PS 2-16 - MOVED TO TUES BOARD #50 Using hair snares and camera traps for community-led polar bear monitoring in the Eeyou Marine Region (James Bay, Canada)

Background/Question/Methods

Engaging Indigenous Peoples and their knowledge in wildlife monitoring is recognized to be important in conservation science but reconciling community support and leadership with the requirements of systematic monitoring is challenging. Polar bear monitoring has, in particular, been at the forefront of challenges in reconciling local knowledge and monitoring with science-based approaches and species at risk designations. Polar bears in James Bay, Canada, at the southern tip of Hudson Bay, are the world's most southerly polar bears and already experience warming conditions expected for more northern populations. Cree communities in the Eeyou Marine Region of James Bay highlight polar bear research as a priority following observed changes in abundance and habitat use, but only if it is conducted non-invasively. Our objective was to build a non-invasive polar bear research program with Cree communities to co-develop knowledge on polar bear ecology at the southern edge of their range. Informed by Cree Knowledge of polar bears, we used hair snares and camera traps to gather information about polar bear genetics, diet, body condition and habitat use through hair samples and photos. Here, we report how these methods can be used in community-based polar bear monitoring and the initial results of the program.

Results/Conclusions

In summer 2021, four Cree field teams from the eastern James Bay communities of Waskaganish, Eastmain, Wemindji and Chisasibi deployed 37 hair snare and camera trap sampling stations on offshore, nearshore and mainland habitats across 400 kilometers of coastline. These stations gathered 108 polar bear observations and 118 polar bear hair samples over six weeks in July and August. Polar bears were detected primarily on offshore islands with one more detection per week for every 14 kilometer distance from shore. Polar bears were in better body condition than expected given the extended ice-free summer season in James Bay, with the majority of adults in average to good body condition. Using a collaborative approach, this project was successful in engaging local and regional organizations with mandates related to polar bear management and facilitated the involvement of 25 community members in study design and field sampling. We demonstrate that non-invasive methods using hair snares and camera traps are effective tools for community-based polar bear monitoring and provide insights into the ecology of polar bears in James Bay.