Prince George, B.C. – The provincial government is providing $225,000 over the next 12 months to bring the popular Bear Aware program to more communities around the province.

Bear Aware is an education program focused on reducing human-bear conflict in residential neighbourhoods through education, innovation and co-operation. It is administered by the BC Conservation Foundation (BCCF) and has proven to be an effective tool to decrease conflicts. Last year, 22 communities participated in the program. Bear Aware education is one criterion that must be met for a community to obtain “Bear Smart” status.

“Bear Smart” is a voluntary, preventative conservation measure that encourages communities, businesses and individuals to work together.  The goal is to address the root causes of human-bear conflicts to reduce the risks to public safety and private property, as well as the number of bears that have to be destroyed each year.

Four communities are currently designated “Bear Smart”: Kamloops, Squamish, Lions Bay and Whistler. Over 20 other communities in B.C. are actively pursuing “Bear Smart” status.

In 2011/12 the Conservation Officer Service received approximately 37,500 calls regarding human-wildlife conflicts. Of those calls, approximately 23,800 involved human-bear conflicts. Over the past five years in B.C., an average of 600 black bears were destroyed each year, while 93 were relocated.