Grizzly Bear Proposal Leaves More Questions Than Answers

WASHINGTON, D.C. - The U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service today published its proposed rule recommending changes to protective regulations for grizzly bears, set forth by section 4(d) of the Endangered Species Act. After being hunted to near extinction in the 19th century and reduced to 2% of their original range, grizzly bears were listed under the Endangered Species Act in 1975 and have made slow progress toward recovery with an estimated 1,900 individuals in the western U.S. today.

Defenders of Wildlife, vice president of conservation policy Jake Li, issued the following response:

"As the grizzly bear population has grown, the Service must carefully balance adequate protections for the species with flexibility to manage human-bear conflicts. The proposed 4(d) rule purports to do that but punts on important details, such that the real-world impacts of the proposal are in large part determined by later agreements that will be developed outside the rulemaking process. For example, it does not explain important details of how the Service will determine whether additional management flexibility is warranted. It also gives the Service room to let states maintain management control even if they are not meeting required conditions. Defenders continues to review this complex proposal with a thoughtful and open mind, and will be submitting comments on this new proposal."

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