One sport that British Columbia doesn’t want the world to know about

How are we going to make tough decisions if we are failing to make the easy ones?

This week, Sierra Club BC joined 20 other groups in a full-page newspaper ad to draw the  attention to a sport that British Columbia doesn’t want the world to know about. The signatory groups, ranging from First Nations, to conservation, animal protection and tourism groups are calling on the BC government to ban the trophy hunt of bears in the Great Bear Rainforest. Sierra Club BC and other groups have asked the provincial government repeatedly to end the trophy hunt of bears (last time we wrote Minister Penner in September 2009). Astoundingly, the provincial government holds on to the trophy hunt with the same commitment that they showed when they reinstated the hunt as one of their first actions when assuming power in 2001.

Ending the hunt is a no-brainer. Here's why:

• Grizzly Bear are ranked a species at risk in Canada
• Of the over 11,000 grizzlies known to have been killed between 1975 and 2008 over 87 per cent were killed by trophy hunters
• According to a 2009 poll, 78 percent of all British Columbia residents oppose trophy hunting of bears in the Great Bear Rainforest.
• Bear viewing operations provide more economic benefits than the hunt
• Coastal First Nations oppose the killings for cultural and spiritual reasons.

The inability of the government to do the right thing makes me wonder how our society is going to make tough decisions if we are failing to make the easy ones. We are living in the era of the sixth mass extinction. Scientists estimate that during the 20th century, between 20,000 and two million species became extinct. Current species loss may be up to 140,000 species per year. 43 per cent of BC’s species are of conservation concern. Globally we might loose around 25% of all species by 2050 due to global warming.

Still, British Columbia is a place of hope for species. Our province has unusual diversity of ecosystems and species combined with large, intact landscapes like the Great Bear Rainforest. With bold political commitment preserving additional habitat and reducing direct threats to species like the hunt of bears we can reduce the mounting pressure on species and save many of them for future generations.

This month the world is visiting British Columbia and many visitors will learn about the beauty of our province. They will wonder if British Columbians and their government are aware of their global responsibility to protect the bears and other natural wonders of this part of the planet. The hunt is scheduled for April 1.