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Heated global attention on polar bear Five-nation group agrees that climate change is the main threat to the bears and agrees on continued cooperation for conservation Alan Bailey Petroleum News
Polar bears depend on sea ice, and the extent of Arctic sea ice has been shrinking. That’s the essence of the current debate about the future well-being of the magnificent, white carnivores that roam the ice floes offshore the territory of five nations that border the Arctic Ocean.
Representatives from those nations — Canada, Greenland, Norway, Russia and the United States — met in Tromso, Norway, March 17 to 19, to review the status of polar bear conservation, identify conservation strategies and discuss how to further the implementation of a 1973 international polar bear conservation agreement. That decades-old agreement was originally signed by Canada, Denmark, Norway and the then-USSR; it called for national research programs, coupled with international action and information exchanges to promote polar bear conservation. And in 2007 the nations with territory overlapping the polar bear’s range decided to meet every year or two, under the terms of the 1973 agreement. That decision led to the March meeting in Tromso.
Climate change The Tromso meeting, as a primary finding, confirmed the widely held view that climate change constitutes the main threat to polar bears, a threat linked to shrinking sea ice, the primary habitat for both the bears and the seals which form their main prey.
“The parties noted with deep concern the escalating rates and extent of changes in the Arctic induced by climate change to date and that future changes are projected to be even larger,” the report from the meeting said. “The parties agreed that long-term conservation of polar bears depends upon successful mitigation of climate change.”
The representatives at the meeting noted that addressing climate change requires “an effective global response” and that it is important to communicate the polar bear predicament to those people who are negotiating strategies for addressing climate change.
“A scientific presentation (to the meeting) noted that if sea ice is reduced according to present projections, polar bears are likely to be extirpated from most of their range within this century,” the meeting report said.
But habitat destruction, harvesting of bears, environmental pollution and man-made disturbance can all amplify the climate-change-induced stresses on the bears, the report said.
“The resilience of polar bear populations to climate change depends on proactive approaches and should be explored further to encourage conservation planning that is relevant both today and in the future,” the report said, adding that regional monitoring of climate change and its impacts, such as the loss of sea ice and bear denning habitat, should underpin the specification of conservation strategies.
Action plans The representatives at the meeting agreed that each nation should develop its own polar-bear action plan, using a process that would ultimately lead to a coordinated set of circumpolar plans. This process for plan development will include the identification of topics for inclusion in all national plans, as well as procedures for international cooperation in identifying and coordinating plan topics and contents. And the representatives agreed on the importance of considering both the traditional knowledge of aboriginal peoples and the results of scientific research when making polar bear conservation decisions.
But some factors that may heighten the stresses on the bears require immediate attention, the meeting report said. For example, there needs to be a global response to the potential effects of the long-distance flow of pollutants into the Arctic.
“The scope of these effects on polar bear populations are only partially understood, but their impacts on some populations may be significant,” the report said. “… Comprehensive monitoring and research on the effects of contaminant loads in polar bears and synergistic effects of contaminants and climate change is therefore important.”
The report also cited the protection of the polar bear habitat and its ecosystems as a critical component of required near-term actions. And, while praising current habitat conservation measures, the representatives at the meeting also called for expanded habitat protection.
“The parties (at the meeting) also recognized that expansion of protected areas can potentially reduce the vulnerability of the polar bear populations and the ecosystems of which bears are a part,” the meeting report said.
Industrial development The meeting report commented that oil and gas industrial development takes place in areas where polar bears live.
“Industrial development continues to expand northward into areas used by polar bears,” the report said. “Several areas of oil and gas interest are identified with these areas.”
And the report emphasized the importance of procedures and mitigation measures to protect the bears when industrial activities are under way.
“Such measures are in use in the U.S. Beaufort Sea coast oil fields and could provide guidance for other parties,” the report said.
But increasing volumes of Arctic shipping, encouraged into the region by new expanses of open water in trans-polar sea routes during the summer, could also impact the polar bears.
“Potential effects of shipping on polar bears include pollution, noise, physical disturbance related to ice-breaking and waste,” the report said.
And burgeoning Arctic tourism, including polar bear viewing excursions, could result in the unintended consequences of pollution, wildlife disturbance and, perhaps, the defensive killing of bears.
“Actions to address such impacts could include limited access to sensitive habitats; competence requirements for guides; guidelines and rules for operating in polar bear areas and near polar bears; measures to reduce pollution risks; and post-trip reports of wildlife sightings and other activities from tour operators,” the report said.
Increased interactions Increased bear-human interactions resulting from growing levels of offshore activity, and from hungry bears resorting to the search for food on land, will require strategies to manage bear-human conflicts.
“Some existing strategies include active deterrence; reduction of attractants; and community education and outreach,” the report said. “Expertise developed for management of other bear species should be consulted in the development of strategies specific to polar bears.”
Representatives at the Tromso meeting welcomed a United States offer to lead an effort to exchange experiences in the management of bear-human interactions. Workshops on this topic are scheduled in Canada in November 2009 and in Alaska in 2010, the meeting report said.
And the five nations that met in Tromso plan to meet again in Canada in 2011 and in Russia in 2013.
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