| Black Bears in North America
(Note: Does this prove that the United Nations is a major partner in Thw Wildlands Project? I'd say, a resounding YES! " ... much of the information for this report is from data collected by survey for a report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources/Species Survival Commission -- IUCN/SSC -- Bear Specialist Group.") no date given By Michael R. Vaughan (National Biological Service) and Michael R. Pelton (University of Tennessee) Habitat loss, habitat fragmentation, and unrestricted harvest have significantly changed the distribution and abundance of black bears (Ursus americanus) in North America since colonial settlement. Although bears have been more carefully managed in the last 50 years and harvest levels are limited, threats from habitat alteration and fragmentation still exist and are particularly acute in the southeastern United States. In addition, the increased efficiency in hunting techniques and the illegal trade in bear parts, especially gall bladders, have raised concerns about the effect of poaching on some bear populations. Because bears have low reproductive rates, their populations recover more slowly from losses than do those of most other North American mammals. Black bear populations are difficult to inventory and monitor because the animals occur in relatively low densities and are secretive by nature. Black bears are an important game species in many states and Canada and are an important component of their ecosystems. It is important that they be continuously and carefully monitored to ensure their continued existence. Black Bear Survey Data Information on the distribution and status of black bears in North America came from several unpublished reports and scientific publications. Traffic USA (McCracken et al. 1995) reports periodically on the status of black bears in North America. Two reports on the status and conservation of the bears of the world were presented at meetings of the International Conference on Bear Research and Management in 1970 and 1989 (Cowan 1972; Servheen 1990). Finally, much of the information for this report is from data collected by survey for a report by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources/Species Survival Commission (IUCN/SSC) Bear Specialist Group (Pelton et al. 1994). Range and Status Fig. 1. Historical distribution of the American black bear (modified from Hall 1981). Black bears historically ranged over most of the forested regions of North America, including all Canadian provinces, Alaska, all states in the conterminous United States, and significant portions of northern Mexico (Hall 1981; Fig. 1). Their current distribution is restricted to relatively undisturbed forested regions (Pelton 1982; Pelton et al. 1994; Fig. 2). Black bears can still be found throughout Canada with the exception of Prince Edward Island (extirpated in 1937), and in at least 40 of the 50 states; their status in Mexico is uncertain (Leopold 1959; Fig. 2). Fig. 2. Present distribution of the American black bear, based on survey responses from provinces and states (Pelton 1994) and research projects in Mexico (D. Doan, Texas A & I University, personal communication). In the eastern United States black bear range is continuous throughout New England but becomes increasingly fragmented from the mid-Atlantic down through the Southeast (Maehr 1984). In the Southeast, most populations are now restricted to the Appalachian mountain chain or to coastal areas intermittently in all states from Virginia to Louisiana (J. Wooding, Florida Freshwater Fish and Game Commission, unpublished data). Recently, 11 Canadian provinces and territories reported stable black bear populations, and 10 provinces and territories estimated population sizes totaling about 359,000-373,000 (Pelton et al. 1994; McCracken et al. 1995; Table 1). Bears are legally harvested in all Canadian provinces and territories; total annual mortality from all sources (e.g., hunting, road kills, nuisance kills) is estimated at more than 23,000 (Pelton et al. 1994). Thirty-eight of 40 states responding to a 1993 survey (Pelton et al. 1994) reported stable or increasing populations; only Idaho and New Mexico reported decreasing populations (Table 2). Based on data from 38 states, the total population estimate for black bears in the United States ranges from about 307,000 to 332,000 (excluding South Dakota and Wyoming). Black bears are listed as threatened or endangered in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Texas; rare in Missouri; and protected in Kentucky. They are unclassified in Connecticut. The remainder of the 40 states responding to the survey classify black bears as a game species (Table 2). In 1970 Arizona and Nevada listed black bears as a protected species. Texas listed them as game (Cowan 1972); thus the current classifications (Table 2) represent an upgrade in status for Arizona and Nevada and a downgrade for Texas. The status of bears in all remaining states covered in both surveys remained essentially unchanged. The Southern Appalachian Region (Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Georgia) is an area of special concern, and bear populations there have been routinely monitored since the late 1960s by the Southern Appalachian Bear Study Group. Initial estimates placed the population at 2,000-2,500 bears. The establishment of a network of black bear sanctuaries in the 1970s, scattered throughout the national forests in North Carolina, Tennessee, and Great Smoky Mountains National Park, provided protection for bears in the region, and estimates remain at 2,000-2,500 bears. Two of 16 recognized subspecies of black bears (Hall 1981) require special mention: the Louisiana bear (U.a. luteolus), with a range of east Texas, all of Louisiana, and southern Mississippi; and the Florida bear (U.a. floridanus), with a range of Florida and southern Alabama. The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service was petitioned in 1987 and 1990 to list the Louisiana bear and the Florida bear, respectively, as endangered species under the Endangered Species Act of 1973. In 1992 the Louisiana bear was officially placed on the federal endangered species list as a threatened species, and the Florida bear was placed in a "warranted but precluded" category. This latter category indicates that although biological evidence supports listing, several other species of higher priority are awaiting listing and will be listed before the Florida bear. At present, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service is considering listing bears in southern but not northern Florida. Given the data available, the total minimum population of black bears reported in North America approaches 650,000-700,000. Total annual mortality (mostly from hunting) for the United States (more than 19,000) and Canada (more than 23,000) exceeds 42,000, which is less than 10% of the known population. Many state wildlife agencies accept that bear populations can sustain 20%-25% annual harvest mortality, with the understanding that some areas are more sensitive to overharvest than others. Thus, except for those in the southeastern United States and in Idaho and New Mexico, North American black bear populations appear stable or on the increase. Only concentrated research on isolated populations of bears remaining in the southeastern United States will answer questions concerning the long-term viability of those populations. For further information: Michael R. Vaughan National Biological Service Virginia Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University Blacksburg, VA 24061 References Cowan, I.M. 1972. The status and conservation of bears (Ursidae) of the world--1970. International Conference on Bear Research and Management 2:343-367. Hall, E.R. 1981. The mammals of North America. 2nd ed. John Wiley and Sons, New York. 1,181 pp. Leopold, A.S. 1959. Wildlife of Mexico. University of California Press, Berkeley. 608 pp. Maehr, D.S. 1984. Distribution of black bears in eastern North America. Eastern Workshop on Black Bear Research and Management 7:74. McCracken, C., K.A. Johnson, and D. Rose. 1995. Status, management, and commercialization of the American black bear (Ursus americanus). Traffic USA. Washington, DC. In press. Pelton, M.R. 1982. Black bear. Pages 504-514 in J.A. Chapman and G.A. Feldhamer, eds. Wild mammals of North America; biology, management, and economics. John Hopkins University Press, Baltimore and London. Pelton, M.R., F. vanManen, A. Coley, K. Weaver, J. Pedersen, and T. Eason. 1994. Black bear conservation action plan -- North America. IUCN/SSC Bear Specialist Group Tech. Rep. In press. Servheen, C. 1990. The status and conservation of the bears of the world. International Conference on Bear Research and Management, Monograph Series 2. 32 pp. |