Bear-tracking study celebrates citizen science in Alberta's grizzly country

A new study suggests citizen science could help restore Alberta's grizzly bear numbers, but critics caution that without government action to preserve critical habitat and raise awareness, the elusive predator will remain a threatened species.

The research, published in February in the science journal Facets, examines the development of GrizzTracker, an app created to gather data about the bears' movements through the northwestern reaches of their remaining Alberta range.

Courtney Hughes, a study author and a senior landscape ecologist with Alberta Forestry and Parks, said people who live in bear country have a crucial role to play in grizzly conservation.

"It's a really great example of how working together is super important to consider when trying to move the needle," said Hughes, who helped create GrizzTracker. "Folks do want to contribute.

"People are passionate about certain things, whether it's grizzly bears or butterflies."

Tracking bears in the name of conservation could help protect the species, Hughes and her fellow researchers found.

Critics, however, caution that citizen science is not enough on its own to help grizzly populations recover.

Brian Horejsi, a wildlife scientist who has been studying grizzlies since the 1970s, said he questions how gathering data with the app has served conservation efforts on the ground.

"I don't see any trickle-down effect for conservation of either bear habitats or bear populations," Horejsi said in an interview.

Horejsi said if the province is serious about protecting grizzly bears, it must impose limits on development and roads in bear habitat.

"We have a vast storehouse of knowledge already," he said.

"We know what we need to know about bears to protect habitat and populations, and we're still not doing it."

Grizzlies have been listed as a threatened species in Alberta since 2010, when fewer than 800 could be found across the province. Nationally, they are classified as a species of concern.

Once abundant, the bears previously roamed almost every part of Alberta.