Factors affecting spatial and temporal variation in human-bear interactions
department or school: Science, Irving K. Barber Faculty of (Okanagan)
department or school: Biology, Department of (Okanagan)
data provider: DSpace
degree campus: UBCO
creator: Sunter, Emily Judith
issued: 2020-08-24T16:58:27Z
issued: 2020
related degree: Master of Science - MSc
degree grantor: University of British Columbia
description: Past research in human-carnivore coexistence has largely focused on conflict interactions, leaving a significant knowledge gap in our understanding of coexistence beyond conflict. I addressed this gap by analyzing the spatial and temporal distribution of both incidents (i.e., conflict; physical attacks, property damage, bear consumption of human food) and sightings (i.e., animal, property, and person remain unharmed). I examined 2 years of human-bear interaction records from Alberta’s Bow Valley, a landscape where black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) co-occur with people within vital large carnivore habitat. I used generalized linear models to examine patterns of interaction distribution across bear seasons and for each species. The majority of interactions were sightings of black bears reported during summer. Bear activity, primary productivity, and distance to roads and trails were the strongest predictors of interactions overall. Incident interactions were best explained by human presence while sightings models were more complex. In general, I found greater differences between species than between sightings and incidents, but sightings increased the power of predictive models over incidents alone. These results indicate the potential use of incorporating sightings reports with incidents for a broader understanding human-bear coexistence and can aid wildlife managers in further developing regulations to mitigate conflict and ensure viable bear populations. Key recommendations to improve human-bear coexistence in the Bow Valley include increasing the use of sightings reports in research and management decisions, quantifying the effect of management removals on black bear population dynamics, evaluating the human dimensions of human-bear interactions, and limiting human use where it overlaps with high-quality or high-activity bear habitat.
aggregated CHO: https://circle.library.ubc.ca/rest/handle/2429/75635
note: FACTORS AFFECTING SPATIAL AND TEMPORAL VARIATION IN HUMAN-BEAR INTERACTIONS by Emily Judith Sunter B.Sc., University of British Columbia, 2015 A THESIS SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF SCIENCE in THE COLLEGE OF GRADUATE STUDIES (Biology) THE UNIVERSITY OF BRITISH COLUMBIA (Okanagan) August 2020 © Emily Judith Sunter, 2020 ii The following individuals certify that they have read, and recommend to the College of Graduate Studies for acceptance, a thesis/dissertation entitled: Factors affecting spatial and temporal variation in human-bear interactions. submitted by Emily Judith Sunter in partial fulfillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Science . Dr. Adam T. Ford, Biology Department, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Supervisor Dr. Lael Parrott, Biology/Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Jason Pither, Biology Department, Irving K. Barber Faculty of Science Supervisory Committee Member Dr. Sumeet Gulati, Institute for Resources, Environment and Sustainability, Faculty of Land and Food Systems University Examiner Click or tap here to enter text. iii Abstract Past research in human-carnivore coexistence has largely focused on conflict interactions, leaving a significant knowledge gap in our understanding of coexistence beyond conflict. I addressed this gap by analyzing the spatial and temporal distribution of both incidents (i.e., conflict; physical attacks, property damage, bear consumption of human food) and sightings (i.e., animal, property, and person remain unharmed). I examined 2 years of human-bear interaction records from Alberta’s Bow Valley, a landscape where black bears (Ursus americanus) and grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) co-occur with people within vital large carnivore habitat. I used generalized linear models to examine patterns of interaction distribution across bear seasons and for each species. The majority of in…
has type: Thesis/Dissertation
date issued: 2020-09
is shown at: 10.14288/1.0392925
language: eng
degree discipline: Biology
provider: Vancouver : University of British Columbia Library
publisher: University of British Columbia
rights: Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
rights URI: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
scholar level: Graduate
type: Text
identifier URI: http://hdl.handle.net/2429/75635