Grizzly Bear Management in the Kananaskis Valley: Forty Years of Figuring It Out

Don Carruthers Den Hoed,Michelle N Murphy,Debbie Mucha,Elizabeth A Halpenny

doi:10.3390/land9120501

Don Carruthers Den Hoed, Michelle N Murphy + Show 2 more

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https://doi.org/10.3390/land9120501

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Abstract

Case studies offer rich insight into the way knowledge is gathered, understood, and applied (or not) in parks and conservation contexts. This study aims to understand how knowledge and information have been used to inform decision-making about human-wildlife co-existence—specifically what knowledge has informed decisions related to grizzly bear management in the Kananaskis Valley. Focus groups of decision-makers involved in the valley’s bear program painted a rich account of decision-making since the late 1970s that was coded thematically. Our findings suggest there are typical impacts on knowledge mobilization, such as management support (or lack thereof), other agencies, capacity, and social and political pressures. In addition, the special context of the Kananaskis Valley and the forty-year timespan explored in focus group conversations provide unique lenses through which to understand knowledge mobilization. This case study reflects the barriers identified in the literature. However, the findings also include unique aspects of decision-making, such as the evolution of decision-making over a period of time in a multi-use landscape, the successful creation of networks to mediate knowledge and practice, and the creation of knowledge by practitioners.

Highlights

Evidence-based decision making allows for more effective conservation management by integrating ideas from academic literature, Indigenous knowledge, and local knowledge
While there is room to interpret themes further and to look at broader aspects of decisions related to grizzly bears in the Kananaskis Valley, adjacent protected areas, and beyond, we see value in sharing observations based on this case study and feel that themes presented in the results offer significant insight into knowledge mobilization in general, grizzly bear management in particular
Even if some sources of knowledge suggested higher levels of risk by keeping grizzly bears on the landscape, the philosophical approach had changed to one of accepting that risk for the sake of the bears in the valley. The findings of this grizzly bear case study reflect previous observations in the literature related to knowledge mobilization in parks and conservation

Summary

Introduction

Evidence-based decision making allows for more effective conservation management by integrating ideas from academic literature, Indigenous knowledge, and local knowledge. The potential benefits of evidence-based approaches have not been fully optimized in Canadian conservation planning. As global conservation efforts shift from creating new parks to maintaining current ones, evidence-based approaches become more important to effective management [1]. A lack of evidence-based decision-making can undermine conservation and reduce its support in the face of economic challenges [2]. The research focused on the use of evidence in decision-making has found managers rely more on knowledge created internally than on empirical research, Indigenous knowledge, and local knowledge [1,2,3].

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