Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba
Churchill, Manitoba is world-famous for its polar bear ('Ursus maritimus') viewing activities using tundra vehicles. Churchill is unique in that bears are viewed at close distances relative to any other bear-viewing location. The close proximity of tundra vehicles (TV) and polar bears in t...
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Format: | Master Thesis |
Language: | English |
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2001
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2556 |
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ftunivmanitoba:oai:mspace.lib.umanitoba.ca:1993/2556 2023-06-18T03:40:11+02:00 Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba Dyck, Markus Guido 2001-08-01T00:00:00Z 8867693 bytes 184 bytes application/pdf text/plain http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2556 eng eng http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2556 open access master thesis 2001 ftunivmanitoba 2023-06-04T17:44:09Z Churchill, Manitoba is world-famous for its polar bear ('Ursus maritimus') viewing activities using tundra vehicles. Churchill is unique in that bears are viewed at close distances relative to any other bear-viewing location. The close proximity of tundra vehicles (TV) and polar bears in the Gordon Point area at Churchill poses a question vital to the bear management and the nature tourism industry: do human activities at Churchill induce behavioural changes in polar bears? Based on the results, the main recommendations were (1) Manitoba Conservation should seek dialogue with stakeholders to develop a protocol for consistent and predictable tundra vehicle and helicopter activities; (2) Manitoba Conservation should encourage more research examining the polar bear viewing industry; (3) viewing distances of at least 20 m should be maintained; (4) tundra vehicle movement around bears should be minimized; (5) passengers on vehicles should avoid noisy behaviour; (6) bears should not be pursued during viewing activities; and (7) the purpose of two Designated Polar Bear Resting Areas in the Gordon Point area should be re-examined. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) Master Thesis Churchill Tundra Ursus maritimus MSpace at the University of Manitoba |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
MSpace at the University of Manitoba |
op_collection_id |
ftunivmanitoba |
language |
English |
description |
Churchill, Manitoba is world-famous for its polar bear ('Ursus maritimus') viewing activities using tundra vehicles. Churchill is unique in that bears are viewed at close distances relative to any other bear-viewing location. The close proximity of tundra vehicles (TV) and polar bears in the Gordon Point area at Churchill poses a question vital to the bear management and the nature tourism industry: do human activities at Churchill induce behavioural changes in polar bears? Based on the results, the main recommendations were (1) Manitoba Conservation should seek dialogue with stakeholders to develop a protocol for consistent and predictable tundra vehicle and helicopter activities; (2) Manitoba Conservation should encourage more research examining the polar bear viewing industry; (3) viewing distances of at least 20 m should be maintained; (4) tundra vehicle movement around bears should be minimized; (5) passengers on vehicles should avoid noisy behaviour; (6) bears should not be pursued during viewing activities; and (7) the purpose of two Designated Polar Bear Resting Areas in the Gordon Point area should be re-examined. (Abstract shortened by UMI.) |
format |
Master Thesis |
author |
Dyck, Markus Guido |
spellingShingle |
Dyck, Markus Guido Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba |
author_facet |
Dyck, Markus Guido |
author_sort |
Dyck, Markus Guido |
title |
Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba |
title_short |
Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba |
title_full |
Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba |
title_fullStr |
Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba |
title_full_unstemmed |
Effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( Ursus maritimus) at Churchill, Manitoba |
title_sort |
effects of tundra vehicle activity on polar bears ( ursus maritimus) at churchill, manitoba |
publishDate |
2001 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2556 |
genre |
Churchill Tundra Ursus maritimus |
genre_facet |
Churchill Tundra Ursus maritimus |
op_relation |
http://hdl.handle.net/1993/2556 |
op_rights |
open access |
_version_ |
1769005017309642752 |