Part A :

Today we continue our series on ecology and conservation with a look at a particularly endangered member of the black bear family.

今天，我们将继续我们的生态和保护系列，关于黑熊家族中一个极度濒危的成员。

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.

每10头黑熊中，会有一头天生就有白色的毛，这也是一个并不常见的很特别的基因导致的结果。

Local people have named it 'the spirit bear'.

当地人把它命名为“灵熊”。

And according to the legends of these communities, its snowy fur brings with it a special power.

根据这些地区的传说，其雪白的皮毛带来了一个特殊的力量。

Because of this, it has always been highly regarded by them - so much that they do not speak of seeing it to anyone else.

正因为如此，它一直深受人们喜爱，以至于他们不会对任何人说看到了它们。

It is their way of protecting it when strangers visit the area.

这是当陌生人访问此地时人类保护它的方式。

The white bear's habitat is quite interesting.

白熊的栖息地是很有意思的。

The bear's strong relationship with the old-growth rainforest is a complex one.

熊与旧的增长雨林稳固的关系是一个复杂的问题。

The white bear relies on the huge centuries-old trees in the forest in many ways.

白熊在很多方面都依赖于森林里庞大的百年老树。

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.

例如，原生树有极长的根，这有助于防止沿许多鱼流对沿岸土壤的侵蚀。

Keeping these banks intact is important because these streams are home to salmon, which are the bear's main food source.

保持这些沿岸的完整是非常重要的，因为这些溪流是鲑鱼的家，这是熊的主要食物来源。

In return, the bear's feeding habits nurture the forest.

作为回报，熊的喂养习惯也养育了森林。

As the bears eat the salmon, they discard the skin and bones in great amounts on the forest floor, which provide vital nutrients.

当熊吃鲑鱼时，他们丢弃了鲑鱼大量的皮肤和骨骼在森林的地面上，它给森林提供了重要的营养物质。

These produce lush vegetation that sustains thousands of other types of life forms, from birds to insects and more.

这些会生产出茂密的植被来维持成千上万的其他类型的生命形式，从鸟类到昆虫甚至更多。

Today, the spirit bear lives off the coast of the province of British Columbia on a few islands.

如今，熊类生活在远离不列颠哥伦比亚省海岸的几个岛屿上。

There is great concern for their survival since it is estimated that less than two hundred of these white bears remain.

有它的生存状况人们有着极大的关注，因为据估计，只剩下了不超过200头这样的白熊。

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.

保护它们的最好方法就是尽一切努力来保护他们的森林环境，换句话说，他们的生态系统的平衡。

Part B :

The greatest threat to the bear's existence is the loss of its habitat.

栖息地的大量流失是熊能够继续繁衍生存下去的最大威胁。

Over many years, logging companies have stripped the land by cutting down a large number of trees.

多年来，大批伐木公司在这些土地上砍伐了大量的树木。

In addition, they have built roads which have fractured the areas where the bear usually feeds, and many hibernation sites have also been lost.

除此之外，他们修建的公路不仅破坏了熊正常活动觅食的场所，还导致许多供熊冬眠所用的区域损失殆尽。

The logging of the trees along the streams has damaged the places where the bears fish.

。由于河流两岸树木的大量砍伐，熊可以捕鱼的地方已经被严重破坏。

To make matters worse, the number of salmon in those streams is declining because there is no legal limit on fishing at the moment.

但更糟糕的是鲑鱼的数量正在逐渐减少，因为当前并没有相关法律来限制人类对鲑鱼的捕杀。

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.

所有这些外界因素都对白灵熊的生存产生了负面影响，其中令这个种群更为脆弱的事实是在这些熊中间繁衍生殖的能力正在令人惊讶的降低。

And so, what's the situation going forward?

然而，对于当前的情况我们可以有哪些展望?

Community organizations, environmental groups and the British Columbia government are now working together on the problem.

社区组织，环境组织还有不列颠哥伦比亚政府政府正在共同努力来解决这一问题。

The government is now requiring logging companies to adopt a better logging method, which is a positive step.

政府已经要求伐木公司采用更有效的方式来砍伐树木，这当然是积极的一步。

However, these measures alone may not be sufficient to ensure a healthy population of the spirit bear in the future.

但是，仅靠这些措施并不足以保证白灵熊在将来可以得到一个健康的生存环境。

Other steps also need to be taken.

其他的措施也应该被实施。

While it is important to maintain the spirit bear's habitat, there also needs to be more emphasis on its expansion.

然而修复并维护白灵熊的栖息地是当务之急，不仅如此我们还应尽可能的将其扩大。

The move is justified as it will also create space for other bears that are losing their homes.

这些行为将会证明它还会为其他流离失所的熊开辟新的生存空间。