UNESCO

The symbolic
importance of
the polar bear
places it at the
crossroads of current
developments in the
Arctic. Management
of this species in
the context of rapid
environmental
changes was the
topic of a symposium
convened in
September by Pôles
Actions association
and the UNESCO Man
and the Biosphere
Programme
Secretariat.
Living with polar bears?
Can we, and do we want to, live alongside polar
bears? That was the question a symposium
asked on 25 and 26 September. The symbolic
importance of the polar bear places it at the
crossroads of current developments in the
Arctic. Inuit live with polar bears, and their
experience is paramount. But new players
engaged in Arctic development also have
information regarding the management of this
species in the context of rapid environmental
changes. This conference, organized by the
Pôles Actions association in cooperation
with the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere
Programme Secretariat, highlighted the
relationship between polar bears and the
human populations in the Arctic, and examined
the exploitation of Arctic resources. Scientists,
diplomats and members of NGOs from France,
Norway, the Russian Federation, Canada and
the United States reported on the place of the
polar bear in the cosmology of the Inuit, the
trafficking to which it is subject, geopolitics,
methods of monitoring the bears and the
preservation of their habitat.
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© Christopher Wood
Ocean & Climate Days
at COP21
In order to build awareness around
the interlinkages between the ocean and
climate change, both among UNFCCC
negotiators and for the general public,
two day-long events were organized by
the IOC-UNESCO, the Ocean and Climate
Platform and the Global Ocean Forum,
featuring high-level speakers and a
comprehensive representation of ocean and
climate stakeholders from civil society, the
scientific community and policy-makers.