The evolving meaning of the species protection norm: the case of polar bear management in Canada
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| Rok publikování | 2026 |
| Druh | Kapitola v knize |
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| Popis | Protection of endangered species is one of the oldest international environmental norms. Domestically, the norm is frequently contested by local political actors, including governments, activists, businesses, and – in some countries – indigenous groups. This chapter examines the dynamics and transformation of the endangered species protection norm in Canada. The chapter adopts a critical approach to norms, focusing on the (changing) meaning of norms in politics. At the center of the chapter is the polar bear, a species at risk whose management has been subject to decades of contestation in Canada. The chapter traces the narratives perpetuated by Canada’s political actors in the light of three landmarks in polar bear conservation: the Polar Bear Agreement, the listing of the polar bear under the US Endangered Species Act, and the proposed uplisting of the polar bear on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. Three discourses have underlined the dynamic of polar bear protection in Canada: public trust in science, the hunting-conservation relationship, and the Indigenous involvement in wildlife conservation. Polar bear management in Canada demonstrates how and why the meaning of the endangered species protection norm can change domestically. |
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