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Tuesday, 13 November 2007 |
Bears risk extinction
Six of the eight species of bear in the world are now officially classed as facing extinction. The smallest, the sun bear, is the latest to be classified as vulnerable on the Red List of Threatened Species. Of the other species four - Asiatic black bear, Sloth bear, Andean bear and Polar bear - are also listed as vulnerable. The giant panda is facing the greatest threat and remains in the endangered category. There is least concern over the European brown bear and the American black bear.
This is the conclusion of a report published by The Bear Specialist Group of the IUCN-World Conservation Union's Species Survival Commission.
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Dave Garshelis, co-chair of the Bear Specialist Group, which met earlier this month in Mexico, to update the status of the eight species, said: "Although the bear population estimates for Asia are not as reliable as we would like, we estimate that bears in Southeast Asia are declining at a particularly rapid rate due to extensive loss of forest habitat combined with rampant poaching."
Bruce McLellan, also a co-chair, said: "An enormous amount of effort and funding for conservation and management continue to be directed at bears in North America where their status is relatively favourable. It is unfortunate that so little is directed at bears in Asia and South America where the need is extreme. We are trying to change this situation but success is slow."
 The only bear presently classed as Endangered is the giant panda. That status remains unchanged despite enormous efforts in China directed towards its conservation, including the establishment of nearly 60 panda reserves, a ban on logging, and widespread reforestation programs, said the bear scientists. Dave Garshelis, co-chair of the IUCN Bear Specialist Group, said, "Quite a bit is now known about the ecology of giant pandas and substantial work and expense has been aimed at trying to estimate total numbers of these animals. However, these estimates are imprecise and prone to significant error."
"Even though some people have claimed that panda populations are on the rise, we still consider them Endangered because too much uncertainty exists to justify changing their status to Vulnerable," he said. "It would be unwise to assume that in less than 10 years under the new habitat improvement policies in China that panda populations could have dramatically increased."
 The sun bear, which lives in south-east Asia, Sumatra and Borneo, has been included on the list for the first time, and is classed as vulnerable. It was previously listed as "data deficient" because not enough was known about the species. The IUCN bear specialist group, which announced its findings after a meeting in Mexico over the weekend, estimates that sun bears have declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years and would "continue to decline at this rate".
"Although we still have a lot to learn about the biology and ecology of this species, we are quite certain that it is in trouble," said Rob Steinmetz, the co-chairman of the IUCN bear specialist group's sun bear expert team. "Deforestation has reduced both the area and quality of their habitat. Where habitat is now protected, commercial poaching remains a significant threat." Steinmetz said the IUCN was working with government, protected area managers, conservation groups and local people "to prevent extinctions of the many small, isolated sun bear populations that remain in many parts of south-east Asia."
Bears in Asia and South America are the most in need of urgent conservation action, the IUCN said, with Asiatic black bears, Andean bears (formerly called spectacled bears), and sloth bears all listed as vulnerable.
 Sloth bears live on the Indian subcontinent in Sri Lanka, India, Bhutan, Nepal and Bangladesh, where habitat loss has been severe. They have found sanctuary mainly in the reserves set up to protect tigers. The bear specialist group has indicated this species may have disappeared entirely from Bangladesh.
The main threat to bears across south-east Asia comes from poaching. Although illegal, poachers are prepared the risk the small chance of being caught against the lucrative gains they can make from sales on the black market. Prized bear body parts include the gall bladder, which is used in traditional Chinese medicine, and their paw, which is considered to be a delicacy.
Another threat to bear populations comes from living in close proximity to human settlements. Bears are often killed when they prey on livestock or raid crops, or killed when the roam too close to a village because they are seen as a threat to human safety.
 "Although the bear population estimates for Asia are not as reliable as we would like, we estimate that bears in south-east Asia are declining at a particularly rapid rate due to extensive loss of forest habitat combined with rampant poaching," said Garshelis.
The polar bear, which has recently become a symbol for climate change and its effect on animals, is listed as vulnerable, but as it is technically a marine mammal it is distinct from the other seven terrestrial bears and has a different specialist group.
Only two bears - the brown bear and the American black bear - were listed as being of "least concern".
Brown bears, the most widespread species, are not listed as being threatened globally because large numbers still live in Russia, Canada, Alaska and some parts of Europe. However, the IUCN said very small, isolated and "highly vulnerable" populations exist in southern Europe and central and southern Asia. Several brown bear populations are protected under national or provincial laws, while grizzly bears are considered threatened under the US Endangered Species Act everywhere except Alaska.
Only the American black bear is secure throughout its population range, which includes Canada, the US and Mexico. With a population of 900,000, the IUCN said there were more than twice as many black bears than all other species combined. They are legally hunted in most parts of their range.
The eight species:
Vulnerable:
Asiatic black bear (Ursus thibetanus):
Markings: Black, with an easily recognisable white "crescent moon" on its chest.
Distribution: Roughly coincides with forest distribution in southern and eastern Asia and found in all countries except Malaysia.
Population: Unknown but unofficially as many as 28,000 in China.
Sloth bear (Helarctos malayanus):
Markings: Shaggy black coat especially over the shoulders. U or Y shaped white/yellow marking on the chest. A whitish 'bare' face.
Distribution: India, Nepal, Sri Lanka, and Bhutan. Until recently they were also known to occur in Bangladesh, but their continued existence there is uncertain.
Population: Estimated 10,000 to 20,000.
Andean bear (Tremarctos ornatus):
Markings: Black or brown thick coat with whitish or cream "spectacles" with colour extending to the throat and chest.
Distribution: Endemic to the Tropical Andes and the only bear in South America.
Population: Maybe 20,000.
Polar bear (Ursus maritimus):
Markings: Dense creamy-white fur. Large and stocky with hind limbs that are longer than the forelimbs, and a long neck. Large furry feet.
Distribution: Arctic - most northerly found bear. U. S. (Alaska), Canada, Russia, Denmark (Greenland), and Norway.
Population: About 20,000 to 25,000.
Sun bear (Helarctos malayanus):
Markings: Short black/dark brown water-repellent fur, yellow crescent on chest and white face.
Distribution: Mainland Southeast Asia as far west as Bangladesh and northeastern India, as far north as southern Yunnan Province in China, and south and east to Sumatra and Borneo.
Population: Unknown.
Endangered:
Giant Panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca)
Markings: Unmistakable white coat with black fur around eyes, ears, muzzle, legs and shoulders. WWF emblem.
Distribution: Confined to south-central China.
Population: Approximately 1,600 individuals in the wild.
Least concern:
European brown bear (Ursus arctos)
Markings: Brown bear with mound of muscle on the nape of its neck. The colour of the fur on paws varies from almost black to chocolate brown and grey to red and light brown.
Distribution: Europe, Asia, the Middle East, North America.
Population: Total population is estimated to exceed 200,000.
American black bear (Ursus americanus) also known as Grizzly bear.
Markings: Usually black coats but can vary through cinnamon, blond, and honey-coloured. White and bluish grey along Canada's Pacific coast.
Distribution: North America - Alaska, Canada and south to mountains of northern Mexico.
Population: Thriving in most areas. 850,000 - 950,000. Twice as many as all other species combined.
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