aerial Surveys Y 1 year N N High

Genetic M-R Y 3 years General Y High

Remote Sensing N 1 year N N Low

Harvest

monitoring

Y N/A N Y Low


Research Priorities







© B. Baliko

Population Genetic Structure:

Comparing Molecular Markers

(Environment Canada / University of Alberta)

• Population structure in Hudson Bay using microsatellite and single

nucleotide polymorphisms (SNP’s)

Canadian Polar Bear Population

Structure: Localized Genetic Structure

• Four major genetic

clusters in Canada

• Significant east–west

genetic differentiation

across the Canadian

Arctic Archipelago

• Norwegian Bay genetically

differentiated with

detectable differences in

gene frequencies

potentially adapted for

different local conditions

(Environment Canada / University of Alberta)

James

Bay

Linking Polar Bear Science and

Traditional Knowledge

• Broad interest in establishing approaches to use science and

traditional knowledge (TK) together in appropriate ways

– reflects obligations under Inuit land claim agreements

– ongoing priority for Canadian government agencies

• Significant challenges in bringing together two different knowledge

systems

• Ongoing activities by Governments of Nunavut, NWT, Yukon and

Canada, as well as Inuit organisations

– PBTC membership includes both scientists and TK-holders

– Environment Canada hired specialist in science and TK to develop

and apply approaches in the field

– develop Protocol to provide guidelines on linking ATK and science

Ongoing Research…..

• Population genetics: University of Alberta, Nunavut, Northwest Territories,

Ontario, Newfoundland and Labrador, Manitoba, Assiniboine Zoo, EC

• Diet & body condition: York University, University of Alberta, Nunavut,

Northwest Territories, Ontario, EC

• Climate & sea ice: University of Alberta, York University, Carleton University,

EC

• Polar bear health: University of Saskatchewan, University of Alberta, Ontario,

University of Western Australia, Northwest Territories, Nunavut, EC

• Population demography & assessment: University of Alberta, Northwest

Territories, Nunavut, Yukon, University of Minnesota, USGS, EC

• Movement & habitat use: University of Alberta, Northwest Territories,

Nunavut, Ontario, EC

• Ringed seal ecology: Department of Fisheries and Oceans, University of

Alberta, York University, EC

© S. Flood

Future Research:

Arctic Shipping Impacts

• Increases in arctic shipping has been identified as a primary threat to polar bears

– e.g., iron ore mine on Baffin Island will increase traffic in Eclipse Sound (ca. 150 ship transits 10 months of year)

– baseline data required to assess impacts

• Work being developed for community-based research and monitoring to assess the impacts of icebreaking vessels on sea ice dynamics and marine mammals

– Environment Canada building a small research station in Pond Inlet near northern shipping routes (March 2017)

Summary

• Effective conservation and management of polar bears requires collaborative research by multiple agencies

• Canada has long history of conducting applied polar bear research (1961- present)

– focused on understanding population ecology, health and genetics in key subpopulations

– conducted and supported by governments, universities and aboriginal organisations

• Canadian polar bear research closely linked to management needs

– population modelling, population monitoring, harvest management decisions and assessing emerging threats

© B. Baliko

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