WWF - News, documents and publications about polar bears

Alaska critical habitat for polar bears declared

2009-10-23

WWF applauds the announcement today of the proposed designation of key areas of polar bear habitat across Alaska by the US Department of the Interior. The requirement for the identification of 'critical habitat' was triggered by the listing of polar bears as threatened under the US Endangered Species Act in 2008.

"Designation of critical habitat affords important protections to the polar bear, a species imperiled by dramatic changes in its sea ice environment," says Geoff York, senior program officer for Polar Bear Conservation at WWF.

"As sea ice habitat shrinks, it becomes increasingly important to protect areas that are crucial for the bears' survival." The critical habitat proposal announced today identifies habitat in three separate areas or units: barrier island habitat, sea ice habitat and terrestrial denning habitat. The total area proposed for designation would cover approximately 200,541 square miles and is found entirely within the lands and waters of the United States.

Barrier island habitat includes coastal barrier islands and spits along Alaska's coast, and is used for denning, refuge from human disturbances, access to maternal dens and feeding habitat, as well as travel along the coast. Sea ice habitat is located over the continental shelf, and includes water 300m and less in depth. Terrestrial denning habitat includes lands within 32 km (about 20 miles) of the northern coast of Alaska between the Canadian border and the Kavik River and within 8 km (about 5 miles) between the Kavik River and Barrow.

WWF works around the Arctic with local communities, scientists and governments to enhance polar bear conservation, protect their habitat, and ensure sustainable populations. WWF encourages the Department of the Interior to ensure that the views of local people are incorporated in the designation of critical habitat areas.

The world's top scientific experts on polar bears, the Polar Bear Specialist Group of the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN), recently concluded that the IUCN Red List classification of the polar bear should be upgraded from 'Least Concern' to 'Vulnerable'. That was based on the likelihood of an overall decline in the size of the total population of more than 30% within the next 35 to 50 years.. The principal cause of this decline is climatic warming as it melts away the polar bears' important sea ice habitat.

At the Polar Bear Specialist Group Meeting this summer, the experts concluded that eight polar bear population groups are now in decline, up from five in 2005.

"Polar bears are not land animals - they evolved over thousands of years to be sea ice specialists. They need the ice to hunt for seals, their primary food. Take away the ice and you take away the bears," added York.

In recent years, science has documented a decline in the condition and cub survival rate of some of the most southerly bear populations, and most recently significant increases in polar bear movements and home ranges as animals are forced to migrate longer distances in search of food or habitat.

"The changes we are witnessing in the Arctic do not just raise concerns about the fate of iconic species such as polar bear - our own future is at stake," said York.

"The planet is changing in dangerous ways and the longer we wait to address the climate crisis the costlier it will be. While designation of critical habitat for polar bear is a positive step, it remains critical that the U.S. Senate pass a climate bill this year, moving us closer to reaching a global agreement in Copenhagen this December."

Arctic warming sees more polar bear populations threatened

2009-07-07

The world’s top experts have just confirmed that Arctic warming is continuing its ravages of polar bear populations. The Polar Bear Specialist Group of the International Union of the Conservation of Nature has added to its list of declining polar bear populations.

“There is a disturbing downward trend apparent in world polar bear populations,” says Geoff York, polar bear coordinator for WWF International’s Arctic Programme. “In 2005, there were five declining populations – now there are eight. The experts have clearly identified climate change as the major culprit, but they are also optimistic that these trends can be reversed, given timely and effective action on greenhouse gas emissions.”

The main effect of warming on the bears is that their hunting is restricted by a lack of sea ice. The bears use the ice as a platform from which they can hunt seals, their favourite prey. Research has shown a definite link between the time the bears have to stay on land, and a decline in health, and in the numbers of cubs that survive.

At a meeting in Norway earlier this year, representatives of the countries that are home to polar bears agreed to refer the climate change problem to the UN-sponsored climate negotiations. WWF continues to push those countries to live up to the treaty they signed in 1973, obliging them to protect polar bear habitat.

New Russian Arctic Park to protect key polar bear habitat

2009-06-16

The ‘Russian Arctic’ park is located on the northern part of Novaya Zemlya, a long island that arcs out into the Arctic Ocean between the Barents and Kara Seas. It also includes some adjacent marine areas.

WWF has long been lobbying for the park, which is also a key area for walrus, wild reindeer and bird population. The park creation excludes all industrial activities.

“This is exactly the sort of thing we need to see from Arctic governments,” says Neil Hamilton Director of WWF International’s Arctic Programme.

“The only way these Arctic populations are going to survive the ecological havoc caused by global warming is by providing them with enough breathing room.”

“If industrial activity is kept far enough from key habitat, the animals have a chance.”

“We also need urgent global action on climate change to ensure that the parks stay cold enough for animals such as polar bears and wild reindeer.”

While WWF is pleased with the park creation, it notes that the protected area is smaller than the 5 million hectares initially planned.

“Despite the fact that the Russian Arctic Park is our big achievement, we’re sorry that not all planned territories were included in the park area,” says Oleg Sutkaitis, Head of the Barents Sea Ecoregional Office for WWF Russia.

“Franz Josef Land and Victoria Island were crossed out from the project, but we will now work on widening the park’s borders.”

When announcing the park, Prime Minister Vladimir Putin said he hoped it would be a major attraction for tourism, and announced that he personally plans to vacation there.

Russian, US biologists collaborate in polar bear research

2009-06-12

In spring 2009, Russian biologist Nikita Ovsyanikov participated in polar bear research in the Chukchi Sea led by the US Fish and Wildlife Service.

During this time, USFWS biologist Eric Regehr familiarised Ovsyanikov with the methods used to immobilise polar bears for research, and the suite of measurements, samples, and demographic information obtained from them.

Ovsyanikov’s knowledge of polar bear behavioor brought a unique perspective to the project, and provided ideas about how to improve handling methods.

Polar bears in the Chukchi Sea move freely across the international border, and depend upon habitats in Russia for critical aspects of their life history (e.g. maternal denning).

To understand the status of the entire Chukchi population and ensure its sound management, coordinated research programs, including live-capture and radiotelemetry, must be initiated in both countries.

Ovsyanikov’s visit provided a unique opportunity for the exchange of information on the ecology and current status of the Chukchi Sea population, and on the best methods used to study polar bears.

It was an important step toward collaborations between the US and Russia to study polar bears in the Chukchi Sea.

Polar bear ruling underlines need for legislation

2009-05-18

United States Secretary of the Interior Ken Salazar has announced that he will retain a special rule issued in December for protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act, but will closely monitor the implementation of the rule to determine if additional measures are necessary to conserve and recover the polar bear and its habitat.

“To see the polar bear’s habitat melting and an iconic species threatened is an environmental tragedy of the modern age,” Salazar said. “This administration is fully committed to the protection and recovery of the polar bear. I have reviewed the current rule, received the recommendations of the Fish and Wildlife Service, and concluded that the best course of action for protecting the polar bear under the Endangered Species Act is to wisely implement the current rule, monitor its effectiveness, and evaluate our options for improving the recovery of the species.”

The polar bear is listed as a threatened species under the Act, meaning it is at risk of becoming an endangered species throughout all or a significant portion of its range. The law provides civil and criminal penalties for actions that kill or injure bears and bars federal agencies from taking actions that are likely to jeopardize the species or adversely modify its critical habitat.

In addition, the polar bear is protected by the Marine Mammal Protection Act (MMPA), which provides equal and in some cases more stringent protections, and international treaties such as the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Section 4(d) of the ESA allows the Fish and Wildlife Service to tailor regulatory prohibitions for threatened species as deemed necessary and advisable to provide for the conservation of the species. Hence, the special rule is referred to as a 4(d) rule.

“In our judgment, keeping the rule is the best course of action for the polar bear,” said Thomas L. Strickland, assistant secretary for fish and wildlife and parks. “We will continue to reach out and listen to the public and a wide range of stakeholders as we monitor the rule, and will not hesitate to take additional steps if necessary to protect this iconic species.”

The rule also states that incidental take of polar bears resulting from activities outside the bear’s range, such as emission of greenhouse gases, will not be prohibited under the ESA.

“We must do all we can to help the polar bear recover, recognizing that the greatest threat to the polar bear is the melting of Arctic sea ice caused by climate change,” Salazar said. “However, the Endangered Species Act is not the proper mechanism for controlling our nation’s carbon emissions. Instead, we need a comprehensive energy and climate strategy that curbs climate change and its impacts – including the loss of sea ice. Both President Obama and I are committed to achieving that goal.”

Under the Omnibus Appropriations Act of 2009, Congress granted Salazar authority until May 10 to revoke the 4(d) rule. If Salazar had decided to withdraw the 4(d) rule, a virtually identical “interim” 4(d) rule issued by the previous Administration when the polar bear was first listed as a threatened species would be put back in place.

“Revoking the current 4(d) rule would return us to an interim rule that would offer no more protections for the polar bear and would result in uncertainty and confusion about the management of the species,” Salazar said.

President Obama’s Fiscal Year 2010 budget request includes a significant new commitment to helping conserve the polar bear. The budget request includes an increase of $7.4 million for polar bear conservation, of which $3.2 million will be invested through the Fish and Wildlife Service.

This new commitment includes a $1.5 million increase for the Endangered Species program specifically to address new and reinitiated interagency consultations on oil and gas projects and to prepare for a range-wide Polar Bear Conservation Plan to guide U.S. and international work to conserve and improve the status of the species. An increase of $1.7 million will allow the FWS Marine Mammal program to intensify work with partners to prepare, review, and publish population assessments, conservation plans, and incidental take regulations.

Video: Walrus calves rescued along Russian coast

2009-05-12

The Umky Patrol, or Polar Bear Patrol, which is affiliated with WWF Russia, does important work in monitoring polar bear populations along the Russian coastline, among other things. Late last year, the Patrol rescued some walrus calves on Cape Kozhevnikov after an unusual seeming mass panic, during which many walruses perished. Read the story of the rescue below, or watch the video of the rescue (on the Umky Patrol website) here.

After a panic occurred among walruses on the cape Kozhevnikov on September 27, 2008, where a group of animals rushed to the water without any obvious reason, the polar bear patrol crew decided to inspect the coast.

As a result they found 98 calves had perished and 10 adult walruses had also died. During their inspection of the area, the dolorous voice of a walrus calf drew the patrol’s attention and they found the poor small animal stuck in a crack between large rocks.

It was decided to try to rescue the calf. Using ropes, five strong adult men tried to pull the baby walrus out, but could not keep it calm. The calf tore itself away from its rescuers and again became stuck in between the rocks. Again the ropes were put to use, and after half an hour of hard work the animal was finally released into the water where it was met by its mother.

It was getting dark when someone again noticed the sound of a calf crying: one more walrus calf was in similar trouble. Again, though, after half an hour’s work using ropes to pull the calf free, it was happily released to join its family.

Operation 'Den 2009' comes to an end

2009-04-27

A polar bear conservation project organised and run by WWF Russia in the Russian Arctic, known as Operation 'Den 2009', has recently come to an end.

As part of the project, several parts of the Arctic coast of Russia have been inspected in order to collect data on the spring distribution of polar bears, particularly maternity denning sites.

A variety of different transportation methods were used in order to conduct this work: sledge dogs, snowmobiles, all-terrain vehicles and helicopters. During the inspection of coastal areas, observers registered the tracks of polar bears, paying special attention to footprints of females with cubs of the year. In some areas special raids were carried out in order to find maternity dens.

The regular polar bear patrol (or ‘Umky Patrol’) groups in Chukotka, Yakutia, Taimyr and Vaigach actively participated in the field stage of the operation. The Marine Mammal Council, the Great Arctic Reserve and the Ministry of Nature Conservation of Sakha (Yakutia) Republic were also involved.

Although the ‘Den 2009’ operation was not completed at the time of writing, it is possible to come to a sad conclusion about the highly critical situation facing polar bears in Russia. Researchers on the project encountered very few dens and polar bear females with cubs of the year in all of the inspected areas. In some coastal areas, which are traditionally rich in maternity polar bear dens, observers did not find any dens at all.

Along approximately 900 kilometres of the Chukotka coast, only 4 dens were found (information about another 3 dens still needs to be confirmed). Helicopters were used to inspect the typical spring ice habitats (over a flight route of about 500 kilometres) between Aion Island and Cape Shmidt. These research flights revealed an abnormally low encounter rate of polar bear tracks; the only female with cubs of the year was found there.

The situation was found to be slightly better in the neighbouring area of Yakutia. On Medvezhyi (Bear) Islands, 5 maternity dens were found.

The critical condition of the Chukchi polar bear population demands urgent measures including scientific studies and anti-poaching activity. It is also important to consider questions about changing the population status of polar bears in the Red Data Book of Russia – to move the population from category 5 (rehabilitated) to at least category 3 (unknown status).

Polar bears and penguins 'just tip of climate change iceberg'

2009-04-06

New evidence from the North and South Poles indicates that time is running out for the world’s leaders to respond to climate change.

As ministers from Arctic Council and Antarctic Treaty states hold their first ever joint meeting in Washington on April 6 celebrating the 50th Anniversary of the signing of the Antarctic Treaty, WWF is challenging the ministers to mark the occasion by affirming their commitment to climate change action.

The conservation organisation provided the ministers with compelling recent evidence from both the north and south poles that clearly demonstrates global temperature increases must be kept well under two degrees Celsius.

“A global average temperature rise of 2 degrees is clearly too much for the poles,” says Rob Nicoll, Manager of WWF’s Antarctic and Southern Oceans Initiative.

“Scientists are already unpleasantly surprised at how quickly the impacts of warming such as sea ice loss are showing up in the polar regions, exceeding recent predictions.”

Global average warming due to climate change since the late 1800s is showing severe impacts at less than one degree, as the Arctic is warming at about twice the global average and parts of the Antarctic are also outstripping the global average.

The polar regions themselves have profound and not yet fully understood impacts on climate globally, and there are fears that polar tipping points could trigger abrupt change around the world.

A forthcoming report on Antarctic Climate Change and the Environment from the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research is expected to up previous estimates on Antarctica’s expected substantial contributions to sea level rises.

Marine food chains of global significance are also under threat from warming in the Antarctic. “Ice shelves the size of small countries are crumbling away and the latest evidence from the Antarctic is showing that the effects of global warming there are increasing in magnitude,” said Mr Nicoll.

“The penguins may feel it first, but the rest of us won’t be far behind.”

The warming of the Antarctic is not yet as acute as the Arctic, but it is yet a further indication that the meltdown of our polar caps continues apace. If world leaders fail to act on this information the effects will be calamitous.

“The world is caught in a polar pincer movement,” said Neil Hamilton, Director of WWF International’s Arctic Programme.

“What is happening at the poles will control the world’s climate. If we do not stop the poles from melting, the whole world will feel it, in the form of runaway warming and rising waters.”

Right now the Catlin Arctic Survey expedition is sampling the thickness of Arctic sea ice. The expedition, partly sponsored by WWF, is likely to confirm scientists’ fears that the older, thicker ice is disappearing. This has led them to predict that the summer sea ice could disappear within a generation, leading to catastrophic consequences for the entire ecosystem, everything from single celled animals to whales.

“The Ministers meeting today in Washington have a special responsibility to the world,” said Mr Hamilton.

“They are the custodians of the poles, and this would be an opportunity for them to show the world that they are ready to step up and shoulder their responsibility to keep the poles frozen, by committing to taking urgent and effective action at the Copenhagen climate meeting this December.”

Please note: WWF will hold a briefing for Washington reporters immediately outside the State Department once the ministerial is over. There will also be two teleconference briefings for reporters outside Washington, details of these are on a separate media advisory. Reporters who have not received the advisory can contact the people listed below.

For further information:

Joe Pouliot, Director of Climate and Policy Communications, WWF US
Cell: 202-476-9919
Email: joe.pouliot@wwfus.org

Clive Tesar, Head of Communications, WWF International Arctic Programme
Tel: (+1) 613-232-2535
Mobile: (+1) 613-883-3110
Email: ctesar@wwf.no

Dr. Neil T. M. Hamilton, Director, WWF International Arctic Programme.
Mobile +47 9300 5660
Email: Nhamilton@wwf.no

Rob Nicoll, Manager, WWF Antarctic and Southern Oceans Initiative
Mobile: +61438938764
Email: rnicoll@wwf.org.au

More background is available at panda.org/arctic.

Arctic nations take important first step towards saving polar bears

2009-03-19

Tromso, Norway - Five nations committed by treaty to conserve polar bears have come up with a resolution linking the future of the species to urgent global action on climate change.

“We are very encouraged by the final declaration from this meeting,” says Geoff York, polar bear coordinator for WWF International’s Arctic Programme.

“We were concerned that some countries were lagging behind the others in their commitment to dealing with climate change, but ultimately, the parties recognized climate change as the primary threat to the future well-being of polar bears. They also recognized formally “the urgent need for an effective global response that will address the challenges of climate change”, to be addressed at fora such as the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change”.

The five Arctic nations signed a binding 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears that includes provisions to protect polar bears and their habitat.

The Norwegian government played a key role in bringing the parties together, and in setting high expectations for the meeting. Erik Solheim, Environment Minister of Norway told Norwegian television. “It would be an amazing crime against future generations if we did not save the polar bear.”

The meeting made some other important advances. It has agreed to come up with a circumpolar action plan for the management of bears, and to formally designate the Polar Bear Specialist Group of the World Conservation Union (IUCN) as the scientific advisory body to the Agreement. These were both measures proposed by WWF in advance of the meeting.

“Although we are generally very pleased with the meeting outcome, this is by no means the end of the story- it is the start on the path to polar bear survival,” says York. “The real proof of this new commitment to taking urgent and effective action on climate change is what leaders of these nations will commit to later this year. Ministers from these five countries are meeting in this same town toward the end of April at a meeting of the Arctic Council, and have a golden opportunity then to outline their national commitment to climate change.”

Ultimately, the polar bear nations must join with other countries at the UN climate conference in Copenhagen in December 2009 to sign an effective global deal on climate change that will save the polar bears’ Arctic sea ice habitat, along with the entire ice ecosystem.

Polar bear states retreat behind closed doors to discuss climate measures

2009-03-17

Tromso, Norway - Five countries meeting for the first time in 25 years to discuss polar bear conservation today retreated behind closed doors to discuss climate change and national measures being taken to combat it.

Climate change and the receding Arctic sea ice are regarded as the greatest threat to the Arctic emblem.

Unexpectedly excluded from the meeting were NGOs, an Arctic indigenous organization and other observers.

“We do not know what these countries have to say about protecting polar bears that cannot be shared with the world,” says Geoff York, polar bear coordinator for WWF.

The decision to exclude observers from the Meeting of the Parties on the Agreement on the Conservation on Polar Bears, was taken yesterday at another closed door meeting between heads of the national delegations. The countries involved in the meeting are Norway, Russia, Canada, the United States and Denmark (Greenland).

However, it seems not all countries were supportive of the exclusion of observers.

“The Norwegian Environment Minister made it clear today that the host Norwegian government wanted WWF and other interested parties to take part in this meeting,” said York. “WWF applauds the Norwegian Minister for calling on the meeting to deliver strong message on climate change to the UN climate conference in Copenhagen this December.

“It is unfortunate that some other countries are not so open and transparent.

“It may be that certain governments do not want to hear what we have to say about the necessity of tackling climate change as the core threat to polar bears, and their obligations under the polar bear agreement to take action to protect polar bear habitat.”

WWF, officially invited to the meeting, intends to “continue to monitor the meeting as much as we are able”, York said.

It also intends to present to delegates draft plans on managing polar bears and conservation financing if given the opportunity after the meeting closes.

Polar bear states obliged to take action on climate change at historic meeting

2009-03-12

Meeting of the Contracting Parties to the Agreement for the Conservation of Polar Bears

An agreement signed in 1973 obliges the five Arctic states with polar bear populations to take action on climate change at a meeting next week, WWF said today.

For the first time in more than 25 years, the Contracting Parties to the 1973 international Agreement for the Conservation of Polar Bears and Their Habitats - Canada, Russia, US, Greenland/Denmark, and Norway - will come together for a formal meeting under the agreement. The meeting, which is hosted by the Norwegian government, will take place in Tromsø, Norway, 17-19 March.

The original historic agreement focused on threats especially from heavy hunting practices that had decimated polar bear populations worldwide. It also committed the states to preservation of the bears’ habitat. Sea ice is a critical part of that habitat, providing a platform for the bears to hunt seals.

WWF urges delegates next week to acknowledge that preserving this Arctic icon will depend on addressing today’s main threat -- climate change. Two-thirds of the world's 20 to 25,000 polar bears will be lost during the next 50 years because of climate change, according to recent comprehensive analyses by the U.S. Geological Survey and the World Conservation Union.

“You cannot protect polar bears without addressing global warming,” says WWF polar bear coordinator Geoff York. “It is widely accepted that we need to keep the global temperature increase below 2 degrees in order to avoid irreversible climate change. The most important action we can take to help preserve polar bears is to slow the rate of climate change, and ultimately to stop it so that their habitat does not entirely disappear.”

Arctic sea ice is disappearing at an alarming rate during the summers, and scientists say the summer ice may disappear entirely sometime between 2013 and 2040.

WWF has worked around the world’s Arctic regions for over 30 years and its polar bear work is led by experts in the field. WWF is the only environmental NGO active in all of the Arctic countries and is a permanent observer to the Arctic Council.

“Delegates at the Tromsø meeting must agree to push their respective countries to commit to urgent and effective climate change action. Anything less would be an abdication of the responsibilities of these nations under the polar bear agreement,” emphasizes York.

WWF expects the representatives of these five polar bear nations to formally call for urgent global actions to significantly reduce the amount of greenhouse gases produced, and show strong leadership internationally to help achieve a fair, effective and science based global climate change agreement in Copenhagen, Denmark in December 2009.

They also must agree to integrate the current and likely future impacts of climate change in all management and planning mechanisms affecting polar bears and their key habitats, and commit to sustainable and long term financing mechanisms for polar bear research and management.

WWF will present at next week’s meeting a draft range-wide Action Plan for polar bears, highlighting the necessary conservation measures that will help polar bears without hurting people who live with the bears, and has encouraged the states to adopt this plan.

“The meeting in Tromsø is an historic and time-limited opportunity to take action to address the rising challenges that face the Arctic today,” says York. “The trend can be turned if governments act now to ensure wise and proactive management of these ecosystems on which both polar bears and we depend.”

The Arctic may be the single most important region on Earth given the key role it has in regulating the world’s climate and storing carbon. The polar bear is the top predator of a fragile ecosystem where small changes can have dramatic consequences far beyond the region itself.

--ends--

B-roll, Photos (both hig & Low res) & Supporting documentation available for download at; http://www.divshare.com/folder/508282-6d1

Web quality video available from; http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VQOmsa5QbII

For more information:
Europe: Lena Eskeland, Communications Officer, WWF International Arctic Programme
leskeland@wwf.no tel: +47-92-40-61-90

North-America: Kyle Ferguson, Manager, Communications, WWF-Canada
KFerguson@wwfcanada.org tel: +1-416-484-7732

WWF push for change for polar bears in 2009

2009-03-06

The WWF Arctic Programme has launched a concerted push in 2009 for big conservation wins for polar bears, set firmly in the context of the battle against global warming. The first part of this push will occur at the upcoming Meeting of the Parties from March 17-19 in the Norwegian Arctic, with parties to the Agreement for the Conservation of Polar Bears and Their Habitats.

As this is the first such meeting for more than 25 years, it is a very important one. There is much work to be done toward effective transboundary management and conservation of polar bears into the future.

WWF’s goals for the meeting include providing polar bear Range States with tools that will help them achieve their conservation goals around climate change, species management and sustainable financing.

At the meeting, WWF will exert pressure for official recognition that, ultimately, without a global deal on climate change, the fate of the polar bear is grim.

Polar bears creaking under the strain

2009-01-12

Toronto, Canada - Eight of the 13 Canadian polar bear sub-populations are either depleted or showing significant signs of stress, and future reduction of sea-ice in the Arctic could result in a loss of two-thirds of the world's polar bears within 50 years.

These facts form the backdrop to Friday’s federal Environment Minister’s National Roundtable on Polar Bears which presents a critical opportunity to ensure that Canada implements strong new measures to protect polar bears for their long-term survival.

Roughly 15,000 (two-thirds) of the world’s 20-25,000 polar bears live in Canada and face four main threats: climate change, which is reducing their sea-ice habitat; over-hunting; increasing industrialisation of critical habitats; and toxic chemicals in the Arctic food chain.

Of the eight sub-populations showing clear signs of ecological problems, five have declining numbers (western Hudson Bay, Baffin Bay, Kane Basin, Norwegian Bay, and southern Beaufort Sea), and a sixth (southern Hudson Bay) is showing clear biological signs of stress.

Two sub-populations in the central Arctic are increasing (McClintock Channel and Viscount Melville Sound) due to the cessation of past over-hunting, but are still below historic levels.

The Davis Strait sub-population may be increasing, possibly due to increased harp seal numbers. The remaining four sub-populations probably have fairly stable numbers.

“The facts are very clear, both from scientific research and from local knowledge, that climate change is occurring rapidly in the Arctic and is causing major problems for wildlife, and for northern peoples,” said Dr. Peter Ewins, Director, Species Conservation, WWF-Canada.

“The more information we gather, the more we realise that polar bears are in increasing trouble.”

WWF-Canada expects at least four major outcomes arising from this Friday’s meeting: a North American Conservation Action Plan for polar bears; strong leadership to reduce all main threats, including climate change; full protection of all critical habitats for polar bears; and major increases in resources to complete proper scientific research.

Convening a roundtable with stakeholders was the first of three key steps called for by WWF-Canada in a letter sent to Environment Minister Jim Prentice last November.

The remaining steps include working with the Nunavut government to ensure an immediate cessation of polar bear over-harvesting in the depleted Baffin Bay subpopulation until the population has recovered and a bilateral agreement with Greenland is in place; and implementing a Conservation Action Plan for Canada’s polar bears that addresses all main threats, including climate change.

“WWF completely agrees with former Environment Minister John Baird’s statement last April, when he said, ‘A declining polar bear population is not an option for Canada,’” said Ewins.

“With two-thirds of the world's polar bears, Canada has a major international responsibility to safeguard these animals and their habitats for future generations. We look forward to seeing these major outcomes and firm commitments from the Canadian government and the assembled roundtable participants. By working together effectively, we still can ensure a healthy future for polar bears.”

Polar bear listing weakened by Bush administration’s parting shots

2008-12-13

In its final days in office, the Bush Administration has announced two substantial rule changes that would seriously undermine the effectiveness of the Endangered Species Act (ESA), specifically gutting key protections for polar bears, World Wildlife Fund (WWF) officials said.

The rules would expedite oil and gas exploration in the habitat of the polar bear, which was listed as threatened by the Department of the Interior earlier this year, and would eliminate a key environmental review process that ensures federal development projects do not cause additional harm to species that are at risk of extinction.

“These rules are the parting shots of an Administration that has consistently ignored or undermined the protections of our nation’s threatened and endangered species,” said Jason Patlis, WWF vice president for US government relations. “WWF strongly opposes these midnight rule changes and urges the incoming Administration to take prompt steps to undo them when it assumes office next month.”

Patlis said the regulatory rule changes would weaken ESA protections across the country but would have a particularly harmful impact in the Alaskan Arctic, which is home to many at-risk species, including the polar bear, as well as the nation’s most productive fisheries. It is also a region that the current administration has targeted for expanded and expedited oil and gas development.

“With these rule changes, the oil industry will be able to proceed full-bore with exploration, drilling and extraction activities without a thorough review of their potential environmental impact,” said Patlis.

The first rule weakens the ESA protections afforded to polar bears when the species was listed as threatened earlier this year. Specifically, the rule states that oil and gas development can proceed in polar bear habitat without review of the impact such activities might have on the species.

The second rule significantly narrows the requirement that development activities by federal agencies must be reviewed by government biologists to ensure the projects would not have an adverse impact on species protected under the ESA. WWF opposed both rule changes in formal comments submitted to the USFWS, which can be found here.

“The aggressive push for oil and gas development ignores consideration of any cumulative impact of these activities with other ongoing threats to Arctic ecosystems and resources, such as global warming and ocean acidification,” Patlis said, who noted that the Bush Administration has opened Alaska’s waters to increased drilling as a record rate.

“We call on President-elect Obama to move swiftly in taking steps to reverse the irresponsible decisions that have been made today. In addition, we call for immediate action to halt the current aggressive course of oil and gas development in the Arctic, which is exacerbating an already unstable global climate, until a deliberate, rational and comprehensive Arctic conservation and energy plan can be designed and implemented.”

Polar Bear Patrol awards given out for 2008

2008-11-25

Each year in November, the Umky Patrol, or Polar Bear Patrol, awards people and organisations that have made a major contribution to the protection of polar bears and their habitats in the Russian Arctic.

This year, the following awards have been given:

Award for scientific monitoring: Varvara Semenova, who coordinated the group of volunteers in charge of coastal monitoring in northern Chukotka in autumn 2008.

Ruslan Sleptsov, the ranger in the resource reserve (or natural protected area) of Bear Islands in the Sakha (Yakutia) Republic, is also recognised for this award.

Award for support from authorities: Oksana Makarova, the mayor of Ryrkaipiy village, Chukotka, Russia.

Award for support from business: The Coca-Cola Company represented by Maria Landekhovskaya.

Award for support from an international source: The Knut Fund from the Berlin Zoo.

Also recognised for this award were Karin Lindwall, Tom Arnbom and Ola Jennersten from WWF Sweden.

About the Umky Patrol

The Umky Patrol is a Russian project run by people living on the Arctic coast, polar bear researchers and environmental organisations.

WWF is partnered with the project, the main goal of which is to preserve the unique natural Arctic habitat of the region and ensure the harmonious coexistence of man and wildlife in the area.

In order to work towards these goals, four ‘Polar Bear Patrol’ teams have worked on the Arctic coast of Chukotka and Yakutia since autumn 2007.

For more information about the awards and photos of the winners, click here.

For more information about the Umky Patrol, click here.

Canadian territory fails to protect polar bears

2008-11-10

Iqaluit, Canada: Canada's youngest territory is facing an international backlash following its decision to leave unchanged the number of polar bears it allows to be killed in part of the Baffin Bay region each year.

Nunavut, which came into being in 1999, has bowed to pressure from the local Inuit hunters and agreed to maintain the annual allowable harvest quota of 105 polar bears. The Baffin Bay sub-population straddles Canada and adjacent areas of Greenland. The number of polar bears has dropped from an estimated 2,100 in 1997 to about 1,500 today due to high levels of hunting by Inuit in both countries.

The hunting quota was set at 105 in 2004, based on the relatively large population numbers from the late 1990s. The harvesting in Nunavut was also based on an assumption that the number of bears killed in neighbouring Greenland was as low as 18 a year, but subsequent research has shown the actual figure to be about 10 times higher.

"You can't pretend to be looking after polar bears by carrying on with the same level of harvest that has led to a 30 per cent decline in the population, it is just totally unacceptable,” Peter J. Ewins, director of species conservation for WWF-Canada, told Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper.

WWF is calling for a joint management plan between Greenland, Nunavut and the federal Canadian government that would allow populations to recover and then be managed on a sustainable level.

For many environmentalists, polar bears have become a symbol of global warming because the ice habitat that they depend on is melting due to climate change.

Environmentalists have warned that the hunting decision may lead to international boycotts against Nunavut, and to concerns that the government, which relies heavily on advice from Inuit hunters, is ignoring the scientific research showing a precipitous plunge in the number of bears.

Watching wild polar bears in Hudson Bay, Canada

2008-11-04

WWF polar bear experts are spending the next couple of weeks in the 'polar bear capital of the world', the town of Churchill, on the shores of Hudson Bay in Canada.

WWF Arctic Programme’s Polar Bear biologist, Geoff York, and WWF Canada biologist, Pete Ewins, will both be taking part in a programme organised by Polar Bears International (PBI), which involves trips out on the tundra in a fully-wired 'Tundra Buggy' that can take the experts out among the polar bears.

As the weather grows cooler along the shore of Canada’s Hudson Bay and snow begins to fall, polar bears move towards the coast in expectation of sea ice returning to the bay. Due to climate change, the bears have recently had to spend longer on shore, away from their prime food source.

However, the return of colder weather has perked up these bears. The males spar with one another in a form of play fighting. Male bears will spend hours sparring with one another until one is dominant or they both tire of playing. This play fighting helps males develop the skills they will need to survive and once mature, successfully breed in the spring.

The animals circle one another other cautiously, and if both animals are willing, these encounters often lead to physical contact. Polar bears can stand upright to an imposing height of more than 9 feet. Locked in a very real bear hug, each of these impressive animals struggles to overpower his challenger.

Scientists call this behavior sparring, and the opportunity to see this phenomenon up close draws hundreds of visitors each year to Hudson Bay, including scientists. This is among the best-studied population of polar bears in the world. The Western Hudson Bay population has declined by almost 24% in the last 20 years and this decline is directly linked to climate warming.

Currently, these bears have lost nearly five weeks of crucial hunting time as the sea ice melts earlier each year. If we do not take immediate and aggressive action to curb green house gas emissions and stop an Arctic meltdown, we may be the last generation to see sparring polar bears in Hudson Bay.

Polar bears sending a message to the world

2008-10-30

Arctic sea ice at lowest level ever

2008-09-15

Arctic sea ice may well have reached its lowest volumes ever, as summer ice coverage of the Arctic Sea looks set to be close to last year’s record lows, with thinner ice overall.

Final figures on minimum ice coverage for 2008 are expected in a matter of days, but they are already flirting with last year’s record low of 1.59 million square miles, or 4.13 million square kilometres.

“If you take reduced ice thickness into account, there is probably less ice overall in the Arctic this year than in any other year since monitoring began,” said Martin Sommerkorn, WWF International Arctic Programme’s Senior Climate Change Advisor.

“This is also the first year that the Northwest Passage over the top of North America, and the Northeast Passage over the top of Russia are both free of ice.”

Dr Sommerkorn said the continuing loss of older, thicker ice means that the Arctic ice cover is following a trend of becoming younger and thinner each year.

The area of ice that is at least 5 years old has decreased by 56% between 1985 and 2007. The oldest ice types have essentially disappeared.

Taken together, the new figures clearly show the Arctic is experiencing the continuation of an accelerated declining trend.

“We are expecting confirmation of 2008 being either the lowest or the second-lowest year in terms of summer ice coverage,” Dr Sommerkorn said.

“This means 2 years in a row of record lows since we started recording Arctic sea ice coverage, and a continuing catastrophic downward trend.

“There are already signs that species such as polar bears are experiencing negative effects as climate change erodes the ice platform on which they rely.

These changes are also affecting the peoples of the Arctic whose traditional livelihoods depend on healthy ecosystems.”

The trend of melting Arctic ice is also alarming for the rest of the world. “The Arctic is a key factor in stabilising the global climate,” Dr Sommerkorn said.

“Arctic ice is like a mirror, reflecting the sun’s heat back into space. As that ice goes, Arctic waters absorb more heat, adding to global warming.

“The local warming of the Arctic will also soon release more greenhouse gases from the Arctic that were previously locked in permanently frozen ground.

“This means there will be 2 powerful feedbacks from the Arctic affecting the global environment. This is not just an Arctic problem, it is a global problem, and it demands a global response.”

The governments of the world are currently negotiating a new climate agreement to come into force from 2013 when the first phase of the Kyoto Protocol has ended.

“Governments must speed up these talks and agree the new climate deal at the UN Summit in Copenhagen in December 2009, just 15 months from now, Dr Sommerkorn said.

Polar bears found swimming miles from Alaskan coast

2008-08-22

An aerial survey by government scientists in Alaska’s Chukchi Sea this week found at least nine polar bears swimming in open water – with one at least 60 miles from shore – raising concern among wildlife experts about their survival.

Geoff York, the polar bear coordinator for WWF's Arctic Programme, said that when polar bears swim so far from land, they could have difficulty making it safely to shore and are at risk of drowning, particularly if a storm arises.

“To find so many polar bears at sea at one time is extremely worrisome because it could be an indication that as the sea ice on which they live and hunt continues to melt, many more bears may be out there facing similar risk,” he said.

“As climate change continues to dramatically disrupt the Arctic, polar bears and their cubs are being forced to swim longer distances to find food and habitat.”

Scientists say the Arctic is changing more rapidly and acutely than anywhere on the planet, noting that 2007 witnessed the lowest sea ice coverage in recorded history.

Satellite images indicate that ice was absent in most of the region where the bears were found on August 16, 2008, and some experts predict this year’s sea ice loss could meet or exceed the record set last year.

The discovery of the nine bears at sea came as the US Minerals Management Service was conducting marine surveys in the Beaufort and Chukchi Seas in advance of potential offshore oil development.

In May, the US Department of Interior listed polar bears as threatened under the Endangered Species Act, with Interior Secretary Dirk Kempthorne cited the strong body of science pointing to the significant loss of Arctic sea ice habitat as the primary reason for protecting the bear with federal legislation.

However, the state of Alaska has opposed the listing and has sued the federal government over its decision to list the bear.

Professor Richard Steiner of the University of Alaska’s Marine Advisory Program said: “While these bears are swimming around in an ice-free coastal Arctic Ocean, the only thing the State of Alaska is doing is suing the federal government trying to overturn the listing of polar bears.

“The bottom line here is that polar bears need sea ice, sea ice is decaying, and the bears are in very serious trouble. For any people who are still non-believers in global warming and the impacts it is having in the Arctic, this should answer their doubts once and for all.”