Team Work to Help the World's Polar Bears
Recently, news about retreating ice in the Arctic and how it affects polar bears has been described as the "canary in the coal mine" in terms of climate change. Remote sensing from space has revealed a large "doughnut" hole in Arctic ice coverage, the first time that such a phenomenon has ever been recorded. Scientists report that more than 20% of the sea ice in the Far North has disappeared over the last two decades. A diminishing ice pack directly affects polar bears, as sea ice is the platform from which they hunt seals. In the Western Hudson Bay population, biologists have documented a 22% drop since 1987. Scientists predict the decline will continue over the next 50 years.
"It's clear from these changes that it's vitally important that we continue our conservation efforts on behalf of the bears," says PBI's President, Robert Buchanan. "In setting our priorities for 2007, we worked closely with the polar bear scientists who serve on our Advisory Committee. These front-line teams helped us determine which research projects are most critical to ensure the bears' survival."
Following are the key areas in which we plan to focus in the coming year. Some have been long-term projects for PBI that provide valuable data as the climate warms; others are new endeavors that will provide decision-makers with the information they need to successfully manage worldwide polar bear populations.
In addition to funding research projects, we also plan to continue our highly successful educational programs over the coming year. "We work hard to develop 'Ambassadors of the Arctic' through educational projects that help people to think globally and act locally," Buchanan says. "It's important for people to understand the challenges that polar bears face in a changing Arctic."
Overview
Dr. Steven C. Amstrup of the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center says that it is important to document how polar bears respond to Arctic climate change so that scientists can adapt management strategies to benefit the bears. Amstrup sees studies of the Western Hudson Bay, Southern Beaufort Sea, and Chukchi polar bear populations as particularly vital in terms of priorities.
"If we've learned anything from past wildlife studies, we've learned that the most valuable datasets are those that are prolonged enough to give us firm baselines and an understanding of how things change over time," he says. "This is clearly the case for polar bears, where much of what we know about the species comes from either the Western Hudson Bay population or the Southern Beaufort Sea."
Those two populations represent the range of habitats in which polar bears live, he says, making them excellent benchmarks for understanding other populations. The Western Hudson Bay bears are forced ashore each summer when the bay ice melts; in contrast, the Southern Beaufort Sea bears spend most of their time on the sea ice.
"It's clear from these changes that it's vitally important that we continue our conservation efforts on behalf of the bears," says PBI's President, Robert Buchanan. "In setting our priorities for 2007, we worked closely with the polar bear scientists who serve on our Advisory Committee. These front-line teams helped us determine which research projects are most critical to ensure the bears' survival."
Following are the key areas in which we plan to focus in the coming year. Some have been long-term projects for PBI that provide valuable data as the climate warms; others are new endeavors that will provide decision-makers with the information they need to successfully manage worldwide polar bear populations.
In addition to funding research projects, we also plan to continue our highly successful educational programs over the coming year. "We work hard to develop 'Ambassadors of the Arctic' through educational projects that help people to think globally and act locally," Buchanan says. "It's important for people to understand the challenges that polar bears face in a changing Arctic."
Overview
Dr. Steven C. Amstrup of the U.S. Geological Survey's Alaska Science Center says that it is important to document how polar bears respond to Arctic climate change so that scientists can adapt management strategies to benefit the bears. Amstrup sees studies of the Western Hudson Bay, Southern Beaufort Sea, and Chukchi polar bear populations as particularly vital in terms of priorities.
"If we've learned anything from past wildlife studies, we've learned that the most valuable datasets are those that are prolonged enough to give us firm baselines and an understanding of how things change over time," he says. "This is clearly the case for polar bears, where much of what we know about the species comes from either the Western Hudson Bay population or the Southern Beaufort Sea."
Those two populations represent the range of habitats in which polar bears live, he says, making them excellent benchmarks for understanding other populations. The Western Hudson Bay bears are forced ashore each summer when the bay ice melts; in contrast, the Southern Beaufort Sea bears spend most of their time on the sea ice.