A new study has found that grizzly bears may be the “winners” of climate change in the North Cascades.
According to The Seattle Times, quality habitable areas for grizzly bears is actually expected to increase rather than decrease. That’s in light of climate change’s detrimental effects across the board with other animal and plant species. In fact, according to findings from North Cascades National Park biologist Jason Ransom’s findings, grizzly bear habitat is projected to expand even in the worst climate scenarios.
To come up with these conclusions, Ransom and his team used a variety of computer models. These models factored in variables like future greenhouse gas emissions and expected changes in vegetation due to wildfires and other climate-related events. Because fires result in deforestation and thinner forests, they leave more open meadows, grizzlies’ preferred landscape for foraging. With more food and habitat on the table, the region could ultimately support up to twice as many bears as it does now.
The study is a “rare silver lining” to climate change impacts, study co-author Meade Krosby, told the Seattle Times. To hear Krosby tell it, things are looking pretty dire on the biodiversity front as a whole, even if bears stand to benefit from it.
Still, this study could play an instrumental role in helping biologists reintroduce grizzly bears back to the North Cascades in the future. By modeling the potential future of bear populations, the study could help biologists better understand how to take care of them going forward.
While grizzly bears may actually be coming out of climate change’s effects on top of the game, it’s important to remember that it’s a widespread issue with severe consequences. Understanding how things could continue to change across various climate scenarios is an important part of creating an environment that can combat said alterations. And it’s something we’ll all have to participate in if we want to see animals like grizzlies and other species continue to thrive.
