| Today we continue our series on ecology and conservation |
| with a look at a particularly endangered member of the black bear family. |
| One in ten black bears is actually born with a white coat, |
| which is the result of a special gene that surfaces in a few. |
| Local people have named it 'the spirit bear'. |
| And according to the legends of these communities, |
| its snowy fur brings with it a special power. |
| Because of this, it has always been highly regarded by them - |
| so much that they do not speak of seeing it to anyone else. |
| It is their way of protecting it when strangers visit the area. |
| The white bear's habitat is quite interesting. |
| The bear's strong relationship with the old-growth rainforest is a complex one. |
| The white bear relies on the huge centuries-old trees in the forest in many ways. |
| For example, the old-growth trees have extremely long roots |
| that help prevent erosion of the soil along the banks of the many fish streams. |
| Keeping these banks intact is important |
| because these streams are home to salmon, |
| which are the bear's main food source. |
| In return, the bear's feeding habits nurture the forest. |
| As the bears eat the salmon, |
| they discard the skin and bones in great amounts on the forest floor, |
| which provide vital nutrients. |
| These produce lush vegetation that sustains thousands of other types of life forms, |
| from birds to insects and more. |
| Today, the spirit bear lives off the coast of the province of British Columbia on a few islands. |
| There is great concern for their survival |
| since it is estimated that less than 200 of these white bears remain. |
| The best way to protect them is to make every effort to preserve the delicate balance of their forest environment - |
| in other words, their ecosystem. |
| The greatest threat to the bear's existence is the loss of its habitat. |
| Over many years, logging companies have stripped the land by cutting down a large number of trees. |
| In addition, they have built roads which have fractured the areas where the bear usually feeds, |
| and many hibernation sites have also been lost. |
| The logging of the trees along the streams has damaged the places where the bears fish. |
| To make matters worse, |
| the number of salmon in those streams is declining |
| because there is no legal limit on fishing at the moment. |
| All these influences have a negative impact on the spirit bear's very existence, |
| which is made all the more fragile |
| by the fact that reproduction among these bears has always been disappointingly low. |
| And so, what's the situation going forward? |
| Community organizations, environmental groups and the British Columbia government |
| are now working together on the problem. |
| The government is now requiring logging companies |
| to adopt a better logging method, which is a positive step. |
| However, these measures alone may not be sufficient to ensure a healthy population of the spirit bear in the future. |
| Other steps also need to be taken. |
| While it is important to maintain the spirit bear's habitat, |
| there also needs to be more emphasis on its expansion. |
| The move is justified as it will also create space for other bears that are losing their homes... |