|
Poster Child of Climate Change
The Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) applauds the recent decision by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) to list the polar bear as Threatened under the federal Endangered Species Act. A “threatened” designation indicates a species that is likely to become endangered if management actions are not taken. The decision will allow important protections to be implemented for this iconic creature.
“Time may be running out for these bears in Alaska as their sea-ice habitat melts even faster than expected,” says Dr. Steven E. Sanderson, WCS president and CEO.
WCS scientists studied 28 years of satellite images of sea ice and contributed key data to a study by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that helped inform the USFWS decision. The USGS study says that polar bears traveling from retreating sea ice will soon have to go five times farther to reach maternity dens in Alaska, and that sea ice will no longer support polar bears in Alaska by the year 2050. Of further concern is that additional USGS data shows that models by the International Panel on Climate Change were too conservative, and sea ice could retreat at a rate 30 percent faster than originally predicted.
“The polar bear is the poster child of climate change and we need to do all we can to protect this species from the effects of global warming,” says Sanderson. “These preliminary results clearly show that Alaska’s polar bear population is particularly vulnerable to climate change and deserving of greater federal protection.”
Scientists estimate Alaska’s polar bears to number around 1,500, down from 1,800 in 2001 due to declines in breeding and the survival of both cubs and adults. About 25,000 polar bears remain worldwide. Listing polar bears under the Endangered Species Act will mean more scientific research to better understand their needs as climate change continues to shrink their habitat.
In addition to protecting the polar bear under the ESA, WCS is also calling for greater international cooperation to protect polar bears, which can travel across country borders in pursuit of food, denning sites, and mates. International efforts were the main reason for an increase in polar bear numbers from the 1970s to mid-1990s, according to WCS. But with dramatic changes occurring in sea ice over the past four years, evaluation and commitment to the bears’ survival must be reassessed across their Arctic habitat.
“This is a global species where individual animals can travel through several countries in a single season,” said WCS landscape ecologist Dr. Scott Bergen, who analyzed the satellite data on sea ice. “Along with a listing under the Endangered Species Act, polar bears will need international protection if they are to survive as a species.”
Media Resources
Download Dr Bergen’s polar bear study, part of a nine-chapter report evaluating the present state of polar bears across the Arctic.
For Media Contact Information, Please Click Here.
|
