Year of the Polar Bear
Celebrating 40 years of conservation
2013 is the 40th anniversary of the 1973 Agreement on the Conservation of Polar Bears - a concerted international action to protect this magnificent species and its habitat.
Due in large part to the Agreement and efforts by the five polar bear range states - Canada, Denmark, Norway, Russia and the United States - polar bears still roam much of their historic range and occur in relatively large numbers today.
Polar bear family
Looking ahead: the next 40 years
2013: A turning point for polar bears?
When the range states meet again in Fall 2013 to discuss polar bear conservation, they will be celebrating the past 40 years -- but also they need to plan for the next 40 by addressing the realities of a changed Arctic and a new key threat to the species: global climate change.We're encouraging the range states to...
- commit to habitat protection
- address climate change
- manage harvest
- mitigate Arctic industrial development
- fund polar bear research
Planning for the Last Ice Area
As the polar bear's habitat shrinks in the coming decade, one region is projected to retain its summer sea ice, and remain resilient in the face of climate change. This is the Last Ice Area.With the leadership of local people in Canada and Greenland, WWF is working to help develop a plan for this area of ice high in the Arctic, to offer a future to ice-dependent wildlife, like polar bears, and meet the needs of Inuit.
What WWF is doing for polar bears
News
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New WWF web tool maps Arctic nature and activities
As Arctic Council Ministers prepare to meet to outline priorities for the Council’s next two ...
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Increasing bear/human conflict needs government intervention, say experts
Hungry, climate-stressed polar bears are increasingly coming into conflict with people in some ...
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Safer communities, safer bears – workshop on reducing conflict between polar bears and humans
Leading polar bear experts from throughout the Arctic will convene at a WWF-organized workshop in ...
Contact
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Susan Novotny
Communications Officer, Global Arctic Programme
WWF Global Arctic Programme,
Ottawa+1 613 232 2508
