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Arctic species
© Alex Hall
Caribou in the Thelon Sanctuary. Canada.
Conserving wildlife in the Arctic
Many species have adapted successfully to the arctic environment. The seas, sea ice and tundra provide a rich habitat for arctic species like the polar bear, arctic fox, reindeer and walrus as well as many varieties of seals, whales, birds and fish.Northern Canada and Alaska support herds of caribou that number in the hundreds of thousands and their annual movements across the tundra are the largest mammalian migrations on the planet.
Many species of birds travel thousands of kilometres to and from the Arctic each year, such as arctic tern, which breeds in the Arctic and then flies to Antarctica during the northern winter.
Status of the polar bear
The US recently added the polar bear to its endangered species list in recognition of the current and projected impacts of climate change and the
World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species has also listed the polar bear as "threatened". Read more about the status of polar bear populations around the Arctic
World Conservation Union's (IUCN) Red List of Endangered Species has also listed the polar bear as "threatened". Read more about the status of polar bear populations around the Arctic
Threats to arctic species
Climate change threatens the survival of arctic speciesAn entire ecosystem - from phytoplankton to polar bears - depends on the arctic sea ice to survive. As temperatures increase and sea ice continues to decline species such as the ringed seal, walrus and polar bear will find it more and more difficult to survive.
The Hudson Bay and Southern Beaufort polar bear subpopulations have declined in recent years and scientists have noticed a drop in body condition and an increase in cub mortality. They believe this is connected to a decrease in their sea ice habitat as a result of climate change. Without sea ice, polar bears cannot hunt for seals, their primary food source.
Read more about the status of polar bear subpopulations
Caribou numbers in northern Canada have significantly dropped in recent years and experts suspect that climate change is a significant contributing factor. Increased warm spells during the winter thaw the snow cover, which is then refrozen and creates an ice cover over the vegetation.
Read more about WWF's climate change work in the Arctic
Oil and gas development
Throughout the Arctic oil and gas development continues to threaten important species habitats.
As global oil reserves decline and geopolitical issues make oil harder to access, the Arctic will come under increasing pressure as a source of oil.
Northern Alaska has the largest oil fields in all of the US and the federal and state governements have consistentyly worked to open the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge in recent years. In northern Canada, a proposed gas pipeline running down the Mackenzie Valley may threaten areas of ecological importance unless they are protected first.
Multimedia
Watch video clips of arctic animals:
Listen to the underwater sound of a bearded seal off Point Barrow, Alaska. Courtesy: Christopher W. Clark / North Slope Borough.
- Tagging a polar bear MPG format (3MB)
- Beluga whale MPG format (2.4MB)
- Sperm whale WMV format (1.4 MB)
Listen to the underwater sound of a bearded seal off Point Barrow, Alaska. Courtesy: Christopher W. Clark / North Slope Borough.