science
Rural Municipalities of Alberta Advocate for Regulated Grizzly Bear Hunt in Province
The Rural Municipalities of Alberta passed a resolution last month calling for a regulated grizzly bear hunt through a draw system. The group seeks to end the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan in place since 2008 and implement a new management plan. The proposal follows increased human-bear interactions in southwestern Alberta.
Apr 13, 7:00 AM·3m read1 source
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The Rural Municipalities of Alberta passed a policy resolution last month calling to advocate to the provincial government to implement a regulated grizzly bear hunt administered through a draw system.
The majority of the Rural Municipalities of Alberta's membership, made up of more than 60 rural Alberta counties and municipal districts, voted in support of the resolution. The RMA policy resolution points to data from a 2016 study suggesting a high population density of grizzly bears in southwestern Alberta.
The RMA is calling for the province to end the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan, which has been in place since 2008, and implement a Grizzly Bear Management Plan.
The recovery plan includes protecting and restoring grizzly habitat in mapped-out bear management areas, working to minimize the risk of human-wildlife conflict and human-caused grizzly bear mortality, and raising awareness on bear coexistence through BearSmart programs across Alberta.
No provincial grizzly population studies have been done since 2018. In 2024, the Rural Municipalities of Alberta called for the province to increase funding for management of grizzly bears, particularly problem bears.
That lobbying by the Rural Municipalities of Alberta in 2024 was unsuccessful. The provincial government announced in 2024 it would spend $700,000 over five years to keep large carnivores away from rural properties in southwestern Alberta.
County called a significant increase in human-bear interactions in southwestern Alberta.
U.S. border, last summer. Last year, a high number of bear encounters in provincial parks led Alberta Parks to issue a blanket bear warning for the entirety of Kananaskis Country.
The Alberta Wildlife Federation said in a statement it would support limited harvest of grizzly bears if justified as part of a management plan. The Alberta Wildlife Federation stated that the regulated hunt would need to be based on sound science that reflects the need to sustain the grizzly bear population while balancing the societal needs for human safety and protection of property.
