The Great Bear Rainforest extends from Princess Royal Island in the north, to Cape Caution in the south.
Relative to other areas in North America, the Central Coast region of British Columbia includes several large,
contiguous, intact areas of prime grizzly habitat. Despite this condition of relative abundance, the Central
Coast ecoregion is becoming increasingly susceptible to habitat degradation and, eventually, species extirpation.

An extended empirical evaluation of grizzly bear habitat for the Central Coast region, compiled by Round River
Corporation (Jeo, Sanjayan, and Sizemore 1997), suggests that primary in these deleterious habitat suitability
factors are the impacts of human activities in and around existing grizzly habitat. Others echo the importance
of the human factor in habitat degradation as well (Brannon and Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team. 1984;
British Columbia 1995; Haroldson, Mattson, and Interagency Grizzly Bear Study Team. 1985; Mace, Waller,
Manley, Ake, and Wittinger 1999; Purves, White, and Paquet 1992; Schleyer and Interagency Grizzly Bear
Study Team. 1984; Stuart 1978).

The Round River report suggests that BC grizzly bear ranges have shrunk by between 40-60% of its original
estimated area. Citing Novak et al. (1987), the authors suggest that the current range is approximately
4.6 million square kilometres. Home ranges for grizzlies are estimated to be between 50 and 100 km/2, while
lifetime ranges are thought to be between several hundred and over a 1000 km/2 (British Columbia 1995; Jeo,
Sanjayan, and Sizemore 1997). Such estimates are conservative. Craighead, for example, calls for
“wilderness areas” to ensure that grizzlies have enough suitable, contiguous habitat to flourish (Craighead,
Scaggs, and Sumner 1982).

The Provincial Government, using a 1990 estimate, suggests that there are between 10,000 and 13,000 bears
in BC, or roughly one-half of Canada’s total estimated population (British Columbia 1995).

The Great Bear Rainforest: The Habitat

Originally, the great Bear rainforest region covered 25 million hectares extending from Alaska to Northern
California (Jeo, Sanjayan, and Sizemore 1997). This habitat once occupied more land than the combined total
of all other areas of coastal temperate rainforest worldwide but reduced to half by human activities, mainly
logging, the only intact area today remains in the central coast of British Columbia.

Extending from Princess Royal Island in the north to Cape Caution in the South, this region contains most of
the remaining old growth forest enclosed within the pristine watersheds still free from the large settlements
(Clapp, Gauci, and Hollis 2000; Jeo, Sanjayan, and Sizemore 1997). This extremely rare ecosystem occupies
less than 1 percent of the earth’s land surface (Jeo, Sanjayan, and Sizemore 1997).

Grizzly Bear (Ursus arctos horribilis): The Keystone Predator

The keystone predator of the temperate coastal rainforest in British Columbia is a large carnivore, grizzly bear,
which has been extirpated over the last century from the majority of its historical range (Jeo, Sanjayan, and
Sizemore 1997). Grizzly bears have no natural predators, but are vulnerable to human induced habitat
disturbances (Clapp, Gauci, and Hollis 2000; Craighead, Scaggs, and Sumner 1982). Due to their large home
range size, low population density, and low reproductive rates, grizzly bears require large protected areas to
survive (Laderman 1991; Noss, O'Connell, and Murphy 1997). Increasingly, either by hunting, poaching,
or forcible relocations, human contact directly threatens grizzly bear sustainability.

Indirect impacts are also important; road construction, human settlement, recreational and industrial land use
can all lead to habitat fragmentation.Since grizzlies require— or at least show a massively disproportionate
preference for—low elevation old growth forests and riparian areas for foraging (British Columbia 1999),
the ecological needs of the grizzly often collide with human preferences as well (Noss,O'Connell, and Murphy
1997; Raedeke, University of Washington. College of Forest Resources., and University of Washington. College
of Ocean and Fishery Sciences.1988).

Relatively large refuge areas from humans and protected salmon habitats are necessary for grizzlies to successfully
reproduce and survive (Fuhr, Demarchi, British Columbia. Habitat Inventory Section., and British Columbia.
Wildlife Branch. 1990; Hamilton 1987; Jeo, Sanjayan, and Sizemore 1997; MacHutchon, Himmer, and Bryden
1993; McAllister ; Munro 1999; Purves, White, and Paquet 1992).

Since 1992, grizzly bear is listed as vulnerable to extinction because of its low reproduction rates, excessive
hunting and rapid loss of habitat. Even though the coastal habitat in British Columbia supports the highest density
of grizzly bears, human impact is the main cause of bear mortality and human development is a main cause of bear
habitat fragmentation (McLellan, Hovey, Mace, Woods, Carney, Gibeau, Wakkinen, and Kasworm 1999).

Pacific Salmon (Onchorhynchus spp.): The Keystone Species

The keystone species of the temperate coastal rainforest in British Columbia is pacific salmon, which provides the
essential seasonal food source for grizzly bear and many other wildlife species. Millions of andromous salmonids
migrate each year from Pacific Ocean to spawn in the freshwater streams of the central coast and because they are
extremely vulnerable to human disturbance, their successful returns depend upon availability of undisturbed and
non-polluted streams and channels throughout their entire range. The increased biomass derived from salmon
carcasses each year provides considerable enrichment for the aquatic and riparian habitats of the coastal forests.

So valuable is this contribution that the pacific salmon is considered to be a keystone species, meaning their survival
directly affects the survival of other species, both in marine and terrestrial ecosystems. Moreover, decaying salmon
carcasses provide substantial nitrogen inputs to coastal forests and therefore, the possibility of collapse in salmon
returns may result in irreparable damage to food supplies of many plant and animal species in this region
(Bodley 1990; Keeley, Slaney, Zaldokas, and Watershed Restoration Program (B.C.) 1996; Remington,
Pacific Estuary Conservation Program (Canada), and North Coast Wetlands Program (Canada) 1993).

Grizzly Bear, Pacific Salmon and The Rainforest

In order to protect the native species of the central coast in British Columbia, a careful, scientifically based
management plan for protecting species and conserving habitats should be implemented. This study offers
a preliminary step in this direction by providing a combination of empirical and qualitative analysis of the
relevant geographic data.

First, the watersheds are important for their water input to coastal forest. Secondly, the low elevation old growth
forest is also important to carnivores such as grizzly bears as a safe refuge from human disturbance. Additionally,
the riparian linkage areas that connect unattached channels and streams provide necessary habitat for salmon
spawning and migration (British Columbia 1999). Identifying and protecting the areas of the old growth forests
and salmon habitats is critical not only to the local grizzly bear habitat, but essential to maintaining the integrity
and health of this unique regional ecosystem.

Background research

Many studies of grizzly bear habitat suitability classification schemes are “vegetationally inspired” (British
Columbia 1995; Craighead, Scaggs, and Sumner 1982; Fuhr, Demarchi, British Columbia. Habitat Inventory
Section., and British Columbia. Wildlife Branch. 1990; Hamilton 1987; Hamilton, Bryden, Clement, Canada.
Forestry Canada., British Columbia. Ministry of Forests., Canada-British Columbia Forest Resource Development
Agreement., and Canada/BC Economic & Regional Development Agreement. 1991; MacHutchon, Himmer, and
Bryden 1993; McCormick 1999; Remington, Pacific Estuary Conservation Program (Canada), and North Coast
Wetlands Program (Canada) 1993).