Community scientists support grizzly bear conservation: an Alberta case study
Grizzly bears are an iconic species representing the beauty of the wilderness, but also pose significant safety and economic risks to people. In Alberta, grizzly bears are a threatened species, with human-caused mortality and habitat loss being the primary threat. However, the people who live, work, and recreate within bear habitat play a crucial role in their conservation.
Given the enthusiasm that local Government of Alberta staff experienced from residents across Bear Management Area 1 in northern Alberta to submit their grizzly bear observations, we developed an innovative smartphone application called GrizzTracker.
Read this open access paper on the FACETS website.
GrizzTracker had over 300 community scientists sign up, though only 16 reported grizzly bear observations (n= 81). Community scientists also contributed 365 independent routes in the study area, where the average length of a route was 107 km. As expected, the community scientist effort was unevenly distributed within the study area, including driving time on well-used high grade gravel roads developed and used largely by industrial petroleum and forestry activities.
We also surveyed the community scientists to understand their motivations and satisfaction with GrizzTracker. We found that 83% indicated they wanted to contribute to grizzly bear science, with 11% wanting to improve their bear identification skills. We also learned that 46% felt their knowledge of grizzly bears improved through their engagement in the GrizzTracker project, and that 60% of community scientists recruited others in their social network to download the app.
Overall, this app has been useful as a public education and engagement tool for grizzly bear conservation, and as a scientific data collection tool to record geo-referenced grizzly bear sightings in a standardized and automated way. From development to evaluation, GrizzTracker had thorough planning, testing, engagement and training for our community scientists, which helped to ensure clear outcomes and consistent and proper use of the app.
We think our learnings highlight the future possibilities to expand GrizzTracker across Canada and the USA’s grizzly bear range, and consider the app as a basic platform for other species in a global context.
Read the paper — Using community science to advance grizzly bear conservation by Rolanda J. Steenweg, Tracy S. Lee, Danah Duke, and Courtney Hughes.
