Statement: AWA disappointed that Alberta will not be conducting grizzly population count

September 24, 2026

AWA has determined that initial reports claiming the Alberta government would be supporting a grizzly bear population count were ultimately misleading. The province will not be conducting a province-wide population count; instead, they will only be supporting “monitoring efforts” by fRI Research.

While monitoring of grizzly bear populations is important, and provides valuable information for management of grizzly bears, it will not provide the same understanding of our grizzlies as a province-wide population estimate. Alberta severely lacks current information about the province’s grizzly populations.

“We need accurate and updated data for science-based wildlife management,” says Ruiping Luo, Conservation Specialist with Alberta Wilderness Association. “We should not be basing impactful decisions on outdated information. A province-wide population count is long overdue.”

Accurate population data is particularly important in light of the increasing bear mortality under the province’s Wildlife Management Responder Program. With the lack of transparency around the grizzly bears killed under this program, and no information on the impact of this program on grizzly bear populations, a thorough and accurate understanding of our grizzly bear populations, and the impacts of higher bear mortality, is more important than ever.

Alberta’s last population estimate is based on studies released between 2004 and 2018, and estimates province-wide populations for 2016. The Alberta Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan suggests rotating population counts for each Bear Management Area (BMA) every five years. Estimates released by the province since then do not appear to be based on monitoring or population surveys, and do not have data to support them.

Given both the high grizzly bear mortality and the lack of current information, a province-wide grizzly bear population count is vitally important, overdue, and necessary to make informed decisions for wildlife management.

Background

In July 2026, several media outlets reported a statement from the provincial government implying Alberta was supporting a grizzly bear population count. However, new reporting indicates that this will not be a province-wide population, but instead a project intended to discover new ways of monitoring grizzly bear populations.
Grizzly bears (Ursus arctos) were designated as an Alberta Threatened species in 2010.
An Addendum to the Grizzly Bear Recovery Plan provided a province-wide estimate of grizzly bear populations in 2021, estimated for 2016 and using studies in various Grizzly Bear Management Areas conducted from 2004 to 2018.
Hunting of grizzly bears has been banned in Alberta since 2006. However, Alberta recently opened the Wildlife Management Responder Network, allowing members of the public to hunt “problem” grizzly bears.
In 2024, Alberta claimed there were more than 1,150 grizzly bears in Alberta. AWA has requested, but not received, any data to support this estimate.
AWA has repeatedly requested grizzly bear population monitoring and updated population counts. We support sustainable and science-based wildlife management policies.