“The Brown Bear is one of the most popular and valuable trophy hunting species for European hunters and the European Union is one of the main importers of Brown Bear trophies” according to a report published in April by TRAFFIC.

“Bear Necessities: An analysis of Brown Bear management and trade in selected range States and the European Union’s role in the trophy trade” analyses international trade in trophies, focusing on a handful of range states including Slovakia, Estonia, Canada, and the USA.

The EU’s 25 member states are revealed as the second largest importers of trophy items. The USA bagged first place with Canada cited as the largest exporter of the more than 14,000 Brown Bear bodies, skins, skulls a trophies traded globally. This figure, the report explains, is only a fraction of overall annual national harvests.

The report, commissioned by the EU, also suggests that human-induced mortality, including hunting, is primarily responsible for the decline in almost half of the bear’s 49 range states.

Estimates for live bear population sizes are harder to National scientists and international NGOs criticize inaccuracies and overestimates in British Columbia, Romania, Slovakia and Slovenia whilst methodologies used to estimate population sizes in range states also vary.

Does trophy hunting create economic incentives for bear conservation? The EU isn’t so sure and has temporarily suspended imports of from several Baltic States and Canada in recent years. Canada’s suspension still exists.

To improve the situation the EU’s Scientific Review Group has offered guidance concerning Brown Bear trophy imports. These have led to varying degrees of action among the range states the report finds. Whilst triggering the development of management plans in Croatia and in Romania, other countries have been slow to implement similar measures. In these cases the Group recommends suspension of imports to ensure the Brown Bear’s survival.

For more information, please visit www.traffic.org

Sustainable, June 2006, contents page