The Grizzly bear (Ursus arctos ssp.) is a subspecies of the brown bear, mainly located in Canada and the United States. Being a main priority in conservation, let´s read more to learn how arcGIS can help us measure protection efforts applied to wildflife species.
They stand out for their large size as it’s been observed that big specimens can weigh over 700 kg and may stand up to almost 3 meters tall on their two hind legs. In spite of their big size, they are fast animals able to run up to a speed of 55 km per hour.
They are considered a dangerous animal as they are an aggressive mammal, competitive and territorial.
In the following map we can observe the different management areas inside the greater ecosystem that is Yellowstone National Park, where a large population of the Grizzly bear is located.
Since its inclusion as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act in 1975, the population in the Yellowstone Park has increased from 200 bears around the mid-80´s decade to at least 600 in 2012.
After studying capture and telemetry data, estimations have been obtained to create an ArcGIS map identifying the Grizzly bear population density in the Yellowstone Ecosystem. Population density has been compared between the years 1983, 1993, 2003 and 2012.
We can observe that after declaring the Grizzly bear as a threatened species, its population has increased, and has expanded outside Yellowstone Park´s borders. This positive news demonstrates that the conservation efforts have indeed had a great success.
As a consequence, after April 30, 2007 the Grizzly bear had its threatened species condition in the Yellowstone area removed. This effort has been acknowledged as one of the biggest conservation achievements of America´s history.
More information can be found on this article.
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