Getting closer to safeguarding coastal carnivores

Recently, we unveiled our Safeguarding Coastal Carnivores campaign to refresh our Save the Great Bears campaign in light of the NDP decision to end all hunting of grizzlies in BC.

The new name reflects the fact that our work to end commercial trophy hunting in the Great Bear Rainforest also safeguards wolves, cougars, wolverines, and black bears. These populations, family units, and individual animals remain a target for commercial trophy hunters.

At least grizzly bears are now 100% safe, right? Well, not quite.

While the provincial decision to end all grizzly hunting in BC is something we celebrate, it’s not a permanent solution. We have been here before. Back in 2001, Raincoast lead the campaign to secure a three-year moratorium on the grizzly hunt, which was subsequently overturned after one spring hunting season by the incoming Liberal government. This was the origin of our strategy to buy commercial hunting tenures in the Great Bear Rainforest.

Since our first tenure acquisition in 2005, Raincoast, in partnership with Coastal First Nations, has acquired the rights, in perpetuity, to commercial trophy hunting in an area of over 30,000 square kilometers – a move that has supported the rapid emergence of a burgeoning coastal ecotourism sector, while saving grizzly bears, black bears, wolves, and other wildlife from ending up as trophies.

With a $100,000 donation from Lush Cosmetics, our Grizzly Bar campaign with Denman Island Chocolate, and your donations, by the end of 2017 we had raised $150,000 to acquire the next tenure – the Nadeea tenure. The name – suggested by Doug Neasloss – elected Chief Councillor of the Kitasoo-Xai’xais Nation – is that of the largest mountain in the area – translated as the place the snow never melts. The community has stories and lullabies about this location which is known as the place where the bears sleep.

We can now also report that we have two pledges from major donors that now take us to $250,000 – half of our $500,000 target. At our events with wildlife photographer John Marriott, we encouraged our combined audiences of around 500 to consider that if everyone either donated or helped raise $500 – we would reach our goal. Many companies and individuals have already stepped up.

We are grateful for any support you can provide, whether $500, $50 or $5, and our updated site allows you to create your own team and fundraise with us. Could you help raise $500 or more via your family, friends, and other networks by the end of 2018?

Our shared success with the Nadeea tenure will build on a novel conservation strategy that provides permanent protection for coastal carnivores from commercial trophy hunting.

For all coastal carnivores.

You can help

Raincoast’s in-house scientists, collaborating graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and professors make us unique among conservation groups. We work with First Nations, academic institutions, government, and other NGOs to build support and inform decisions that protect aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and the wildlife that depend on them. We conduct ethically applied, process-oriented, and hypothesis-driven research that has immediate and relevant utility for conservation deliberations and the collective body of scientific knowledge.

We investigate to understand coastal species and processes. We inform by bringing science to decision-makers and communities. We inspire action to protect wildlife and wildlife habitats.