Polar Bear’s Legal Status Changed

No, the big white bear hasn’t replaced our industrious beaver as the national animal, as one Conservative senator has suggested. But any such move might have to hurry a bit, because Environment Minister Peter Kent has just announced that Canada’s polar bear, Ursus maritimus, is now a “species of special concern” under the Species at Risk Act, SC 2002 c 29. Under that legislation there are four categories of flora and fauna, according to their plight [s.2(1)]:

1. “extirpated species” means a wildlife species that no longer exists in the wild in Canada, but exists elsewhere in the wild
2. “endangered species” means a wildlife species that is facing imminent extirpation or extinction
3. “threatened species” means a wildlife species that is likely to become an endangered species if nothing is done to reverse the factors leading to its extirpation or extinction
4. “species of special concern” means a wildlife species that may become a threatened or an endangered species because of a combination of biological characteristics and identified threats.

The animals and plants in each category are listed in schedules to the legislation.

The order placing the polar bear on the “species of special concern” list can be found on the Canada Gazette site, along with a very detailed memorandum by the Canadian Wildlife Service explaining the bear’s situation and the complexities that result from the involvement of many jurisdictions across the polar bear’s range. According to Environment Canada’s press release:

As a result of the listing, a management plan must be prepared within three years. It should be noted that the plan will not result in prohibitions. The ultimate aim of the plan will be to alleviate human threats in order to remove the polar bear from the Species at Risk list.