Asian bears at risk from poaching, deforestation: wildlife group

Yahoo News 12 Nov 07;

The world's smallest bear has been added to a list of species under threat in southeastern Asia due to rampant deforestation, a conservation group said on Monday.

The sun bear, which lives in mainland southeast Asia, Sumatra and Borneo, has been classed as 'vulnerable' by the World Conservation Union (IUCN) in its annual 'Red List' of threatened species.

Sun bears measure just 120-150 centimetres (47-59 inches) in length on average but are known for their aggressive behaviour and have the largest canine teeth of all bears. The sun bear was previously classed as 'data deficient' meaning there was insufficient knowledge to grant it any formal status.

"We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30 percent over the past 30 years (three bear generations), and continue to decline at this rate," said IUCN bear specialist Rob Steinmetz in a statement.

"Deforestation has reduced both the area and the quality of their habitat. Where habitat is protected, commercial poaching remains a significant threat," Steinmetz added.

The giant panda remains the only species classed as 'endangered' by the IUCN, but the conservation group warned that bears as a whole remain at risk throughout southeast Asia due to poaching and deforestation.

The IUCN praised efforts by China to try to conserve giant panda stocks through establishing reserves, banning logging and setting up reforestation programmes.

However, "it would be unwise to assume that in less than 10 years under the new habitat improvement policies in China that panda populations could have dramatically increased," said Dave Garshelis, co-chair of the IUCN's Bear Specialist Group.

Chinese state media reported on Monday that giant pandas living in the wild may face food shortages because vast areas of bamboo groves in their habitat are perishing.

About 24,000 hectares (60,000 acres) of bamboo growing in southwest China -- where 1,206 of the bears live in 40 nature reserves -- is entering the end of its lifespan as it begins to blossom.

Widespread blossoming of bamboo -- pandas' staple diet -- poses a threat to their survival because the plant flowers before dying, Xinhua news agency said.

Hundreds of pandas starved to death in the mountainous region during a period of blossoming between 1984 and 1987, Xinhua added.

The IUCN also included Asiatic black bears and sloth bears on its vulnerable list, along with Andean bears from South America.

Concern grows for smallest bear
BBC News 12 Nov 07;

Habitat loss and commerical hunting have been blamed for a decline in the number of sun bears - the world's smallest species of bear.

An assessment by World Conservation Union (IUCN) has re-classified the animal as "vulnerable".

Experts estimate that sun bears, found in south-east Asia, have declined by at least 30% in the past 30 years.

The IUCN's bear expert groups warn that six out of the world's eight bear species are threatened with extinction.

"Although we still have a lot to learn about the biology and ecology of this species (Helarctos malayanus) , we are quite certain it is in trouble," said Rob Steinmetz, a member of the IUCN bear specialist group.

"We estimate that sun bears have declined by at least 30% over the past 30 years and continue to decline at this rate."

Mr Steinmetz said deforestation had reduced the size and quality of the bears' habitat.

"Where habitat is now protected, commercial poaching remains a significant threat," he added.

"We are working with governments, protected area managers, conservation groups and local people to prevent extinctions of the many small, isolated sun bear populations."

Until this latest assessment, the bears had been classified as "data deficient" because not enough was know about the state of the species.

Uncertain times

One of the iconic species for conservationists, the giant panda, remains listed as "endangered", despite recent efforts in China to release captive-bred pandas into the wild.

"Even though some people have claimed that panda populations are on the rise, we still consider them endanagered because too much uncertainty exists to justify chnaging their status," explained Dave Garshelis, co-chairman of the IUCN bear specialist group.

Although the giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) remains the world's most threatened bear species, there are reasons to be optimistic about its long-term survival.

China has established nearly 60 panda reserves, a logging ban and begun a programme of reforestation.

Out of the eight species featured on the IUCN Red List, only the American black bear is considered secure throughout its range, which includes Canada, the US and Mexico.

With an estimated population of 900,000, there are more than twice the number of American black bears than all the other species put together.

"An enormous amount of effort and funding for conservation and management continue to be directed at bears in North America," said Bruce McLellan, Mr Garshelis' fellow co-chairman of the group.

"It is unfortunate that so little is directed at bears in Asia and South America where the need is extreme."

The assessment of the seven terrestrial bear species and polar bear (technically classified as a marine mammal) was published on Sunday following a meeting in Mexico.

The findings will be used to update the bears' entries in the 2007 edition Red List of Threatened Species, which is considered to be the most authoriative audit of more than 41,000 species.

More links
Marcus Ng did a two-part article on the plight of these bears recently, posted on the wildasia website: The Unbearable Future of the Malayan Sun Bear – Part I and Part II

See also China's Giant Pandas May be Running Out of Food